I have an order in two weeks' time that I am preparing for, and am stumped. I have never carved a cake before, and need to make an LSU stadium cake to feed 40 people. My initial thoughts are that I will fill and stack three or four 1/4 sheet cakes, soft freeze them, and then carve out from there. Does anyone have any advice for a carving newbie? :)

This cake will need to be covered in fondant after carving, as well.

i would go ahead and freeze them solid

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but it's rounded on one end and kinda squared off on the other

you could make some of them a round or oval cake

40 servings seems small for a stadium cake doesn't it?

best of the best to you!

Ahttp://cakecentral.com/t/540003/help-pic-attached

Here is my advice to make one that looks like the pic attached. Make two quarter sheet cakes: the first will be your field, the second you cut into thirds-one on each side, the last third your going to want to cut diagonally so when you flip them over they will be mirror images (with me so far?) these slanted pieces will go on top of the other two sides to create the crowd.

I know it's confusing without pictures, but if your still confused pm me and I will draw you a step by step. To me this is the easiest way to create the stadium look.

Also partially frozen cakes are easier to cut!

So I am planning out this cake, and yes! K8, 40 servings IS small for this cake. I assume that I will end up with more than they need, but I don't mind that. I just want to make this thing look amazing. I plan to start early in the week with baking, filling, settling, then freezing the cakes. My question is this- I normally create a "rope" of buttercream as a dam around my softer buttercream filling (sharon zambito method), to prevent the bulge of filling. This works awesome for my regular cakes!

BUT, how do I prevent the bulge if I end up carving away the "dam" in the process of shaping the stadium??I always settle my cakes on the counter at room temp for 7-8 hours, under a weight, which helps a lot...but the only way I have been totally able to avoid the bulge is by using a dam.

Any advice on that?
 

stack the cakes up unfilled--just cake on cake (i freeze mine)

cut cut cut sculpt sculpt sculpt

take them apart and fill them

HA! I literally laughed out loud, and popped myself in the forehead when I read your solution K8.

DUH! I am so vapid sometimes. You are a genius! Such a great idea. I will definitely do that.

So I carve away to the exact shape, then dam each layer and fill, then settle it with the weight like always? Then cover in BC then fondant.

Sounds so simple, let's cross our fingers. :)
 

well -- maybe maybe not on the weight--sculptures don't aways lend themselves to weights

but yes that's the general idea ;)

K8, I thought you would want to see how it all turned out! It look me two days, but I did it! I'm so proud. I've never hacked into a cake purposefully before, so it was scary at first. I stacked 4 1/4 sheet cakes, then carved the stadium out of the top cake. Not an entirely exact replica, but when I delivered it this morning my customer literally jumped up and down and fist pumped when she saw it... haha! So thankful for your advice, and cake central!! Always pulling me through those tricky cakes. :)

omg--shoot fire!!! that thing is so clean--your first hack job indeed!! hahahaha

wow you did good

whahawhaw--she jumped up and down--too cool--wow nice reward

it's amazing

love the lights & the colorful stands...and the forty yard football field