Help! - Big Cake Order Need Advice On...
Decorating By azmomto3 Updated 22 Mar 2007 , 4:28am by nancys_world
I have a HUGE cake order for a quincenera in June. I'm trying to get as much info on it now. I wished I had a way to scan the photo they want replicated to show you all.
Anyhow.....it is a 5 tier cake. It's completely covered in fondant. It has fondant swags and veils (I think that is what they're called) on it. Also has several flowers on it, accenting the swags and veils draping it.
My concerns are:
I am traveling 30 miles to deliver this. I will more than likely have to assemble this cake prior to delivery. The reason being, I can't imagine rolling out the fondant swags/vails and placing them on the cake at the reception site.
I am worried this cake will topple over en route to deliver. I plan to use plastic dowels, and this cake will not have an plate seperators. Any other advice you can give me will be great. I'm so nervous I really thought about turning it down. But, I do see it as a challenge so I plan to go forth with it.
You could deliver it in sections. Completely decorate each section except the final part that goes together. Put the bottom and next tier together and then the next 3 top tierstogether; that way you only have to put one on top of the other when you get there and finish up around the base. It will be lighter and easier to handle. A lot less work as well. I would use dowels on all the tiers and put a hole through the centre of each cardboard circle before putting them together so you can place a centre dowel down into the cake to stabalize it.
I hope I have explained this right. Good luck
Kathy
I would partially agree with last post. If you have never put together 5 tiers of cake, the 2 bottom would be OK to stack ahead and carry, however, once you get to the site, if the 3 smaller tiers are together already, you will have to lift the 3 layers and place it on top of the other 2. I don't know how steady you are, or how strong, and although the 3 tiers (lets say they are a 10, 8 and 6" will weigh approximately 15 to 17 pounds, it can be a balancing act, especially if you are having to reach over a 5 ft round table to the center. I would carry the top three seperate, and stack them at the reception and finish the cake out. I am assuming you will put a cake circle board under each cake. I do not go to the trouble of putting holes ahead in my boards for the center dowel. I just use a small hammer and start at the top and tap the dowel down, it will go through the boards, it will be snug, which is what you want for the extra stability. This is of course how I would do it. Good Luck!
Thank you! Well I guess my thing is attaching the fondant swags and veils. The way it looks in the picture it looks like you'd have to attach those after stacking them.
Has anyone ever attached the swags and veils with toothpicks or something similar so they stay in place?
If the drape is like coming from under the cake, and you think it must be put it right before stacking them, you can roll the fondant, cut it to shape and put it into bags (ziplock) and just place them when you stack, just add some water or fondant glue (1 teaspoon of water and some pieces of fondant)...
or...
just put the drapes as close as you can to the edge of the cake, to get that look!
Thank you! Well I guess my thing is attaching the fondant swags and veils. The way it looks in the picture it looks like you'd have to attach those after stacking them.
Has anyone ever attached the swags and veils with toothpicks or something similar so they stay in place?
In one of the ACD magazines they used toothpicks to hold the swags up/in place until they dried and were transported. They didn't puch them all the way in. You would just want to make sure you counted the toothpicks and made sure you got them all out once you were done. I personally have never done it though.
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