The Crooked Cake Instructions!! Please Look!!!
Decorating By Sarsi Updated 11 May 2008 , 3:07am by Sarsi
Well illustrated document!
Just a word of caution though: Stacking directly like this may result in the top tier sliding down (unless I misunderstood the instructions)⦠Gravity would pull the taller, heavier part of the top tier down the slope of the lower tier, even with piping gel as glue and center dowel for support⦠I would highly recommend hollowing out a level surface in the top layer of the bottom tier in which the top tier would nestle horizontally: http://www.cakecentral.com/article1-Instructions-For-Building-A-Whimsical-Tilted-Cake.html
shisharka, I have nothing against doing it the way in the articles here in CC. I tried it, but found this much easier. I've heard of many people doing it this way. I'm not saying one way is better than the other, and yes, you might have a chance with having it slide, but I've never had it happen. I've heard many people who are extremely happy with doing it this way. Colette Peters even has this style of stacking in her book (Cakes to Dream On)!!! To all the CCers, try each way, see what you like better, and use the way that works best for you.
This is the way I've been doing it, too. No problems whatsoever!
I discovered this from Lindy Smith.
I stack 3 or 4 foam core boards for the base and hammer the center dowel into them. The piping gel is best for additional support, but I forgot that step when I did this cake and it survived just fine:
Okay, so the diagram shows that the cakes are crooked when you stack them, did you cut them to slant or do they do that when you push them together (does that make sense?) where do you get foam core from?
Omigosh MacsMom, that cake is amazing! I love it!
I am excited to try this method of stacking because I tried the tutorial here and ended up with a big 'ol mess. The cake fell apart and I was super upset. It just didn't work out for me. I know others do it with no prob. But I desperately want to make a crooked cake, (on purpose, haha!) so I'll try anything!
HAHAHA!!! I hope this works for everyone! I had fun with it and am extremely excited to do it again this weekend!! Yummy Yummy Chocolate cake this time!! Yes, the cakes are cut crooked before stacking them. I wrote about that part in the first page.....
HAHAHA!!! I hope this works for everyone! I had fun with it and am extremely excited to do it again this weekend!! Yummy Yummy Chocolate cake this time!! Yes, the cakes are cut crooked before stacking them. I wrote about that part in the first page.....
Quick question that I forgot to ask... can anyone tell me what the piping gel does? I think it's supposed to make the tiers stick together, but I kind of thought it might have the opposite effect and make them slide. Someone, please straighten me out here. I'm all confused! Everyone tells me it's ok to feel 'stupid' right now, the baby is using the brain!
Hi Melvira, the famous Melvira!!!! I LOVE YOUR BUTTERCREAM SMOOTHING METHOD!!! he he he!! Use it all the time!
As for the piping gel, just use the tiniest bit. You want just enough to make it stick. If you use too much it will make the cake slippery.
Okay, so the diagram shows that the cakes are crooked when you stack them, did you cut them to slant or do they do that when you push them together (does that make sense?) where do you get foam core from?
Cut the angle first. I found that it looks best and is more stable if it is angled on top and bottom, in the shape of a wedge.
I stack first like you would a normal cake, then pound the dowel in.
Duff uses a board with a dowel already attached (looks like a paper towel holder) and his cake dividers have holes pre-drilled in the centers, so he just slides the cakes over the dowel.
I buy foam cire boards in the crafts department at Michaels when they go on sale for $1 each. They are the size of a lrge sheet of poster board.
Hi Melvira, the famous Melvira!!!! I LOVE YOUR BUTTERCREAM SMOOTHING METHOD!!! he he he!! Use it all the time!
As for the piping gel, just use the tiniest bit. You want just enough to make it stick. If you use too much it will make the cake slippery.
Oh Sarsi, you flatter me! Thank you! And thanks for the clarification on the piping gel. I was seeing myself putting a nice thick layer thinking "More is better, right?" and having the top layer do the Nestea plunge right off the top!
Sarah,
Did you also post these pictures in the gallery? When I tried to print them from here, they were so tiny that I really couldn't see the details. I keep a notebook with instructions to help me try new things and/or to remember how I did them before. I'd love to have these pictures in my collection if possible.
TIA
LadyMike
when you kinda mouse over the picture, you will see there's like a magnifying glass with + then click on it and it will make it bigger.
this looks very interesting thanks for sharing.
Thanks, cupcakeshoppe! That didn't quite work for me but I remembered another way of doing it and I got them! Hooray!!! Now I just have to talk someone into letting me make them one. It shouldn't be too hard. Thanks again!
LadyMike
Oops! I forgot to thank you, Sarah, for doing this for us! It's really appreciated! Sorry.
LadyMike
I clicked on the actual picture and it got larger. Then the magnifying glass appeared & I clicked on it. We now have a recognizable picture. I did a print preview, fit to page, then printed. HTH, (and makes sense).
LadyMike
Thanks again Sarah for the instructions. I'm sure they will prove very useful to many CCers.
Cheers,
Parm
Ok Sarsi, I blame you if someone is stupid enough to ask me to make one of these some day!! I couldn't wait any longer to try it... I had to. So I just made a little bitty one... 6" and 4" (Dang but those 4" tiers are hard to ice!!) But as I was doing it I was having some issues with my MMF... apparently I hadn't wrapped it well enough when I made it (It was for a previosu cake, this was leftover) so it was kind of not cooperating with me. Ergh! Anyway, although this is not a stellar decorating job, I just did it to get a feel for the process. I have to say it worked a million times better than the other method I've tried!! So that's a bonus!
melvira! sooo freakin' cute!!! btw... 2nd babies... take MORE of the memory & twice the brain cells that 1st baby stole. (mine are 4 & 6 now and I swear they steal more everyday by osmosis! LOL)
Sarah.. I got these when you emailed them out the other day and I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! I've got my monthly girls night (affectionately termed Estrogen Fest - efest for short) next weekend and I had already promised them one of my fabulous cakes, and NOW I know what design I am going to attempt. This looks so much easier to me than coring out the previous tiers to nestle each one in.. i hate carving LOL
I was just wondering... wouldn't RI work better than piping gel to keep the cake from sliding?
I actually used a smear of BC because when I opened my piping gel it was... past it's prime. We'll leave it at that.
You mean it made the transformation from piping gel to piping goop? Yep... I had to throw some of that out last week too.
Thanks for the instructions, they're very clear, I hope I get the courage to do one like this sometime (I am a chicken) , maybe I'll do a little one for practice.
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