well, this is technically only my 3rd stacked and assemble on site cake, my 2nd one happened today too.

that one went fine....



but this communion cake, it was 3 tiers, sqaure, 12, 10, 8. i cut them and doweled them up yesterday since i had the time. (and mind you this is at the bakery where i work, not at home)

today rolls around, and it's time to take this cake to the site, and i get there to the mother and family sitting WAITING for me, telling me they were worried i wouldn't show up, but i was there a half hour early.

while i'm assembling this cake, they're watching me, their small child is running around trying to see the cake, so i rushed... after placing all the cakes and the pieces and borders, i realized that the middle layer was too close to the back of the cake but i thought it would be fine since it was doweled...

i went home which was across the street from the site and got a call from my bakery saying the woman was on the phone screaming and that the cake fell. i rush over and sure enough the bottom cake cracked in half and was leaning. I took it back to the restaraunts kitchen, disassembled it and waited for back up cake.

And the mother of the communion boy's mother came in the kitchen to yell at me, which i'm sure really helped a whole lot getting the cake back out on the table...

I feel like i just ran a marathon and i can't catch my breath, i just needed to get this off my chest so maybe i can calm down...


here's a before destruction picture, was too frazzled to get an after shot, but just imagine the top two layers the same, with the bottom on a slope.

heavens, I just don't understand why having a customer yelling at us doesn't help us concentrate on the job in hand... strange... LOL

Well done you for coping with a cake repair and a yelling woman - your cake is lovely and she obviously wasn't. Sounds like that family had its priorities in the wrong order. I know cake is important but in the big scheme of things the first holy communion is more important!

Once again, well done you for keeping it together.

Housemouse

" I know cake is important but in the big scheme of things the first holy communion is more important! "

Well, said! What happened to forgiveness, mildness of spirit, kindness, and understanding? I'll tell you what's happened, the Bible says it all and well :
2 Timothy 3:1-4 "in the last days ...men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God. "

Sorry to get all biblical, but truth is truth. I think anyone would agree that we see this kind of atttitude more and more. I'm sorry this had to happen to you! Two thumbs up for biting your tongue!

My only note would be to make sure your dowels are cut identical⦠Not based on the cake (that is stick one in the cake, mark where it reaches, cut, repeat) but based on a single test dowel - that is measure with one dowel, and cut the rest the same size. If the dowels are even, each subsequent tier will be level, regardless if the icing on the previous was level, thus avoiding any potential sliding issues. I started using boba straws in lieu of dowels and I love them, so easy to cut, and so stable!!!