I have a couple of questions!
About a year ago I made a beer bucket cake for a friend of mine. It was a complete disaster. The whole thing fell apart. I want to try it again for my fiancé birthday in April. His party isn't until April 14th so I'm trying to give myself enough time. What I am thinking about doing is make a 3 layer marble cake with peanut butter chocolate gnache gir the filling and peanut butter buttercream. The 3 layers will be 10inch round.
When I did thus cake last year I also made 3 layers, a 8inch, 9inch and 10 inch. Then trimed the edges to make it angled. I think because I did that the cake just fell apart. I also covered it in fondant. What went wrong?
So this time I'm just going to do 10 inch rounds and not trim it. I want to cover it in fondant but maybe just on the sides? I want to make it look like wood boards, if that makes any sense. How do I achieve this? Do I mix fondant with gumpaste and cut it up to look like wood boards and just stick each piece on the side of the cake? If so how much gumpaste to hindant do I mix? How far in advance should I do this? Will it stick to the cake once it's dried out?
Any advice I can get will be awesome. If you can think of any advicedot anything I didn't as. Please help me!!! I don't want this cake to fall apart either.

I've made 2 in the last 6 months.

1) If the cake is over 4" tall, I'd support with SPS (or whatever system you use)
2) Make sure to dam the filling & don't make it too "shifty".
3) Measure the circumference of your cake, divide by number of "slats" you want. Cut slats from 50-50 fondant/gumpaste mixture (colored tan).
4) When slightly dry, paint with vodka/powder color mix to look like wood (I use a Martha Stewart faux wood grainer from Home Depot).
5) Dry slats on a cake dummy to simulate curve needed
6) Crumb coat cake in brown in case slats don't match up perfectly.
7) Affix dry slats to cake with melted chocolate.

Good luck!

I'm still pretty new to all this. What exactly does SPS mean?
Sound I put a cake board under the last layer if over 4" tall. Maybe that would help. Please anything you can tell me would help. I am self taught.

SPS is a support system. If you just put the cake board on top of the 4" cake, the weight of the cake on top will crush the bottom portion. Instead, add dowels underneath the board to support the weight of the cake on top. I hope this makes sense. I have a picture in my album of a cake box black and white cake that's tapered at the bottom. As long as you have proper supports, it shouldn't fall apart. Search "stacking cakes" on youtube to help you out with how to support the tiers. Hope this helps!

Let me just say this....I've done it many ways to Sunday. What I've finally figured out and will do from now on...What is the customer's pleasure as far as cake. Make your cake - in my case it will be a 14" square or whatever size is needed. Then build your barrel with Rice Krispy treats one layer at a time - like 8" - (probably 3 stacked). Push your bottles thru the RKT when they're still warm to get the indention...Make your bottles - stack your RKT forms and cover with buttercream - set your fondant barrel wooden "boards" with piping gel and apply - add your "nails" or other decorative items to barrel. Set your bottles then add the ice. Quicker, easier and customer LOVES them. Just did one this weekend and and have another in a week and some after that.

Let me just say this....I've done it many ways to Sunday. What I've finally figured out and will do from now on...What is the customer's pleasure as far as cake. Make your cake - in my case it will be a 14" square or whatever size is needed. Then build your barrel with Rice Krispy treats one layer at a time - like 8" - (probably 3 stacked). Push your bottles thru the RKT when they're still warm to get the indention...Make your bottles - stack your RKT forms and cover with buttercream - set your fondant barrel wooden "boards" with piping gel and apply - add your "nails" or other decorative items to barrel. Set your bottles then add the ice. Quicker, easier and customer LOVES them. Just did one this weekend and and have another in a week and some after that.

Let me just say this....I've done it many ways to Sunday. What I've finally figured out and will do from now on...What is the customer's pleasure as far as cake. Make your cake - in my case it will be a 14" square or whatever size is needed. Then build your barrel with Rice Krispy treats one layer at a time - like 8" - (probably 3 stacked). Push your bottles thru the RKT when they're still warm to get the indention...Make your bottles - stack your RKT forms and cover with buttercream - set your fondant barrel wooden "boards" with piping gel and apply - add your "nails" or other decorative items to barrel. Set your bottles then add the ice. Quicker, easier and customer LOVES them. Just did one this weekend and and have another in a week and some after that.