How Do I Make An Offcenter Cake?

Decorating By lovable_lauren3 Updated 26 Apr 2006 , 5:03am by fronklowes

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 2:55am
post #1 of 25

I will be doing a wedding cake soon and i would like everyones suggestions for making an off center cake. THANKS

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lasidus1 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 2:59am
post #2 of 25

do you mean like lining up circles all on one side or something like that?

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:09am
post #3 of 25

If you mean a mad hatter style cake, the directions can be found on this website. I think they are posted under the "articles" section. The title will be something like "How to make a Whimsical Cake."

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:21am
post #4 of 25

It looks like this:




Im just worried about it haveing a higher risk of falling over or something like that...
LL

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:34am
post #5 of 25

I've seen a cake stacked like that in one of the Wilton Yearbooks. Give me a few minutes and I'll try to find it and see if it has special instructions for stacking.

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:37am
post #6 of 25

thank you I really Appreciate it. Im 17 and this is going to be my second wedding...the other one is posted in my pictures. If you have any suggests for : Chocolate Fondant, Chocolate Buttercream Icing, Making Fondant Bows(not the loopy ones, just simple ones) or anything else let me know icon_smile.gif thanks

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:40am
post #7 of 25

My second wedding cake sorry...and also what about attatching Chocolate letter to the cake....i will be making a monogram set for the cake and they will be made out of chocolate

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lasidus1 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:41am
post #8 of 25

it's hard to explain, but you would probably want to try to center the dowels as much as possible over the whole cake. i would dowel normally under each layer like you normally would, and for the longer dowels have one going through the bottom two layers, about 2/3 of the way through the smaller cake nearer the center of the bigger cake (i really don't think i'm describing this well icon_redface.gif ) and all the way down through both. then one through all three layers, centering nearer the middle of the biggest cake, so about 2/3 of the way through that smallest cake. i'll try to draw what i'm thinking....

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lasidus1 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:45am
post #9 of 25

ok, so have normal short dowels in all the layers, then have these longer ones. Pink is through bottom two layers, yellow is through all three. So have them semi centered in the layer, but a little off center for weight distribution.


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LL

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:45am
post #10 of 25

I found it in the first yearbook I picked up! Page 61 of the 2003 Wilton Yearbook has a cake where the layers are stacked off-center ( much more so than yours, actually). They have a 16.5" long oval for the base with an 8" round and a 6" round stacked on top. I read through the directions and it says to prepare the cakes for regular stacked construction (with dowel rods and cake boards) and be sure to use double thick cake boards.

So I think you should be safe if you use a sturdy base and dowel the cake well (I'd be sure to put the extra dowel through all of the layers once it is stacked).

Hope this helps.

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 3:59am
post #11 of 25

My sister just called on the phone and she's very upset so I have to go right now, but I will post some info for you tonight (or tomorrow after church) on how to make a fondant bow and some recipes for you. When are you making this cake?

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CakemanOH Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 4:03am
post #12 of 25

have an offcenter wedding cake for June and I am using the hidden pillars as your plate legs will set into them not allowing the slippage dowling would.

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 5:09am
post #13 of 25

Thanks to everyone for their help...the cake is due May 6th, the day after my Senior prom what fun huh ? But it is going to be 4 tiers iced in a light chocolate colored buttercream. There is going to be a bow comming down that will be dark chocolate fondant and in between the two sides of the bowwill be their mongrammed initials(made out of candy monogram molds I found): (VMJ) under that will be 3 rings, thats something the bride picked out for her husband to be. That part is kind of hard to explain. The bow will droop slightly over the 4th tier on the bottome. Around the cake their will be scrollwork in random spots with flowers in her colors. She wants a stucco look. Most of the accents will be in Dark chocolate with some in the (red orange yellow) color theme

Soooo I need help with: (and i think this is my complete list lol)

1. Stucco effect
2. Fondant bow
3. tips/recipies for chocolate fondant and buttercream
4. Attatching the Chocolate Monogrammed Initials to the cake
5. Applying edible gold dust

I really appreciate EVERY Bit of help ladies & Gents THANKS SO MUCH!!!

