Whimsy Question; High Maintenence Bride!
Decorating By ButtercupMama Updated 3 Oct 2007 , 6:34pm by woodthi32
Okay, I have a bride that came in with a 5-tier whimsy cake picture. Actually it is a 6-tier, but she doesn't want a BIG cake...just a 5-tier 
Anyway, I have only done a couple of these, and from what I know, you need to have 4" clearance between the cake sizes, like a 6", 10", 14", etc.
But if we do it this way, she will have a masssive amount of cake...she only wants 125 servings.
Can this be done with a 6", 8", 10", 12", 14"? (Even this way, according to the servings chart I use, it will be 170 servings, but that's closer than the other way!).
Help!
May be you could use dummies for the bottom layer?
but I wouldn't charge her any less if you do the dummy - it is still a lot of work
let her order what she wants - even if she only wants 125 servings, if she insists on certain numbe and sizes of layers, then she should pay for the resulting size of cake, regardless of how many servings.
Fantasy ....... Reality.
Hey, bride! Pick one!!! 
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I said in another thread, beware those who want just a "simple" cake....
"Just something simple....nothing big....5 tiers maybe .... oh, and can you have the top be a volcano?.....with a monkey band climbing up the side? .... with 7 flavors .... yes, 7 flavors in 5 tiers, that's not hard, is it? ..... But no pillars or anything .... just a simple cake."
Simple: That's code for "I want a Cadillac Cake at a Ford Pinto price."
Yep, and I did consider making a dummy for the bottom cake, but I can't cut/shape it! I had a styro cutter, but it broke pretty quickly, and I couldn't imagine trying to cut such a large dummy across the top with that little thing.
And again, it is true that I'd have to charge her just about the same as real cake after all the work.
So, when you all do the whimsy cakes, do you make the cakes 4" difference in diameter, or has anyone done this with cakes in increments of two inches?
I've done a whimsy in 2" increments. Mine was a 10",8", and 6". The 6 was carved down to 4" on the bottom and the 8" was carved down to a 6" on the bottom and so on... Personally I liked how this looked, with 2" increments and three layers. Here's a pic of the cake so you can see what I'm talking about:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=759233
Courtney
I think Dallas Foam has dummy tiers like what you would need for this cake, http://www.dallas-foam.com/store/cakedummies.html. I love these guys - cheap and fast! 
"Just something simple....nothing big....5 tiers maybe .... oh, and can you have the top be a volcano?.....with a monkey band climbing up the side? .... with 7 flavors .... yes, 7 flavors in 5 tiers, that's not hard, is it? ..... But no pillars or anything .... just a simple cake."
ROFL!
Great cake, Courtney! I've done one TT cake and also did 6-8-10. I did not carve it down but I will definitely do that next time. Also, I flipped the angled piece around like in the tutorial but I don't I will next time.
Julia 
.... So, when you all do the whimsy cakes, do you make the cakes 4" difference in diameter, or has anyone done this with cakes in increments of two inches?
Here is a link to a recent whimsy I made for a baby shower:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1075183
top tier was 6" top/5" base, middle tier was 8" top/7" base, bottom tier was 10" top/9" base. [I use the method of baking the top layer an inch bigger than the base layer, slicing on an angle and turning the sliced portion until I get the slant I want. Then I trim the sides until it looks the way I want it. There is a really good thread/tutorial on here that shows how.]
HTH,
Odessa
"Just something simple....nothing big....5 tiers maybe .... oh, and can you have the top be a volcano?.....with a monkey band climbing up the side? .... with 7 flavors .... yes, 7 flavors in 5 tiers, that's not hard, is it? ..... But no pillars or anything .... just a simple cake."
ROFL!
Great cake, Courtney! I've done one TT cake and also did 6-8-10. I did not carve it down but I will definitely do that next time.
Also, I flipped the angled piece around like in the tutorial but I don't I will next time.Julia
Thanks Julia, I didn't flip the angled pieces on this one. I think it makes the top a little smoother and more stable for covering with fondant. Plus with three layers there's enough height that you don't need that extra little bit.
C
Okay, then I'm probably just gonna go for it with 2" difference between the cakes, and charge her for the extra servings...TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, MAN!!!
Gorgeous cakes, girls, thaks so so much!!!
xoxoxo
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