I have been asked to make a 2 tier wedding cake. The bride requested the cake in the photo, minus the top tier. The style seems quite straight forward but being my first wedding cake I want to make sure I get it right.

Firstly what are the best cake tins sizes to use? I've heard that there should be a 4" difference in cake tins to give the cake a ledge? How about the height of each finished tier?  I want to ensure that the cake looks generous.

Also I am concerned about the stability of the cake during transportation to the venue. I plan to use dowels in the bottom tier and resting the second tier on top. Will that be enough to keep it stable?  I would love to use a center dowel through both cakes for extra support but I don't think I can as it will leave a mark on top and the fondant needs to be smooth.

I am extremely nervous about making someones "wedding cake" and I am imagining all sorts of crazy things that can go wrong.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!! 

 

 

How many people does she plan on having? That will determine how big your cakes need to be. Here is a good site to use http://www.bakedecoratecelebrate.com/techniques/amountbakingguide.cfm or wilton's website has a chart as well, you can google "cake serving sizes" and come up with a plethora of ideas.  

AThe tecnique is called quilting, just google fondant/BC quilting it is fairly simple-you can use an impression mat or ruler (photo paper-jessicakes blog) something to keep your lines straight.

Your pan sizes will depend on the servings you need. Your tiers should be at least 4" tall, you can make two 2" cakes, level, and use BC filling between for each tier.

Whatever support system you use you must have some sort of plate between your tiers (ie: cardboard cake circles, foam core, sps, etc.) as well as a base strong enough to support the weight for the final cake. If you want to use a dowell to go through the entire cake just sharpen one end with a pencil sharpener and drive it through the entire cake/boards if you have a cake topper it will cover the hole. If you're worried get sps, then you don't need to bother with the extra dowell.

Is this your first stacked cake?

Hi Smckinney07, thanks for your reply.  So if I use a 12" bottom tier, what size should I make the top tier?
I live in Australia and sadly can't find sps system here. The center dowel method is great but the wedding topper requested is "crystal initials" on a wire inserts so the dowel hole would show on the fondant. Should I just use some royal icing to act as "glue" between the 2 cakes? 

Oh.. here is a proper photo of the cake, rather than a link.  I only just worked out how to add a photo...lol

AMy daughter is gettingmarried in October 2013 and the sweet thing asked if i could make her wedding cake. Touched to the core but panicked as this would be my very first wedding cake and probably the last! Haha! She wants it to look home made so no smooth fondant look if any kind but just fresh flowers as topping. I am desperate to know how much quantity if cake batter ti use for 12 inch, 9 inch and 7 inch cake. 2 months to get it right, fingers crossed.

AThank you Scrumdiddlycakes for the quick reply. Will get going on my first test tomorrow. Will post results. Im not using a cake mix.. just a similar recipe to a choc mudcake that my daughter loves, with a dark chocolate ganache... so is it advisable to double/triple the recipe?

Thank you so much for your advice mcaulir. I think it will be safe to go for 12" & 9" tiers (preferably mud cake) with each finished tier about 5" tall. Also I will definitely be getting a quilting tool too, anything to make life easier!!

Thank you again :)

A

ACan anyone tell me how many days before wedding day should cakes be baked and frosted? The chocolate cake i am baking has brandy in it so am i correct to assume it will be safe to make it at least 2 days beforehand? Feeling really anxious. As mother of the bride I will have a million and one things go do the day before the wedding so if I can make the cake way in advance, it would be a weight off my shoulder. Pls advise, thank you.

ALily, if it was me I would do it all a couple of weeks ahead and freeze the tiers...baked, filled and iced. Take it from the freezer the day before and put in the fridge or the night before and set on the counter to defrost. Then all you have to do at the end is stack and add flowers or whatever. You could even avoid stacking by using one of the displays were the individual tiers are on their own plate.

ASorry Agnes, I haven't been on in a few days but I see you've had many responses so that's good! I make my own cake circles, if your worried the board will be too thick then pre-drill a hole or sharpen one end and use a hammer to get it down the center into the base board. Yes royal icing will be fine to hide it or even buttercream (if you don't have royal made). Sometimes I use melted chocolate between my tiers. If you can find or order an sps system they're great, you might breath a little easier with your first couple cakes.

