Yesterday I made a 3-d stand up lamb cake for Easter. I had it all decorated cute, with what seemed like thousands of little rosettes. It took me forever to start to ice because I couldn't get my icing consistency right. It practically broke my hand, it was so stiff! I finally got the icing to an alright consistency, and had the lamb 90% decorated before my husband came home for lunch. My husband came home and saw me put the already decorated cake in the utility room (and even if he hadn't, he should have seen it on top of the washer!). While he was home for lunch my wonderful husband( who NEVER does towels!) decided to put some towels in the washer. While my mostly finished cake was sitting on top of it. Witch he did not bother to move. AFTER I told him to! Then he put more towels in the dryer, and ran the dryer, too! After lunch, I asked him to get the cake that I was sure he moved, so I could finish it. He walks into the utility room that now feels like a sauna, and brings out my cake. It is now a melted mess of gooey icing! The icing melted right off of it, and it is now laying in a blob of melted goo at the lambs feet! I was so mad! And on top of that, he goes "Can't you JUST re-decorate it? It shouldn't take that long!" URRRGGGGGGG So, after I decide to not murder my husband, I sit down and scrape off the icing and start to re-do the lamb. I almost finished decorating the stupid cake, for the 2nd time! Woo Hoo!! In comes one of my 4 yr olds. Throwing a temper tantrum. Kicking his feet. And he kicks my table! Over goes my lamb cake! All over the floor! So not only is my cake ruined, but now I have to clean up my floor too! URGGGG!!!!! Oh well, atleast it was just for my in-laws! haha

By the way! I am making a stand up 3-D bunny cake today for MY parents. (I will be sure to keep it away from washer happy husbands, and temper tantrum throwing kids!) How in the world can I get this stupid thing to stay put on it's cake board? Every time I make one of these cakes, it starts to lean foreward and topple onto it's front side. I guess my lamb didn't live long enough to throw himself on the ground, like his other realitives have!

Oh no!! I'm sorry that happened to you!
I read your post because I just delivered 2 lamb cakes that I was sure were going to tip over. They didn't (well, I don't know if the customer made it home with them intact-not my problem!)
I did have my son's friend over here while the cakes were on my dining room table (he's 9) but I was stalking the kid the whole time 'cause I knew he'ld try to like the icing.

happy easter!

Don't you love family! I feel for you! I had a present cake I was making this week that would just not turn out no matter what so finally I had to throw it away. Then the next day I made a different cake and it turned out fabulous so...
Jen...

Whenever I do any 3-D cake, I put it on a double thick board, then I put 2 wooden dowels that have been sharpened all the way through in a criss-cross shape. The dowels go all the way into the boards. The absolute best way to do this is to put the cake on foam core instead of cardboard so that the dowels can go into it well. I hope this makes sense for you.

Happy Easter!!

Thank you all for your replies! Thallo-your response makes sense! Next time I'll have to try the foam boards! By the way, where do you guys get your foam boards? In the arts and crafts section at Michael's or something?
I just don't think that lamb cake was meant to be! I made a 3-d bunny cake that turned out pretty cute. No sign of tipping over. I also made a chick hatching from an egg cake. And about 6 dozen cookies. Everything turned out fabulous- EXCEPT the lamb! Oh well, I guess I should be glad it was one thing that went bad, and not ALL of it! lol

Yikes!!! DH's dont know what it takes to decorate a cake. I made a set for a couples shower ( a bridal dress & tux ) out of the 12' heart pan. I finished the dress placed it on the kitchen counter and went back to the table to work on the tux. I didnt even think my DH would be so ignorant as to think it was for the family, when I went back into the kitchen hes got a knife in one hand and hes picking off the sugar pearls that I had just spent an hour applying!! Thank god he hadnt cut into my cake, I promptly took away the knife and revoked his kitchen privilages untill the cakes were gone! Funny thing is I had been sketching and discussing these cakes in front of him for a week! A WEEK!!!! And he didnt have a clue, DH's just dont listen!

oh, and post a pic of your 3D bunny I would love to see it!

I actually only use foam boards now. I buy them at hobby lobby. They are usually on sale, but I also use the 40% off coupon printed from the website as often as I can. The bigger the sheets the better, this way I just cut the shape I need.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner about the foam boards. I get mine at Michael's. They run them on sale about every three months for $1.00 or so and I buy 15 or 20. I use the regular thickness unless I am putting a very large cake on it - say, 14 inch or bigger. Then I use the thicker. It never seems to be on sale but it is worth the money. I go to Dollar Tree to buy the craft knives as they have them in packages of 3 or 4 for a dollar. You go through a lot of these as the foam core dulls them quickly.
These are also greast for sheet cakes as they don't bend in the center and created that crease that you can get from cardboard.

Hope the cakes went well for Easter!

Oh my goodness - I just was sitting here thinking about whether I should post MY decapitated lamb cake! It was after 4:00 A.M. and it was to be in a big bake sale at church by 9:00. You're right - it took forever to get him sweet and woolly...I had him on a 9x13 sheet cake that was just beginning to get green and grassy when I turned around for a drink (too bad it was only water ) and watched in horror as his head fell off backwards! I felt so baaaaaaaad (pun intended) and maaaaaaaad! I had doweled the body to the sheet cake, but hadn't done anything about the head. Stupid me I quickly glopped a heap of icing on his neck and tried to secure it with 3 long bamboo skewers, but it was too late; he had already been slaughtered. My good friend talked me into taking it to the choir breakfast for Easter because everyone would get such a big laugh out of the Headless Lamb. Except for the 3D egg pan, ths is the first 2 piece animal pan like this that I've tried - I'll be quite leery about trying out my duck or bear - I could be arrested for animalicide! PAT (Oh - and thanks for the idea of the foam boards and the crisscrossing dowels - they're brilliant!)