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 6:22am
post #14 of 25

I would reconsider using the hidden pillars. I'm not sure they would provide enough stability being that the cake is off-center. I really think you need some extra support that goes through all of the layers.

Stucco Effect: This is simple. After you ice your cake smooth, but before it has crusted well, take a paper towel (Viva--so it doesn't leave a pattern) and wad it up and dab all over the cake. This will make the texture of the icing like stucco.

Fondant Bow: Roll out your fondant like you would cookie dough. Make sure that you are working on a crisco-ed surface and have a sheen of crisco on the dough and your hands. This will keep the fondant from drying out and cracking. Some people say to use cornstarch, but crisco will accomplish the same thing and won't dry out your fondant. I use Marshmallow fondant, but you can use other types and they will work the same....ok...there are two easy ways to do this. You can either use a ruler and a pizza cutter (exacto knive, whatever, something to cut with) to make your strips of ribbon or you can use the Wilton Fondant Ribbon Cutter/Embosser Set. The ruler and pizza cutter method will take a little bit longer because you will have to measure the widths, but it will work fine if you don't plan on doing bows a lot. The ribbon cutter embosser is a roller that will allow you to cut one big ribbon (with different types of edges) or several thinner ribbons at once so if you think you'll do this again, you may want to consider buying one of these at Michael's this week with their 40% off coupon. Once you have your strips cut, set the long ones aside for a moment. To make a simple bow, you will need to make two loops. To make a loop you take a ribbon of fondant and loop it over itself. Adjust the loop until it looks right to you, then cut off the excess ribbon. Unloop the ribbon and use it as a template to cut the length on as many other ribbon strips as you need. In other words, cut one ribbon strip to that length for each loop you would like the bow to have. Make one extra strip that is a little shorter (it will fold over the loops to form the middle "knot-type part" of your bow later). Take each end of the knot and pleat it. By pleating, I mean that you will take one end of the ribbon, and, holding one side of the width of the ribbon with each of your hands (thumb and forefinger), you'll push your thumbs together to form a little bubble or "pleat" in the ribbon. You'll do this to both ends of your knot. Back to the ribbon loops...you will then need to "glue" the ends of the loops together using clear vanilla and a paint brush (a little goes a long way). Play with the loop a bit until it looks nice and then stuff it with something to help it hold it's shape until it has had a chance to dry (12 hours drying time has been sufficient in my experience, but it may be more humid where you live--so give yourself time). You can stuff the bow with toilet paper, kleenex, cotton balls, paper towels, kotex or breastpads--hehehe---they work great because they have a little bit of stiffness to them--! Anyway, make, glue, and stuff as many loops as you want your bow to have using the procedure above. Once you have made your loops, knot, and your long ribbon strips (don't forget to fork the ends of your long bow if you like that look), you're ready to assemble your bow (the loops do not have to be dry to do this, just don't take the stuffing out until they are dry and you'll be fine). First place your long ribbon strips on the cake. Glue them in place using clear vanilla (or if they are too heavy, you can use royal icing to glue them to a well crusted buttercream cake). Then, assemble your bow, glueing each loop to the cake with clear vanilla. Don't forget to fold your pleated knot over the ends of your loops, tucking the ends around and under the "seam" between the loops. Glue it in place, too. Allow everything to dry, then pull out the stuffing, and you're done! You can make fondant decorations that are meant to be eaten up to three days in advance, so you can break this process up into several days to fit it into your schedule.

I've also heard that you can use water as "glue" for fondant decorations, but I haven't tried it yet. Also, if you don't want to make royal icing, I've heard you can thin down a little bit of fondant with water to form a sort of paste. Once again, I haven't tried this, but you may want to experiment a little.

