Can anyone tell me the best way to connect the 18 inch half round together after baking? I will be making my first real wedding cake for my son and am baking 18" half round which will have a 14" on top. Do I just stick the 2 halfs together with frosting? I don't want it to crack.
Put the halves together with some frosting, put the filling or icing on, then put the other layer on, just rotate them so the line down the middle goes perpendicular to the first one. Make sense? Then ice and stack your 14 in one on top with whatever dowels, etc you would normally use. Should be fine.
Please make sure that your cake is not too dense tho! I did a 16" half round for a wedding last month with the carrot cake X recipe from this site and by the time the 3rd layer was on, the bottom 2 basically imploded. I was up baking new cakes (in a different pan) the night before the wedding!! I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy. HTH
I find using that size pan for a wedding cake is really scary. Because of that split in the middle of the layer, even alternating the top layer so the split goes the opposite way is so unstable. You really have to dowel carefully or you take the chance of the cake collapsing from the weight of the upper tiers. I would rather cut an 18" styrofiam for that bottom tier and use real cake for the upper tiers. Then if you still need more cake for extra servings, go with a sheet cake cut in the kitchen. An alternative would be to use a 16" cake for the bottom tier that is elevated and satellite or 6" to 8" rounds around the base of the 16" cake. They look very pretty and you have the extra servings you need without the fear of the cake collapsing.
Thanks so much for the advise. I a little worried now though. I've planned this for a long time and have the base board made and ready to go so don't want to change the size of the cake now. I've got time to do a test run so guess I will do that first and see how it goes.
You could also do 6 in rounds under the fourteen. It looks like a petal pan but it is individual cakes at the base. I believe you would need 9 sets for the wieght of the other cakes. You still need to dowel and extra board under the 14 in cake.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=93756
Above is a photo of one of my cakes that I think is similar to what doescakestoo is talking about. It's a 14/12/10/8, with 8" satallites tucked under the 14" cake. I set the tiered cake on top of a styrofoam dummy the tucked the satallites under the tiered cake. The dummy held the entire weight of the tiered cake, so the satallites didn't have any weight on them at all.
ShirleyW's idea is also a really good idea and I believe it would be less work than the one above. Even if you've already cut the board, you can still put the 18" dummy on that board and have extra cake in the back.
Which brings up a story from the past. I made a 16" round with satellite cakes around the base, 8" heart shaped. My husband was always so helpful and supportive with my cake decorating and always cut boards for me of plywood or Masonite. He cut one solid board that would hold the round cakes in the center, as well as the hearts at the base. I get the cakes all decorated and in place, didn't use cardboards under them, just paper doilies (I was young and inexperienced) we go to carry the cake to the car and guess what? The cake board is too wide to go through a standard doorway. We had to tilt the whole thing on it's side to get it through the door, and then the same to get it in the back of the station wagon. And it had to ride at an angle too. Remember Duff and the Pink Flamingo cake? Same thing. So, lesson learned. Measure your boards and doorways before designing your cakes.
wow! Never thought of that. I think a test run is a really good idea. I like the idea of the 6" rounds too. I already have time invested in the 24" base though to go under the whole thing and it is really nice. I have the receipe for a sturdy wedding cake from this site which is the white cake with sour cream and pudding mix. I'm using the white chocolate pudding and the filling is raspberry. The wedding's not until mid June so I still have a couple of weeks to practice. I will add a picture when I'm done.
Thanks so much for your help.
Marcia
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