Some Cracking Of Cake And Also Irritated...
Decorating By Kitagrl Updated 10 Sep 2006 , 12:07pm by Kitagrl
Just delivered a four tiered fondant cake today which was very heavy... anyway I used straws for support and a center dowel. The cake was perfect at home, no cracks or support issues. I decided to not refrigerate it to not risk bleeding of the maroon/ivory colors and I'm thinking that was my first mistake.
Anyway transporting it in the back of the minivan (which was the second slight problem as the back is not 100% perfectly level, my dh is going to try to make an "insert" for next time) and the road on the way to the set up place was terrible, and it made the cake jiggle and so the bottom tier started to crack (hopefully just the fondant and not the cake...) in 4-5 places on one side of the cake...the side that was slightly lower in the minivan.
Anyway got there and looked everywhere for a cake table. Asked around, it took like ten minutes for someone to find the cake table. Wedding site was at a winery, real pretty old stone building and such...but the cake table was one of those small plastic square things you buy at Walmart! AND it was placed in a small downstairs room with an uneven stone floor! 
I looked around the room for the most level spot and moved the table there, and then my husband and I put the cake on it. This is like a fifty pound cake, sitting on a cheap plastic legged table! You breathe at the table and it wobbles, practically! Then the topper, which was too big for the cake, was like a metal stand with lights and a battery pack with a Willow Tree figurine to set on it. I set the stand on top (stuck out an inch on either side) and the metal stand promptly cut through the entire top layer of fondant. Which I didn't find out until I adjusted the stand to where it would not fall backwards. I put a blob of icing on the bottom of the heavy Willow Tree figure and set it where she wanted it but on that plastic table...I have my doubts that cake, stand, and figurine are all going to make it in one piece. My husband said maybe somebody will just bump into it and it will all fall over and nobody will ever know the bottom layer got cracks in it. haha.
So I was pretty irritated that this cake that I stayed up past 2am decorating and cleaning up afterwards, and spent so much time gluing little dots to the ribbon and arranging bows and roses, not only cracked during a bumpy transport but is now sitting on a very questionable table in a small room that will have people going in and out the entire time of the wedding (as it was, when I was setting up the cake, a little boy was hovering around begging to know if it was a real cake or a fake cake).
*sigh* Soon as a customer picks up a party cake at 2, I'm going to crash.
It really does look lovely though and I think the arch and the couple under it look really good - I normally don't like bride and groom toppers, but they look really good. The cake looks gorgeous with the dark wood background too. I bet they were totally delighted with it.
It is a lovely looking cake, I bet the Bride and Groom were thrilled to bits with it. (Assuming the little monster kept away)
I too, like the topper. Yes it is a bit on the large side, but it works with the cake very well.
Well done to you for a lovely cake.
smque2 
I love Willow Tree and think it looks nice but the arch wasn't really made for a cake...???? as the bottom edges were narrow and cut into the cake.
Oh well...I'm just stressed I guess, hoping the cracks were just in the fondant and that it did not fall or collapse.
UGH....so sorry that happened. I dunno, I think I still would not have refrigerated. It sounds like the bumpy ride was the culprit. I deliver in a Jeep, and make every delivery with my breath held!
I think it looks lovely, though! The cracks certainly aren't visible in this picture.
Slightly off topic, but:
Have you always had success using straws for support dowels? I know that so many people use them, but I've been hesitant to try them. I've always used wooden dowles and have never had a problem with unrefrigerated fondant cakes, but straws would be sooo much easier.
I checked out your website (lovely!). I'd love to talk shop with you sometime. Would it be ok for me to e-mail you?
Sharon
Sure, you can email me!
I dunno, we always use straws at work...however we do also always refrigerate the cakes. So they never budge when delivered. I guess really I've never used straws for a room temp cake before but these straws are the sturdy neon ones, they should have worked. I think my problem is I did not use enough of them or put them close enough to the edge of the bottom tier, so that when it started jiggling in the car, it was able to bump the places I didn't put straws and start cracking it.
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