Latest Creation With Question...
Decorating By lcottington Updated 2 Aug 2006 , 11:29pm by cookieman
Had to do a birthday cake for niece on one day's warning...didn't sleep much but love how it came out...
Question: Second attempt at stacking...followed the dowels 1/8th up rule so that top would settle into bottom but still took huge hunks of frosting off of the sides..I assembled on site and had brought icing to fix so no biggie but there has to be a way to settle the top tier on to the bottom without destroying the top...
Thanks for looking and any suggestions...
Lisanne (the one happy because her cakes are finally looking less amateurish...)
P.S. Top tier is four layer chocolate fudge cake with cookies and cream filling and chocolate BC frosting and BC decorations. Bottom tier is four layer yellow cake with chocolate mouse filling, chocolate BC frosting and fondant decorations.
I know some people sprinkle powdered sugar before putting the next tier on. I haven't tried that, so not sure how well it works. My instructor sprinkled coconut - the problem with that is some people have severe allergies to coconut. As a matter of fact I believe a decorator was once sued because she used coconut between layers and didn't inform the bride and someone got sick from it.
I put contact paper on the bottom of the cake board. It seems to hold up pretty well. But I think I'm also going to start sprinkling a little PS also, just to make sure!
HTH!
Forgot to add - your cake looks great!! The name came out really well!!
I did put PS under my layer and it did come up clean without pulling any lower frosting -- really just having the hardest time "placing" the top tier on the lower without messing up the frosting on the upper tier with my fingers....
thanks for the compliments!
Lisanne
When I put tiers together, I have a hand under one side, and a smaller icing (metal) spatula under the other side. The spatula side is the one I place down first, and then ease my hand out from the other side while somewhat letting it drop the last inch. It's not the smoothest transition, but it's worked for me pretty well. If someone has a better idea, though, I would love to hear it, 'cause my nerves can't take much more!
p.s. I use conf. sugar between the layers too. Or a cocoa and sugar mix if it's chocolate-frosted.
Sorry - I misunderstood your question. I leave the dowels standing about a 1/2 above the cake and then let it settle, but it looks like you do the same. If I leave a mark, I cover that with the border I put on that tier. Sorry, not much help.
Cookieman -- learned how to make the name from the wonderful women here....
Had some leftover Wilton Ready-made fondant -- added some Gumtex to it to promote hardening. Rolled the fondant mixture out into a long snake (like you used to as a kid)...then sat there and used it to write the name in cursive and played with it until I got it where I wanted it...then let it dry overnight -- next morning I painted it with gold luster dust/vodka mixture...by that night it wasn't totally hard but hard enough to set on the cake tier with the top tier providing support for it....
thanks for looking!
Lisanne
This is how I stack without messing up the bottom tier:
-I push the dowels (cut to the height of the cake) down all the way into the cake
-Then, using tongs, pull them back up about 1/2in
-Sprinkle powdered sugar (works amazing to prevent sticking)
-Set next tier down. The weight of the tier will push the dowels back down
Very important (i have found) to push all the way down and pull back up. I have tried it not doing it that way and had to try to push on the cake board to get the dowels to push all the way in.
hth 
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