So i did 2 two tiered cakes for a twins birthday party today. (That sounds like a tongue twister, ha ha) Anyway, both cakes were 8" bottoms with 6" tops. I doweled the bottom cakes with 6 thin wilton plastic pegs covered my boards with contact paper on both sides so it would not get soggy and put a long center dowel through the whole cake. Both cakes were frosted with italian buttercream and with the same buttercream on the inside of each 3" deep cake (i bake with 3" deep round pans and torte each cake). I boxed them and put them on non slide material in the back of my car. When i got to the party and opened the back, the little girls cake was still all in tact and looked great. The boys cake on the other hand had basically collapsed and looked like someone had thrown a baseball at it. If it had not been in the box, the top cake would have been all over the back of my car. It was not pretty and there was nothing i could do to fix it and make it look even half way decent. I felt terrible!!!! I had spent 9 hours making these two cakes and was so excited for my friend to see the cakes i had made for her twins. My friend was very laid back about it and said it was o.k and that basically what can you do.
I just wonder what i did wrong? I am now scared to do another tiered cake for fear that this might happen again. This is the first time this has happened but i sure as heck don't want another go at the same thing happening.
I am thinking of maybe only using the cake plate and columns that lock together from now on so that i can transport the cakes without being stacked and then just stack when i get to my destination.
Any thoughts?

I will post the pictures of both cakes when i get them uploaded.
At least i got a picture of what the one looked like before it got destroyed.

I don't know if it helps, but i always take someone to drive and i carry the cake/s, if I did it in another way i think i would be mortified ...

Can't imagine what happened...............

Hmmmmm....you say you used Italian Buttercream. Do you mean Italian Meringue Buttercream? If so...that's kind of soft. Maybe with the warm weather we're into now it didn't have enough structural body to hold the cake together. I always assemble onsite. It just scares me to take a finished cake anywhere.

What a terrible thing. Did you have to make any sudden stops, or anything? That is every cake decorators nightmare. I'm so sorry it happened to you.

I'm pretty sure that the pegs are not the same as dowels.

Edited to add...

From the Wilton Site: Plastic Pegs
Insure that cake layers and separator plates atop cakes stay in place. Pegs do not add support; dowel rod cake properly before using.

I'm sorry this happened to you!

I agree with TexasSugar--the pegs are not designed for support. I'm surprised that the other cake didn't fall. Use the wooden dowels or plastic dowels (I don't trust straws!). Also, place the cakes/boxes on a rubber/foam mat in the car to prevent sliding. I'm sorry this happened; We all know how much time and effort we spend on our cakes!

Hi all,
Thank you so much for your advise. I think it was maybe a big mistake to use those pegs although i had used them before without trouble, that is why i thought i could do it again. Bottom line is that i learned a big lesson and at least it was on a cake that was for someone i knew and was not mad at all about it. It could have been much worse if it were for someone who was a real stickler about their cake. All the same, i still felt really bad!!
I am going to try to attatch the pictures of both cakes to this post. The fireman cake is the one that got demolished. If not, take a look at my pics for the fireman and hello kitty cake.


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Well, they're both adorable! I bet your heart just broke when you lost the fireman cake.

That is too bad, it was such a cute cake, it looks like you worked really hard on it. I added it to my favorites I am from Michigan too!

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, I learned something today.

Well, I am glad to read that about the pegs. I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing, I woulda tried the pegs eventually, I'm sure.

Oh man, that happened to me too!! It was my double stacked cheerleader cake for my daughter. I had just finished it, after working on it for 2 days so it was unrefrigerated and I had also use IMBC frosting. I did have dowels for support but I didn't do the one dowel through the center. I'm making another stacked cake due for delivery on Saturday and I'm going to have them put it together at the site instead of delivering it stacked.

P.S. I loved your cakes! I know how you felt when you saw the one that fell.