Tips I Learned Yesterday
Decorating By sunflowerfreak Updated 8 Aug 2007 , 12:00am by sunflowerfreak
I made a 2 tiered cake for a 1 year old birthday party. The bottom was an 8 inch and the top was a 6 inch. I doweled the bottom and I doweled the top BUT I did not dowel the whole cake down the middle. What a big mistake. First I put in too much filling. I always do. I guess I am a filling person and I feel if there's not enough filling, people might not like the cake. Then I am always afraid to put a dowel down the middle of the whole cake once it's put together. The top cake had a cardboard circle on it and I was afraid to hammer a dowel down the whole middle thinking it just might collapse the whole cake while I am pounding. So....
TIP #1 Always dowel all cakes and then always dowel the whole cake down the middle after it's put together.
TIP #2 Don't over fill your cakes. They will bulge.
While I was driving to the party with the steering wheel in one hand and balancing the cake in a tote on the passenger side seat, the whole cake slid sideways and made it look like a topsy turvy cake. It still came out cute and I had matching cookies and cupcakes. But I still wish I had doweled the whole cake. Here is a picture:
That is one gorgeous cake, love the colours used on it!!
End result: Was the customer happy with it???
Thats all that matters really
That is a precious cake. I'm so sorry it shifted on ya like that!
Why did you dowel the top tier? Just under the topper? Why did the top cake have a cardboard on top of it?
If you like filling, rather than slathering on a thick layer between two cakes, torte your cake layers so there's 4 layers of cake and 3 thin layers of filling.
It looks like your dowels shifted. A technique I've used with success is to cut drinking straws to the correct height and insert into bottom tier. Then, cut pointed bamboo skewers the same height as the straws. Insert a bamboo skewer inside each straw and gently tap with a small hammer (using a little piece of skewer to tap on) so the point penetrates the cake board. This will keep your dowels from shifting during transport.
Diane,
Thanks for your reply. I don't know why I doweled the top cake. Stupid me. The board was on the bottom of both cakes. I like to use the board on the top cake so come cutting time I can just take the cake off the top easier with the board under it.
I like to use the board on the top cake so come cutting time I can just take the cake off the top easier with the board under it.
you also need that board to work with the dowels below to support that top tier. Without the board the top teir could just sink right into those dowels below.
Yes, next time do the center dowel! It really isnt as scary as it sounds. It will go through the board easily if you sharpen it.
OR what I normally do is to cut a hole in the bottom of the cake board (prior to putting your cake on it!) for the upper tiers in the center and instead I put the center dowel in the bottom cake, then I guide the top cakes onto the center dowel (just be sure the dowel is shorter than the combined height of the cakes)
That is an awesome idea Merissa. I will definitely try that next time. Thanks.
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