My stepfather's birthday was in September and he's crazy about Dr. Who so I decided to make a Tardis cake for him, which is basically a blue telephone box. I have never done a stacked cake more than 2 cakes high and only started serious decorating in February. I didn't have dowels or any other kind of support because I figured the cake would be light enough... yeah stupid mistake. Needless to say the cake never even made it to the crumb coat so I threw it all in an ice cream bucket and a new tradition was born. Next year I would like to try again and I need help.
How would I stack and support something that is going to be an 8 inch tall 4x4 square? The bucket-cake was good but I don't want to do it again at least not on accident...
Tardis cake help threads:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-657601-.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-651467-.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-631728-.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-436423-.html
3D Tardis cakes from the CC galleries:
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&meta=search&type=full&search=tardis&album=53&search_user=
Additional 3D Tardis cakes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dooogewalah/3693899743/
http://www.cakeinabox.co.uk/shop/1-Celebration-Cakes/103-Birthday/3610-Doctor-Who-Tardis-Birthday-Cake-3D.html
http://www.yummycakecompany.co.uk/Main%20Pages/Birthday%20Cakes.html
HTH
Yep, i have done a tardis cake too and it caused me a bit of stress to get done lol Anyway here is the link to my cake:
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1462215
And here is what i did to get it to stand up:
I baked a high dense-ish sheet cake 2 inches or a bit higher. After it had cooled i then cut and leveled the top of the cake the best i could as this helps preventing it leaning when i stacked it.
I then cut it into 4 even pieces and stacked them up and attached them together with buttercream which looks similar to what you did. I then jsut put one thick McDonalds straw down the middle (you can do more if you like) and it held up just fine! I also did a similar thing with my tall jar cake (also in my gallery) and that held up fine too and they both survived car rides
Not sure if that is helpful but it worked for me
Did you use a denser cake?
I used a doctored box mix I found that was supposed to be denser, but they seemed very weak. I can usually hold my cakes without a board but this one broke in half when I tried to pick it up off of the cooling rack. Any recipe you would suggest?
but this one broke in half when I tried to pick it up off of the cooling rack.
I don't recommend picking up any cake, rather transfer the cake from the cooling rack to a cakeboard, etc.. Or for more stability, turn cooled cake onto Saran Wrap and wrap well then freeze - then you can pick them up.
Pound cake is always good.
Slap Your Momma pound cake recipes:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-2765703-.html
(Disregard title this has pound cake recipes.)
Chocolate pound cake recipes:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-403803-.html
Bouncy sponge cake recipes:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-662235-.html
Secrets of cake carving:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-59361-secrets.html
HTH
i just used a buttercake packet mix which was slightly denser but the best and i had trouble with it crumbling a bit too but i reckon using one of jan's recipes would help alot
Sorry to hear what happened, this is what I do when I have tall narrow cakes like that, first I use 1/2" thick foam boards on the bottom the same size of the cake, one layer 2" tall cake, butter cream, another 2" tall layer of cake, a little bit of butter cream, foam board the same size of the cake, little bit of butter cream just enough to hold the board in place, another layer of cake, butter cream, another layer of cake, two dowels going through the whole thing including the foam board at the bottom. Ice the whole thing including the foam boards. I use 1/2" foam boards for the cake boards also so when I nail the dowels I make sure I nail them though that board also.
If you do this you will never have an accident again.
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