Pyamid Cake: Making Sides Of Cakes Very Solid
Decorating By loriemoms Updated 3 Sep 2007 , 9:32pm by DianeLM
I have to make a HUGE pyramid cake and I was wondering how to make the sides really strong and solid (still dont know how I am going to put fondant on it!)
I noticed that Geoff on Ace of Cakes uses chocolate a lot to reinforce his houses and walls. Does anyone know what he is using?
And any ideas on how to put fondant on a pyramid shape? Should I cut out triangles?
I was thinking of baking large square pans and then cutting them into triangles (invarious sizes), using supports like a stack cake,with cake boards every so often. And then scewer the whole thing
So is modeling chocolate get hard like gum paste yet you can cut into? I have never used it before..
I made a pyramid cake several years ago. It was a disaster, but I learned a lot from it. First, construct it like you would any tiered/stacked cake. Stack up graduated sizes of squares, but not too much variance in size - one inch max. (This is where I screwed up. My squares were 2 inches apart in size.) Fortunately, I own an Ateco stainless steel pyramid mold, so that is what I baked the top of the pyramid in. It was very helpful in guiding the rest of the carving.
When you're ready to carve the sides, I would suggest stacking the cakes, carving, THEN disassemble the cakes, cut your boards to fit, then reassemble with the dowels and boards.
Carve the sides VERY SLOWLY and turn the cake frequently to make sure all four sides are even. Trust me. You'll want to do it this way. 
My pyramid cake was the most hideous cake I'd never made, yet the customer loved it, gave me a tip, passed along my business card and has ordered more cakes from me. Go figure! I'm far too ashamed to post a picture, but if someone can learn from my mistakes, it will have been worth it.
I've used candy clay (like modeling chocolate) I think it is easier to work with than mmf in that it doesn't dry out as fast. And I too have "hot hands syndrome" and when it would get a little too warm, I would just stick it in the fridge a bit, or set it aside and let it come back to room temp. (covered of course) I liked the stuff a lot! Works really well! Tastes really good too!
Thanks for the hints! Do you know where I can find a pyramid "top"? I have looked all over and I can only find those little 1 1/2 inch types. Is that what you used?
I was planning on carving while it was still a little frozen. YOu think that would make it easier?
Thats a good idea to bake the old size pans too, not just the 4, 8 and 10 inch ones..
Here's the pyramid mold I have:https://www.atecousa.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ateco&Product_Code=4937&Product_Count=&Category_Code=. I got it at the ICES convention a couple of years ago.
Ya know, it would probably be helpful to, once the cakes are stacked, make a template from the top point down to the base so you can be sure all four sides are carved evenly.
When I carve, I like to just freeze the cakes for a couple of hours so the outside is firm, but the inside is still soft. That way, by the time you are finished carving, the cake has come to room temperature (or close). Otherwise, you have to wait for the cake to thaw, or deal with condensation.
I can't wait to see your cake!
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