FillyLily-I probably bake about a week early, depending on my schedule and cakes due, but if you freeze then they should last a while. When your ready to work on your cake, pull them from the fridge or freezer and let them sit a while-this causes the condensation to form on the plastic wrap/foil rather then the cake. I like to level and torte my cakes while they're partially frozen, just easier to manipulate. I make BC or ganache fill and crumb coat cakes, cover in Saran wrap and let sit for several hours (this allows cakes to settle and prevents bulging). Final coat, if it's ganache I just do the one thick coat and let step overnight to harden (this make applying fondant easier). Cover then decorate.

A

AThank you smckinney. Being able to bake the cakes days in advance will be a tremendous help indeed. My daughtet doesn't like fondant so I guess I will have to stack and "ganache" it and chilled 2 days before the wedding. A million thanks again guys!!

I don't mean to sound harsh, but I would not do this cake if I had to ask all the questions you have asked here. This is someone's wedding. In my opinion, it would be better to get some experience under your belt before committing to a wedding cake.

AYes, you can leave the cake out to setup and get a hard shell-refrigeration is required for perishable fillings.

I would definitely start a week or two in advance (if your making Gumpaste flowers or something like that start making now) since you probably have stretched yourself pretty thin already!

After making the ganache I leave it out on the counter in a plastic container with Saran wrap (wrap might not be necessary just something I do since I make large batches-if I'm in a hurry I put in the fridge) you want it to thicken to a peanut butter like consistency. If its too hard, microwave for a few short bursts. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge.

Ahttp://inspiredbymichelleblog.com/2011/03/30/how-to-make-chocolate-ganache-for-decorating-cakes-3/

This website has several tutorials about making and ganaching a cake, and many other useful tidbits. If you want to use fondant to cover the cakes try making your own or buying a nice brand-it's a special day! Not that every cake needs fondant covering ;)

I'd make a trial cake before the event so you can gauge timing and test recipes. Also, do you know about internal supports and boards? How your going to transfer your cake? Do you have a box? Do as much in advance as possible!

A

Thank you. Making this cake gets better and better. Haha.. This is my very first wedding cake and I'm afraid to challenge myself with a sponge or buttercake even. I have made this cake a few times for social gatherings although not in this size, just the normal 9" and unfilled. My daughter loves it and specifically asked me to make it as THE wedding cake, God help me! :)) I was thinking also of leaving it unfilled as the cake is already very rich. Chocolate on chocolate i think is too much. What do you think? By the way the cake is from an old Epicure cakes book called A Well-Travelled Wedding Cake. Delicious!! I think it is much better than a mudcake.

A

How sweet.. You are sweet! No you are not being harsh but honestly, you are feeling what I am feeling. And I did tell my daughter how I felt about it. She reassured me that although it is her wedding, and a garden wedding at that, to her it is just a big garden party, like the ones we always do at home. Both my daughter and future son in law insist i make the wedding cake. And after they told me they want it to look "homemade" and specifically asked for this old family-tested chocolate cake and specifically NO fondant, i was brave enough to say "Oh alright then ". :) but that was 6 months ago and now that the wedding is 2 months away, i am feeling really anxious thus all these questions. Sorry to sound annoying but i just want to tick all the boxes.

A

Thank you scrumdiddlycakes. I did make this cake(Again!!!) last week for hubby's 60th and specifically kept a couple if slices to see how well it holds 3 days later. And you are right! It tasted even better. I could taste, though just slightly, the brandy in it.

A

Oh my goodness bubs, you are sweet too! It really did touch me to the core when they asked me. And tears did flow as that was the last thing i expected them to have me do. It is very very daunting for me to do even though i love baking since before i met her father hahaha! Just not wedding cakes!!Now she is 28, getting married in october and i am making her wedding cake! She is a total "Pinterest" kind of girl and the wedding reception will, im sure, be a leaf out of those posts. Thanks for your encouraging words. I shall soldier on!

You are most welcome - pop back and let us know how it goes :-) All the best of luck to you.

A

I would at least put some buttercream or ganache between the layers. First, it keeps your cakes together like a glue and secondly there would be about 4" of cake with only icing on the top. The servings will be cut fairly small so I imagine it will be fine, you don't have to use ganache between the cake layers, just use a nicer BC like smbc (it's not sickly sweet) for a filling and it will help offset the rich flavor of the cake and ganache.

Just use ganache between the layers. Honestly. It's so easy - it's non-perishable for the length of time you're talking about, it glues everything together solidly, everyone loves to eat it. Just put a thin layer between the layers of cake.

A

Sure will. :)