I'm going to get my things together to answer your other questions. I'll be back...

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 6:31am
post #15 of 25

You apply gold dust or luster dust with vodka. Water, clear vanilla, and lemon juice work well, too, but it will be shinier if you use vodka.

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 6:34am
post #16 of 25

fronklowes!!!!! Thank you SOOO much All of this will Really help me....i really love this website!! icon_smile.gif thank you so much

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 6:57am
post #17 of 25

Fondant:

I like Marshmallow Fondant better than Wilton's fondant for several reasons: It's cheaper, you can flavor and color large amounts easier because you make it yourself, plus you can control the stickiness level ( I like mine where it's not sticky) with how much water you add--and it's easy to make. One thing I would add to the instructions is to be conservative with the water at first, maybe reserve a tablespoon if you're making the large batch, then add it in during the kneeding stage little by little as needed. That way you don't end up with fondant that is really sticky. If you add flavoring to your fondant (my amounts refer to the large batch), be sure that you take the amount of flavoring you add into account when adding the water. For example, I use concentrated flavorings so I add 1/2tsp. ( I like it strong, 1/4 tsp. is probably fine)flavoring and 5.5tsp. of water so the liquid equals 6tsp. or 2tablespoons. If you don't compensate for the flavoring by reducing the water, you will get very sticky fondant.

This is not my recipe or words below, it is cut and pasted from a very long thread on the Wilton.com discussion forum site. If you have more questions about it, you can do a search for the topic "Marshmellow fondant recipe and tips for success" by Bunnywoman. I have pasted the regular fondant recipe and tips first, then the chocolate fondant. I make the large batch and it makes 3lbs, 1oz. of fondant.


Marshmallow fondant is fabulous! I love the taste and it is very easy to work with. Wilton fondant is wonderful to work with but just tastes awful!!!!! I can't bring myself to place it on a cake and go through all that work for someone to give a horrible "face" and peel it off and eat the buttercream icing that lies below.

The recipe is as follows:

Marshmallow fondant
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 tbsp water
1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup powder sugar

Place marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. I take it out of the bowl when it gets to the point where most of the sugar is incorporated and I knead it in my hands. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton's fondant. You can get this fondant almost paper thin and it also repairs well. It's cheap, easy to work with, and tastes great too.

You can make a large batch of this fondant as well by doing this:

Large batch of Marshmallow fondant
1- 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows
2 tbsps water
2 lbs powdered sugar (8 cups)

Do the same procedure as above.



Tips for success from Bunny:
I add any flavor Lorann Oil flavorings to this. Something that will compliment my cake well. What I do is cut back on the water and add about 1/8 tsp Lorann flavoring. You can certainly add more (especially if I make the large batch) for a more of a pungent flavor, just adjust the water amount accordingly. *****The more liquid you add to this will make it stickier to work with. Try to be accurate in measuring the liquid.*****

Stickiness??????
If it is way to sticky to work with then cut back on the amount of liquid that you used by about 1/2 tsp. This will help.
Let it sit out and "air dry" for about 10 minutes.
Use a small amount of Crisco on your work surface and hands. A little goes a very long ways so don't go over board with the Crisco.

Knead the dough with a spoon!!!!! Do not attempt to pick it up and knead it too soon. This dough is hot when comes right out of the microwave!!!!! I say this because I have had people contact me saying they received a burn from it. I can almost knead it fully with a spoon.

Dough that is not in use must stay covered with plastic wrap or it will dry out. Or place it in a Ziploc bag. That works too.

Dried out Marshmallow fondant: place it back into the microwave and nuke it for a few seconds to revive it back to its original state. The bigger the batch the more time on the microwave. Example: small batch 3-5 seconds.......large batch about 10 seconds. Microwaves vary too so keep that in mind.

