Anyone have any suggestions for how to create this cake?

I'm making a cake for an elegant gala that's nautical themed and is raising money for breast cancer research. This cake is both elegant and water-themed so I'd love to attempt it!

first I'd buy a bucket (ok maybe not THAT much) of a pretty blue/teal-ish luster dust and an airbrush (at last an excuse to get one!)

as for the ruffles --

I'd make them by rolling out gumpaste or fondant/gumpaste mix into large thin sheets. It would have to be stiff enough when dry to hold shape.

Then for the bottom set, I'd take a cake board the size around I want them to be (in this case the size of the board the whole cake is sitting on) and use it as a template to cut out a circle. -- I'd do this once for each ruffle -- so that's 3x each inbetween layer if I'm counting ruffles correctly.

then I'd use rolled up tissue or aluminum foil to shape the edges into ruffle, being sure to leave the middle absolutely flat -- the size of the flat area being the same as the size of the tier that will sit on top of it.

repeat for each layer of ruffles (so that's 12 sheets of fondant cut and ruffled) and then leave it all to harden up. Sheets would decrease in diameter as it rises. I'd make them decrease by the same amount the tiers do

so 16" circles on top of the 12" tier, 14" on the 10", 12" on the 8", 10" on the very top of the 6" -- of course could make ruffles wider or narrower

to assemble -- put down bottom what appears to be 16" layer (the one w/ the pearls around it) , then add the 12 " then the 3 layers of 16" ruffles -- repeat until at the top. (with proper internal supports of course, may even want to glue ruffles together)

then I'd lay on with luster/pearl dust.

then wrap the bottom in the fake pearls
add more pearls around base of each tier
add flowers and topper (made while ruffles were drying?)


hmmm---wondering if very bottom tier is a dummy?

and the other tiers appear to be 6in tall

Yes.
Somewhere here there is a thread where Marina Sousa gave directions for it.
Found it!
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-45216.html

Awesome! Thanks to you both! I don't have an airbrush so I'm not sure I can do this cake next week, but we'll see what I come up with!