This is NOT my own cake, please excuse me for using it... Im trying to replicate the numbers. but do you think the numbers were dried with the pearls to make them stick? Then the cake maker put lollipop sticks in the pearls to go into the cake? Do you think this would be enough support? Im not seeing any evidence of support, so Im assuming that was the way they did it. Any ideas/thoughts??

Sorry if this sounds like rambling!

oops sorry, I meant to post this in "How Do I?"

when i do numbers like this, i usally make them out of gumpaste, with a lolly pop stick inserted into it, decorated and left to dry flat, once its dry its usually fine to stand it up right , so your theory is pretty much spot on, except i dont know what you mean by pearls? if you mean the black balls, i think they may have came later on as more of a boost to the height or to cover any stick left showing

I agree with Caths_Cakes. I would make the letters out of gumpaste (and the pearls as well) with the sticks already inserted and let them dry completely. Gumpaste dries more lightweight than fondant.

For letters that big, I think I might use cookie sticks instead of lollipop ones and leave the ends really long so that they go all the way into the cake.