I am creating a centerpiece cake for a large (3,000+ people/news/photos/etc) event at a local school celebration.  1/2 of the cake will be made of dummies but there will be three layers of actual cake.  The cake will spend 1+ hour in an area that will be facing the setting sun... in Arizona.  The projected temp will be about 107-110.  I will be keeping that baby chilled until *just* before it's time to set it up but I still worry about it being in the sun, at that temperature.  

I have free reign on flavor combos and I would like to do 1 tier a chocolate gluten free cake, 1 tier chocolate cake, and 1 tier a lemon cake.  Do I dare use any fillings or stick with BC?  Do I use ganache instead of BC on the chocolate tiers?  

Any input would be super helpful!

I have done b'cream cakes that sat outside in 102-104 temps (in CA) w/o problems.  I myself didn't taste it but was told by someone who attended one of the affairs that it did not melt - just was a bit dry. 

I didn't know it was going to be set up *hours* before the event in someone's yard with NO shade :(  I just delivered it when & where told - didn't find out until that guy mentioned it.

I would put fondant on that baby!  Hopefully AZcouture will chime in, but if I remember correctly she refuses to do cakes without fondant for outside venues. 

Fondant is going on this - for. sure.  I have made cakes in AZ for years but I haven't ever had one have to deal with the heat AND the sun....

if you want the gluten free layer (tier ) to be truly gluten free, i would advise you to make a separate cake, because every time you cut you are dragging the knife through the layers with gluten,

cheryl

The way I began baking cakes was the need for gluten free cakes within my own family/circle of friends (several members with sever gluten intolerance/celiac disease). On a multi tiered cake, the GF tier is always the top tier, separated by SPS that has been made just a wee too tall so that the GF cake never actually touches the other tiers of cake.  It is also the first tier to be taken apart and cut to ensure that there isn't any cross contamination. 

AOh Imma chiming in, you betcha! I would flat out REFUSE to allow that cake to.sit in the setting sun. Who's idea is that?! We both know how deadly that sun is here, no way! They need to provide some shade for you, period.

OK - Done... I'll figure out some sort of shade set up (sun will be coming from the front/side - not over top).  What about fillings?  Risk it or just stick with BC?  And for the chocolate cake - can I go with a whipped ganahe, covered in ganache?

Thanks for the help guys!  (Also - this cake is for a school that is near and dear to my heart.  My kids go here.  I substitute teach only at this school.  It's one of those amazing public schools that you wish every single kid could attend.)

I would not use ganache.  I can't imagine that *not* melting.

I used Charlotte's Whipped Cream BC for years.  And I delivered EARLY.  Even when the temp and humidity were in the high 90s.  Never an issue.

Dark chocolate ganache can be quite stable in high temps.  The higher the cocoa percentage the more stable.  Not true for white chocolate.  I cannot speak to BC's that uses shortening only because I use butter.  For me, I would use ganache.  Let it set up at room temp to get a nice hard shell.

When my daughter got married the wedding was held in a vineyard - 90 degrees and humid.  The baker told her if she wanted a cake outdoors in that heat and humidity, please use someone else.  I applauded him :)

You could show your client this youtube video:

Sweet Mother of all things hot and melted.  ​

The weather gods were good!  We had a quasi storm roll over us and cooled us down to about 90 AND it was overcast so we didn't have any direct sunlight.  We also moved the cake inside where everyone would pass by it on their way outside.  Thanks for all the feedback! (the top two tiers are a replica of the school...)

Yay!  So glad the weather was in you favor!  The cake looks gorgeous!  Well done!

AOh thank God! So did you ice with ganache, smbc, what? A few summers ago, one of my regulars insisted on the park for her party. In August, at about 5pm. I wanted to scream. ABC is just not an option, ever, I just won't use it period, but the cake survived. Delivered last minute to make it a surprise for the birthday kiddo. They set up in the shade, cut it about thirty minutes later. Gah....makes me want to gag to this day.

For the chocolate tiers I did used ganache - but the lemon/white tiers, I went with a vanilla bean ABC.  I did use some shortening (blech...) just to make it a little more "melt resistant".  We also kept it in the cafeteria which was icey cold until *just* when they opened the doors.