Sorry if I sound like a complete MORON asking such a question but is there an easy way to do a topsy turvey cake? What I mean is....... I see two different methods to do them, one that calls for carving into the bottom tier & adding the top into the space. That looks good but not like something I wanna do this weekend. Then there is the method I saw here that calls for just placing the top tier atop of a stabled bottom then doweled down the center. Now the second one looks like somethig I can do, but I'm afraid that the top tier will slid off the bottom,( I'm real good with a sharp dowel & hammer, but carving not so much). Has anyone tried the second method? Any feedback is welcome & greatly appreciated. Thanks

I can't attest to the ease, but this looks like it would be easier than carving.
http://www.icingonlinestore.com/product_info.php?products_id=948

There are 5 pans and will give you the right shape so you don't have to carve. Seems easy...right?

not so easy on the wallet though...........OUCH!

I've only ever done the carving method, but it's VERY easy...seriously.
I take a cardboard round that is just slightly bigger than the bottom of the top cake, and use it as a guid, put it on the second tier in the center and take a parin knife and cut around going down about an inch, remove the cardboard round and turn your knife at an angle and start cutting away the cake inside of the circle you just cut. It only takes a couple minutes tops, it's not as hard as it seems. Just make sure that your hole is a little bigger than the top tier so it sits down inside of the hole nicely (be sure to dowel inside the hole and use a sturdy cake board under the top tier as well) and doesn't put any pressure on the bottom cake edge. HTH
by the way, the idea of putting a cake on another cake and have it actually be crooked scares me way more than carving the hole!

When I do my topsy turveys, I bake two full layers, in my 2 inch pans, then I take a third pan and fill it half way, then I put it in the oven and put something under the pan in the oven so it bakes at an angle, I do this because I like to get an even edge, and not have to worry about carving the right angles for all of the cakes. To taper the cakes, I take my two layers and flip them over so that the bottom is on the top. I put my smaller round centered on the cake and using that edge, and the edge of the foamboard on the bottom(really the top) I carve all the way around. When Im done, I flip the cake over, add more icing to the top, and then add the angled layer. This makes the sides tall, which is what I like. I hope I havent confused you. If I am doing a 6, 8, 10 inch cake then the bases of the cakes will be 4, 6, and 8. I should add that for stacking I follow Deliciously decadents tutorial. She is like the topsy turvey queen!

If you have a sturdy dowel down the center of your entire cake it should be fine. If you're still not comfortable, put two dowels down the center.

where is that tutorial rvercher?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciously_decadent/sets/72157616259103302/comments/

wow, that tutorial is awesome!!! Seems like it would be sturdy, still kinda scares me though. I mean, when I carve in the center I know that the cake is technically stacked straight like any other cake and the weight is evenly distributed, but when the tiers are actually stacked crooked it makes me more nervous as to how the weight distribution is affected!

The three tier topsy turvey in my photos was done this way and t was so sturdy. It traveled over an hour on horrible bumpy roads. Andover the ship channel.