Coloring: well I have experimented with this several different ways. If I want to make the whole batch of Marshmallow fondant one color then I have added the color, just Wilton paste color, Americolors, or Chefmaster colors.....any will work for this, when I pull the bowl out of the microwave when it looks "soupy". Stirred it up and then added the powdered sugar. Otherwise I have added it after it has come together and kneaded it in by hand. I use plastic gloves too when I do this, because otherwise your hands are never the same!!!!

You can work with this just as you would the regular fondant. Pizza rollers cut this very well. Ribbon cutters work fabulous too for this. I can make bows and drapes, push molds etc with this. I love the taste of this stuff. Great on the pocketbook too!!!!!!

If I left anything out please feel free to contact me. If anyone wants to add to this message PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO. This way newcomers and old timers here have a reference to do a "search" on.

Happy Decorating!
Bunnywoman


I'm going to do another post so I can cut and paste the chocolate fondant recipes---too lazy to retype themicon_smile.gif

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 7:26am
post #18 of 25

I changed my mind; I am going to type this because it's not as long as I was thinking it was, plus I want to add some things. Oh, and I should have mentioned before that powdered sugar is sold in two pound bags at the grocery store for about $1. So, unless you want to weigh it (because it's the two pounds that matters for the large batch, if you measure out eight cups, you have to sift the sugar first---messy), I would buy the 2lb. bag.

For what you're going to use the fondant for, you may want to try the small batch, though. I haven't made it because I've been covering cakes, but I'm pretty sure it would be plenty to make your bow with.


Ok....

Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant: I haven't made this yet, but I trust this lady's word, plus there are so many people who swear by this recipe, you can't go wrong.
There are three ways to do brown chocolate:
1. For a small batch of fondant, add 1 oz. of melted chocolate and one tablespoon of cocoa powder to the basis recipe
2. For a small batch, add 2 oz. melted chocolate, more or less to taste, to the basis recipe
3. For a small batch, add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, more or less to taste, to the basis recipe
For white chocolate fondant:
For a small batch, add 1.25 oz. melted good quality white chocolate, more or less to taste, to the basis recipe

I'm not sure of the amounts for the large batch, but you get the idea.

Also, you can make this fondant up in advance and store it in plastic wrap inside an airtight container for two weeks or you can use that "Press and Seal" wrap to get a really good airtight seal and it will stay good for longer.

If you have problems kneeding the dough or rolling it out because it is too hard, simply flatten a ball of it out a bit, pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds or so, and it will soften up. Start with 5 seconds until you get a feel for how powerful your microwave is--and watch out for hot spots in the fondant.

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 7:30am
post #19 of 25

Oh, you can also make chocolate MMF by adding Lorann (Brand) Chocolate flavoring to your fondant.

Remember, the taste is what you're going for, you can always make the color darker or lighter by adding brown gel paste or the whitener gel paste.

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fronklowes Posted 23 Apr 2006 , 8:07am
post #20 of 25

Buttercream Icing:

I haven't experimented much with different buttercreams yet, but this is the one I use. It is one of Wilton's crusting buttercream icings. If you don't have a heavy duty mixer, though, I wouldn't try it. I've been told by several people that it caused their hand mixers to go into cardiac arrest.

Use your paddle attachment on low speed to mix the following together:
2/3 cup water
1-2 tsp. flavoring(s) (use one for a whiter icing or use clear flavorings)
3/4 tsp. salt
4 tablespoons Meringue Powder (use more if you are in a humid area because it will help you icing not melt)

Once those are combined, add 1 cup of room temperature crisco (I buy the bars and slice one up). Let this mix on low speed for a minute or two. You'll still have lumps and it will be separated--that's ok.

