So this weekend I tried my first tiered cake....DISASTER!!! First, the layers didn't look stacked, so my first question is when doing a tiered cake are there for ex. 2 8in cakes stacked on top of each other to give it that height? Next when I attempted to torte my cake it was uneven so my bottom layer looked like I was going for topsy turvy. lol  My fondant wrapping  was subpar, I guess I rolled it to thin because I had some small rips. Overall the cake was a disaster but it taste great! Do you guys have any tips, pics, or advice to help me out. I'll be trying again on Friday. Thanks in advance

APractice.

That much I know lol, Do you have any insight about getting the height of the cake?

A standard tier height is 4".  I torte my 2" baked  layers to created 4 layers per tier.

Use an Agbay to torte and you'll acheive perfecctly even layers.  Which in turn will make even tiers.

Hope this helps..

Most commonly used cake pans are 2" deep.  A typical height for cakes that you'll see most frequently is 4" and this is achieved by stacking two 2" high cakes. 

Here are a couple helpful videos;

http://sweetwise.com/videos/how-to-level-torte-and-fill-a-cake.html

and

http://sweetwise.com/videos/cake-structure-basics.html

If you sell cakes, put aside a little from each one into your Agbay fund.  If your family/friends want to get you a gift for a birthday or holiday, have them pool their $ for the Agbay.  You will NEVER regret having the best tools.  It seems like such a simple thing - getting perfectly even layers.  However, it's not.  Uneven layers lead to all sorts of problems.  However, with an Agbay, one swipe, 3-4 seconds and you have perfection.  Totally, absolutely worth every penny.

I second Leah - I just bought the Agbay in the Birmingham cake show and wouldn't do a cake without it now. It's amazing and gives such a professional finish to any cake. It's totally worth it so start saving!

Thank you!! :)

You guys are awesome, and I'm googling agbay right now. I love this site, and getting all of the feedback I need to bake wonderful creations. Thank you. I'll post pics of last weeks's disaster and next weeks cake. lol Thank you again

Good luck on your cake this week Tastee!! I'm sure it will be great (and better than last time because it always gets better!). Look forward to seeing it 

Thank you, I have one other question.  When doing fondant how do you determine how much is needed?

AHi tastee,

There are some charts online that you can use, for example the Wilton one is on their website:

http://www.wilton.com/decorating/fondant/fondant-amounts-to-cover-cakes.cfm

AThere's also a chart at the Satin Ice site. SatinFineFoods.com

thank you

Well ladies, my second attempt at e tiered cake was crazy. lol The cake part itself was awesome but the fondant was horrible!!! lol I'll keep trying though thank you all

Oh no Tastee!!! I'm sorry to hear that  I wish I had something helpful to offer but I myself have not been brave enough to cover a cake in fondant...yet. Maybe get an Agbay- I've convinced myself that it's the answer to everything (lol- jk of course). Hope your next one goes better! Keep at it ​

ATastee,

Maybe you should practice with cake dummies a lot until you're confident enough to cover a proper cake?

I know it's not the same, but it helps achieving that skill.

Beside, each dummy you cover well can be a base for a different decoration and that way you can put them in your portfolio.

Hi Tasteetreats,

You likely live near a place that offers Wilton classes. You might find it helpful to have an instructor demonstrate and help you hands-on. Wilton classes are very reasonably priced and cover a lot of the basics of decorating, including leveling and applying fondant. Of course you will use all Wilton products and methods in the class, so after you learn the basics you can expand into other types of tools and methods. But I highly recommend Wilton classes as a place to start, most decorators I know got their start with Wilton classes and tools. 

http://www.wilton.com/classes/classlocator.cfm

http://www.wilton.com/classes/

Good luck!

Yes, I start class #2 on Thursday, also I've requested the help of a friend of mine so hopefully I'll start to improve :) Thank you

It takes much practice!

The most common height for each layer is 4" and the layers are usually staggered. So 8", 6", 4" for example. Some people use wooden rods to stack their cakes. If you are having trouble I would research a few different methods and try each of them. Wilton has a few! Check them out. Good luck!

lol, I think that I need a bigger rolling pin because the one I use is really little and I'm unable to lift it correctly to put it over the cake. So I'll be making another one this weekend. Wish me luck.....AGAIN!!! LOL

I know I keep hearing that I should do dummy cakes but baking real cakes give me a chance to try new recipes. Even when the fondant looks horrible I give the cakes away. lol

Here's the pic of cake#2 lol I promise my cakes are so much better lol

ATastee,

If you don't have/can't afford a big rolling pin yet, go to the craft store or the hardware store, and get a piece of some big PVC pipe. Ask them to cut it for you if possible, to a reasonable measure. Get home, disinfect and clean it really well. This substitute isn't as heavy (at all) as a proper rolling pin but it can serve the length purpose really well, and it's smooth too.

Good luck.

I'm going right after work to go purchase one, but thanks for the PVC advice. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I have a mini rolling pin and I THINK I end up rolling it out to thin with the smaller one because I'm trying to get the length and width I need.

I think a longer rolling pin will also help with the overall appearance/smoothness of the fondant too. When trying to roll out a large piece with a little pin, I would imagine that it's very easy to get divets and an uneven thickness in the fondant. A long pin will help to give you that smooth surface area. I'm planning on covering my first cakeboard in fondant for my next cake so was researching rolling pins the other day.The opinions seem very split. Many like the 20" Wilton fondant roller, especially because you can buy guide rings that help you achieve a more even thickness when rolling. They said it's also a great tool when it comes time to applying the fondant to the cake. Others said the Sil Pin is really awesome because of it's handles and weight. I happen to already have a stainless steel rolling pin that I'm going to try out first before buying another. We'll see if it does the trick.

Good luck Tastee. Keep us posted :)

Sadly, I had to buy a Wilton $7 leveler. Can't afford the Agbay this year. Do you ever see any sold used???

I did this the other day. Great suggestion!!! The dummy is even, so it is good for fondant practice. I got about 5 different looks with one roll of fondant for my portfolio. 

Nancy