When we spotted this upside-down cake by Abeer (CC user cake-whiz), we were totally impressed by how well she stacked this gravity-defying wonder! She shared with us her inspiration, techniques and tricks for how she created this 3-tiered tower.

Abeer: I actually saw a picture of an upside down cake in some magazine ages ago. I don’t remember the magazine or the issue but I know I didn’t even decorate cakes back then. All I remember is thinking to myself: “Holy moly! That’s awesome!!!”

When I finally started cake decorating as a hobby a few years ago, that cake surprisingly still lingered in my mind.  I kept trying to find it but didn’t have any luck. So, I decided to give it a shot. That’s how my upside down cake came to be.

Abeer: When I first started cake decorating, I didn’t know anything about supporting tiers. I still remember my very first tiered cake leaning over because I didn’t use dowels or bubble tea straws. Thanks to Cake Central forums and lots of research on the web, I knew this cake needed support and bubble tea straws/dowels wouldn’t be enough to support it. So, I kept reading about people’s experiences with pvc pipes in forums. And that was it! Somehow, a light bulb went off in my brain and I knew I would be using those pvc pipes since they are stronger.

So, I got to work. Once my cakes were iced and covered in fondant, I measured my pvc pipes and cut them according to the length I wanted. Then, I pushed those into my cakes and just placed the cakes on top of one another. I had to make sure everything was properly centered because if it was even an inch off, everything would come come crashing down.

 

Abeer: I have made this cake twice. The first time, I used 3 pvc pipes per tier. I didn’t think it was very stable. So, the second time, I used 4 pvc piper per tier and that was wayyyy more stable.

Also, I only make cakes for a hobby. So, I am not sure how this cake would behave in a setting like bowling alleys or kids birthday parties or other venues where there are lots of vibrations. Maybe royal icing should be used to stick pvc pipes to the cakes for more security. Just a thought…

Abeer: Cakes like these require alot of support, balance and symmetry. Think about all those aspects properly before working on this cake. Do a little trial version and make sketches if that helps. Also, try to prevent your cakes from getting heavy. Don’t use ganache or heavy fillings or even dense cake recipes. All those things make a cake weigh so much more! Also, try to roll your fondant thin so you don’t pile on the weight on top of your cakes.

Most importantly, take your time and don’t rush!

-Abeer @ cakewhiz.com