Ideas To Make Cake Appear Larger?
Decorating By sunlover00 Updated 4 Jul 2005 , 3:28pm by pastrymama
I'm doing my own wedding cake in 3 weeks. It is a very small wedding - only about 45 guests. I am making a shell - beach themed cake but a cake for only 45 people is going to be very very small! Not real impressive!
I thought about doing up some dummies, but really don't want to waste the time and am not going to be at home to do it.
What kind of stand or displays on the table could I use to enhance the cake and make it look better/bigger? I am going to use a fishnet as the backdrop.
Here are a few ideas of cake design I'm thinking of:
I really like the #2 cake as well. I'm sure your wedding is going to be beautiful!
You may want to put a riser under the table (a box or something). It would make the cake look taller without taking away from the cake itself.
Another idea is from the Sugar Arts show this year, the one they've been showing on Food Network. There is a sea-themed cake there and the woman put her layers on VERY large clear glass vases and then put a live beta fish in each vase. She used three very very tall vases and put each layer on one, but you could get a wider, shallower one and put the entire cake on it.
I'm sorry, I said a riser under the table, but I meant a riser under the tablecloth, under the cake.
I agree with everyone else- Cake #2 design and set up looks the best!
***Tip from a person who keeps bettas....if you are going to put them in a glass vase with a lid, like a cake stand covering the top of the vase, make sure that there is plenty of air space in the vase. Bettas are one of the few fish that will actually go up to the surface and grab an air bubble for breathing, not enough air space equals dead fish!
Contrary to popular belief that they are a sedentary fish, if you give a betta enough space to move around in a tank- he will become quite active.
It appears that rather than stacking a tiered cake, separating and varying heights will give a larger, more appealing look. The vases as bases is an idea I've seen (I saw a really nice big one at Walmart and was thinking how pretty it would look as a base).
The fish idea is a little far out, but probably is very pretty! Some time a while back I saw a wedding where they put a beta in a small bowl on each of the tables at the reception, and I wonder what happened to them afterward...
I've also seen one layer of a cake made to look like a top hat and was on a plate attached to a champagne bottle (I think that was in an American Cake Decorating Magazine recently), you put sand in the bottle to hold it in place.
Anyway, separating the layers and decorating around each cake will give a bigger look. There are two examples in the "Wilton Wedding Cakes, a Romantic Portfolio", April 2004, on pages 38 and 43. If my scanner was working I'd send it to you, but alas it is not. Janice
Mouse, I'm one of those people who goes to places like Walmart and frets over the betas in those little containers. I know they can survive in there, but I sure don't like the idea. Remember for a while there they put them in those tall vases with plants in them and the fish supposedly would eat off the roots...not so, those poor fish were basically starving to death in there all they were getting to eat was algae forming on the plant roots!
The betas have two ways of breathing, that is why they can be kept in small containers and don't need as much air as some other fish, but they still have to have air to survive. I have two betas, (Bubbles (he's almost transparent) and Dilly (you know, Lavender Blue, Dilly, Dilly...he is a lavender/blue color) they are each in a 1 gallon tank, and they flirt and flare at each other and have a grand old time, keep me pretty entertained with their antics, definitely not sendentary! I think it is such a shame they would fight to the death if put together, a tank full of them would be so beautiful!
Sorry, I just couldn't resist talking about them! Janice
I had a blue betta in one of those tall vases with plants on the top....I however fed him everyday as I would a normal fish.... I would lift the plant feed him, and I never let the water go yucky...about once a week sometimes twice I would take him out and put him in clean water (tempered of course) and clean the vase and then put him pack...I was amazed he lived a very long life considering.... someone gave him to me as a housewarming gift
I have my beta in a vase with a peacelily on top-he loves the roots!! I keep him at my desk at work-feed him 2x week betafood-he adds a little extra "life" the deskwork! I have found if I feed him more often he doesn't like it-fishstore told me 2xweek since I have the peacelily in there. Have had him for a long time now..
I think #3 is very pretty. To me, it has a simple but yet elegant look that would go either way with the net. With all that brown sugar used for cake #2, I would be scared to death that ants would show up this time of year.
I don't like seeing bettas in little containers either Janice.
