Do You Know How Is This Cake Constructed? I'm Mystified!
Decorating By wrightway777 Updated 5 Apr 2009 , 6:37pm by howsweet
How is this cake constructed? I have a book with this same "layout" but it never tells the "inner story" if you know what I mean.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1199045.html
Me too!! I have never seen that one....it is great! Maybe that will be what can make my nephews cake different this week...
if they are not dummies, the cakes are placed on sturdy cake boards, then placed on top of one another.
Off set
Then a center dowel holds everything together.
I like putting 2 center dowels side by side because I don't like my cakes having the off chance to spin around the center dowel like a crazy stripper.
lol
On one of the Food Challenges - the Cartoon one, where Mike did Scooby Doo - he did something similar.
IF I remember correctly, he used a PVC pipe and then, like Butterwench said, used STURDY boards. I vaguely remember, but want to say that he had a little 'platform for the cake to rest upon.
a little engineering help.
it's the cantilever in action (go frank lloyd wright and "falling water"!)
really very simple principle
so long as over hang does not exceed more than about 1/3 the dimension (length or width) it should stay put by itself (barring earthquakes, additional loads, children in case of cakes)
now...another secret to the cantilever -- if the part sticking out has something sitting (applying force down) over the area that is over the support -- even more can stick out.
So.......
in diagram....
12" square base -- black line
10" middle cake -- blue line -- offset so about 2 inches hangs off the two edges (this is well w/in the 1/3 of width tolerance -- could go almost to 3 inches.)
then a 6" x 12" top layer -- which works two ways....
A) it exerts downward force on the middle layer helping to keep it from tipping over.
b) it over hangs by 4 inches -- 1/3 it's total width. that combined with 2 or more central dowels keeps it from going tippy.
sizes of tiers can be changed so long as stay with the no more than 1/3 overhang.
---
as for Mike McCary's method -- he uses flanges that attach to the PVC and then you can bolt a piece of wood or masonite to them.
OMG that takes the girl jumping out of the cake to a whole new level!! LOL
Doug! Whoa! Thanks so much! Question though: "direct force" has me concerned (esp for fondant and no filling leakage)....do you just dowel each individual cakes as you always would?
This is one of those posts thats worth a million dollars!
All, I gotta say about Doug is that hed better be glad that he lives far far away from me. A man who likes to bake, and construct, and is super smart? I would be on him like white on rice.
Thanks for the diagram Doug, I think I am going to try one oof them in the future, it would look SUPER cute with baby blocks. In pastel colors. Maybe add some teddy bears, rattles, and all things baby to punch it up a bit...Ahhh, now THAT idea is going in the idea bank.
Doug - I think you have an official fan base now! Ok being serious -
1. what would you suggest as the strongest cake base for each tier? Foamcore at a certain thickness?
2. would your 4 support dowels be bolted into the bottom cake plate for support?
Also I'm not visualizing how Mike McCary does his version - how would it be hidden? Any insight obviously is greatly appreciated.
Thanks Doug your explanation helped! How's the website comming along?
lol, doug to the rescue once again. doug you remind me of the scene in napoleon dynamite where napoleon asks pedro how he plans to ask the popular girl to the dance...and pedro says..."i don't know...build her a cake or something." it sounds hilarious when he says it like that--who builds a cake?? but now we know: doug is the builder of cakes.
Doug - I think you have an official fan base now! Ok being serious -
1. what would you suggest as the strongest cake base for each tier? Foamcore at a certain thickness?
2. would your 4 support dowels be bolted into the bottom cake plate for support?
Also I'm not visualizing how Mike McCary does his version - how would it be hidden? Any insight obviously is greatly appreciated.
I'd use masonite -- thin and sturdy -- way more so than foam core and you can screw things too it.
yes, could bolt the bases to the dowels -- but w/ careful (gutsy!?!) balancing shouldn't be necessary.
as for mike's method -- the sketch below for a PVC pipe tree may help. the flanges go by different names depending upon use (one for example is called a nipple flange -- it's used w/ metal pipe) -- go to Home Depot or Lowes and head for the plumbing section and ask about flanges .. they'll be able to show you how they work.
Who is that masked man??
Doug, I see your posts often. You always have so many thoughtful and intelligent answers. Just wondering what you do for a living or what your education is. Well, that is, IF you are willing to take off the mask!
from my profile -- job: "education of the hormonally insane" -- aka high school teacher -- theatre! (set design SO similar to cake design) and English and Journalism: Newspaper. BA: Theatre & Communications, MA: Communication Arts. Also click on the "member spotlight" and look at the little writeup there.
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