On low speed, mix in 12 cups of powdered sugar. You don't have to be precise with the measurements, just eyeball it. I use a four cup measuring cup so I only have to fill it three times. I'm afraid I would lose count if I filled a cup 12 times. Anyway, I pour in the first four cups together, let everything mix (always on low to minimize air bubbles) until it is smooth and creamy, and then add a couple more cups, mix, and so on. I also scrape down the sides of my bowl. Supposedly you don't have to do this, but I think it helps the mixer do it's job properly. This will yield 7 to 7.5 cups of stiff consistency icing. To thin it down, simply add water a drop at a time until you have the consistency you want.

To make chocolate buttercream, I simply add some cocoa powder to the recipe until it tastes the way I like it, adding drops of water to thin down the icing and compensate for the extra dry ingredients

You don't have to add flavoring if you are going to add cocoa powder, or you might want to add a butter and/or vanilla flavoring. Anyway, this is what I use.

If you ever decide to use a concentrated flavoring, don't add as much as you would other liquid flavorings. Also, I would never add more than 1/4 tsp. of mint, almond, or cinnamon flavorings because they are very powerful. You can add them in combination with other flavors, though. Almond and cherry is very good.

This icing will stay good for about two weeks in the refridgerator (in an airtight container) or for about three hours (or so they say) at room temperature. I've left mine on the counter overnight before and it was fine the next day. If you use milk instead of water, though, definitely refridgerate it.

If you refridgerate your icing, let it come back to room temperature and stir it up before you use it. Always stir your icing back up before using it if it has been sitting idle for a while. But, be sure to stir using a figure 8 motion, not a whipping motion or you will put nasty airbubbles in your icing.

You can ice a cake up to three days in advance with this icing and it will stay good at room temperature.

I'm going to have to do some research on attaching chocolate initials to your cake. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere, but haven't done it myself. If I find it, I'll let you know.

Good luck with your cake!

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lovable_lauren3 Posted 24 Apr 2006 , 1:16am
post #21 of 25

One last Question...(I am sure by now you are thinking doesnt she know everything yet icon_biggrin.gif ) How should I price this bad boy? icon_smile.gificon_smile.gif Thanks!

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fronklowes Posted 24 Apr 2006 , 2:31am
post #22 of 25

I have never sold a cake for money. I just do it for fun and give my cakes away so I can't help you there. I would start a new post if I were you and put "How should I price this?" as the title. I'm afraid with so many posts on this that a lot of people who could help will never read the question. Good luck with your cake.

You might want to do another post about attaching the chocolate, too. I'm sure there's someone out there who does it all the time and knows the answer by heart.

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soygurl Posted 24 Apr 2006 , 10:00am
post #23 of 25

It looks like you've already gotten all your answers, but I just wanted to say: I feel your pain! I did a cake the day after my prom too (not a wedding cake , but oh, the stories I could tell you of that night...icon_rolleyes.gificon_lol.gificon_wink.gif), and I also have a wedding cake due may 6th this year! It's nice to know there are other younger cake-ers here too icon_biggrin.gif (I'm 20. Started decorating at 10)!
Oh, I almost forgot! For pricing, I would base it on the number of servings, and the degree of dificulty. Or tripple the cost. If you base it on servings, I would say $2-4 per serving for this cake. Just don't undercharge! I have made that mistake WAY too many times. icon_redface.gificon_cry.gif
Good luck! I'll be thinking of you on that day (and the day before when I'm baking. You ARE going to bake ahead of time aren't you? Just freeze them and it will be fine). thumbs_up.gif

~Kelsie

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Crimsicle Posted 24 Apr 2006 , 12:58pm
post #24 of 25

As long as your dowels beneath each layer board are evenly spaced, you should have no problem. This cake is even...gravity is not going to be working against you.

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fronklowes Posted 26 Apr 2006 , 5:03am
post #25 of 25

Hello. It's me again. I talked to another lady about constructing off-centered cakes, and she said she's done a square off-centered cake with push-in pillars and had no problems. So, I think you'll probably be safe with the push-in pillars like you were planning on using in the beginning. Just be careful and transport your cake in pieces. Good luck!

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