I have 2 bettas also, one at home in a 2 gallon who's mainly red with a little blue, and he doesn't have a name that I'm aware (my little boy has him in his room) and I have one at work in a 1 gallon and my boss decided to name him "Bob" since I wasn't going to name that one either. Bob is really pretty, he's mainly blues and blue greens with a red coloring as well.
I think vases with sand and well placed shells in them would be very pretty to add height to the cake.
Ants would definitely be a problem around here! I like the idea of sand and shells in the vases, would look very pretty! I think you could even have other pastel shades and colors of sand if you wanted to. I've been shopping around for cake stands and am thinking the vases would be a nice alternative, very adaptable!
Nanni I'm glad you are feeding him fish food, he really isn't getting much off the roots! My grandson has a beta in his room, his name is Mr. Blueberry, (the fish...not my grandson, my grandson's name is Zachary!) LOL Janice
Going back and looking at the photos again, you have certain things you like from each cake, sand, seashells, pearls, why not take all of those features and combine them to make your cake.
Are you going to make all the shells and trimmings for the cake yourself? If you use the vases as bases you could include all those same items (manmade) with the sand. The seashell/beach theme is very pretty, you've made some nice choices! Janice
Something I have done is a variation on the Collette Peters sea cake. I used soap molds and chocolate molds and fondant. I could do them a week or 2 in advance. My husband and 11 year old daughter made them for 1 cake while I was teaching a class. (So I could spend "Quality" time with him when I got home!) I have done one in white and one with color. Within reason the smaller the decoration the larger the cake will seem. On the other hand, the bigger the shells and such the smaller the cake will seem. Let me know If you would like to see them. Good luck!
Thanks so much everyone for the cool ideas. I am going to put the shells, starfish, etc on...I'm going to order them instead of making them. They are actually all white chocolate and colored and dusted! They are so beautiful! And leftovers can be guest favors.
I am definatley going to try to find a cool vase or even a big fish bowl. If I don't use a fish, I could use colorful coral and put small lights at the base to light it up.
hcakelady = sure, I'd love to see any pics you have!
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I would go ahead and make as big of cake as you want. Have someone freeze some for you when you get back. never does the bride get to eat the cake at the wedding. The parents would love to take home some for the next day, If you are prepared with a way to take it home too much cake is rarely a problem with a good cake.
I like the idea of elevating the cake
Congratulations
Unfortunatley, the only two people who live in Florida are his parents and they are in their 80's.
So I need to come pretty close at least.
I will probably elevate the cake in some way, and maybe have the fish in tall vases on the sides.
Or if I can find a large shallow clear container, fill that with blue water and hover the cake in the center - I'm really dreaming now! 
Sunlover, I don't know if you are familiar with fish or not, but just to be on the safe side: if you use live fish please be sure to use a water treatment, chlorine in tap water can kill them very quickly! Also, male betas will fight each other to the death if they are put together! Janice
Thanks - I do know. I used to have fish. I would not color the water if I used them. And also know to let the water sit out for 24 hrs before putting them in...etc.
That's why I didn't replace any fish ....so much hassle! Too bad..cuz they're so pretty and relaxing to watch but my life is consumed with work and cakes these days! (and a wedding!) 
sunlover, Congrats on your wedding! I made a small seashell cake for my boss' birthday a few weeks ago - I used an 8" and a 6" round, torted - small, but still impressive. We finished the 8" - there are 13 people in the office and he took the 6" home. Granted the slices were probably a little larger than wedding slices, but there wasn't alot left. I think you could do a three teir 10-8-6 and it would be taller.
It's in my photos if you want to see it.
beachcakes - love your name!
Love the cake too! I'm buying my shells to save time, but yours look great! I like the seaweed from chcolate also.
I'm more excited about doing this cake than the actual wedding!!!!
It saddens me to see fish used this way..........please go with shells.......anything but a living creature. It really is not at all fair to the fish .........fish used at wedding receptions is in poor taste I think.
The cakes you have selected are wonderful and any of them would be beautiful.
Good luck.
I found chocolate really easy and it dries much faster than fondant.
Go to www.weddingcakelady.com and click on "creative cakes" and then "ocean fun." They did my sea shell/ beach themed wedding cake nearly two years ago. They've got some great ideas! I loved my wedding cake so much, it's what inspired me to learn cake decorating myself. 
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