6 Tier Wedding cake! Help!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Teneisha Williams on
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Dowel each cake using 4-6 rods. This should be done where each cake will sit. That will prevent any sinking. check for Edna De La Cruz' video on you tube. she has a tutorial where she's icing a cake using buttercream and demonstrates dowelling. (I"m at work and they have blocked you tube...so i can't send you the link:(
Larissa said:
I'm going to be talking to her today about the prices and the amount of people this cake she's wanting is going to feed. I'm not sure she even has a cake topper she hasn't mentioned anything to me. I was just going to do flowers for a topper. That's also what I was debating on was delivering it stacked or not. I think I'm going to do what you suggested though doing the 14 seperate, 12 and 10 stacked, and the 8,6, and 4 stacked. The think I'm most worried about is that the whole cake is going to sink in. I know that I need to put a big dowl through all of the cakes and each one needs to be on a cake boared. But still is that going to prevent it from sinkin in? Also any good cake recipes recomended?
denette lynch said:Make sure she knows that the price for the cake will be based on the number of servings the cake makes, in this case 208 and she has a "free" top layer for an anniversary cake. When she realizes she has to buy more servings than needed just to spell Boston she may reconsider the design. Also, will a 4 inch cake be a good size for her cake topper? That can be a huge factor in sizing. I would NOT consider delivering this cake stacked. It will be extremely heavy. I doubt one person could handle it and it would be really awkward for two. Plus it puts a lot of stress on your design. I would suggest stacking and doing final borders on-site. Or you could bring the 14 separate, the 12 and 10 stacked and the 8,6,4 stacked and put the 3 sections together on-site. I just had another thought.....but it all depends on how many servings she want, that is really an important factor unless price doesn't matter to her. You could do one layer of cake in each of the sizes so each tier would be 2 inches instead of 4, then she could have a letter on each size. Or do two letters per tier like you are thinking of. But first, find out how many servings she wants to pay for and start the design process from there.
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Permalink Reply by Larissa on
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Also how big are the slices of cake that u estamatede would feed 208
Larissa said:I'm going to be talking to her today about the prices and the amount of people this cake she's wanting is going to feed. I'm not sure she even has a cake topper she hasn't mentioned anything to me. I was just going to do flowers for a topper. That's also what I was debating on was delivering it stacked or not. I think I'm going to do what you suggested though doing the 14 seperate, 12 and 10 stacked, and the 8,6, and 4 stacked. The think I'm most worried about is that the whole cake is going to sink in. I know that I need to put a big dowl through all of the cakes and each one needs to be on a cake boared. But still is that going to prevent it from sinkin in? Also any good cake recipes recomended?
denette lynch said:Make sure she knows that the price for the cake will be based on the number of servings the cake makes, in this case 208 and she has a "free" top layer for an anniversary cake. When she realizes she has to buy more servings than needed just to spell Boston she may reconsider the design. Also, will a 4 inch cake be a good size for her cake topper? That can be a huge factor in sizing. I would NOT consider delivering this cake stacked. It will be extremely heavy. I doubt one person could handle it and it would be really awkward for two. Plus it puts a lot of stress on your design. I would suggest stacking and doing final borders on-site. Or you could bring the 14 separate, the 12 and 10 stacked and the 8,6,4 stacked and put the 3 sections together on-site. I just had another thought.....but it all depends on how many servings she want, that is really an important factor unless price doesn't matter to her. You could do one layer of cake in each of the sizes so each tier would be 2 inches instead of 4, then she could have a letter on each size. Or do two letters per tier like you are thinking of. But first, find out how many servings she wants to pay for and start the design process from there.
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Thank you so much! These helped me alot!
denette lynch said:Here is some more info on stacking. http://www.wilton.com/cakes/tiered-cakes/stacked-tiered-cake-constr...
Here is a great video on stacking. She is a fabulous cake designer with many great tutorials. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvaCSW78ybc
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Permalink Reply by denette lynch on
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The youtube video link I posted is the one by Edna that Teneisha also suggested. The serving size I based the 208 on is 1 inch by 2 inch by 4 inches which is generally the industry standard. Here is a serving chart....http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-party-cake-2-inch-p... www.wilton.com website has a huge amount of information. When stacking, each tier sits on its own cake cardboard. That board sits on dowels placed in the layer below. So the dowel and cardboard hold each cake up, not the cake below.
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Permalink Reply by Lynne Salmon on
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Just because the bride *wants* does NOT mean it is possible. Y ou are the 'pro' and you have to tell her it's an accident waiting to happen, then suggest alternative ideas.
Do NOT stack/use 14,12,10,8,6,4. It will NOT be steady. This is not a good looking arrangement either - at least in my eyes :) You need a bigger base for all those tiers. A 16 base is best for 5 or 6 tiers.
Or another suggest is using two 10 or 12s as a base - side by side; OR three 8"ers(in a triangle fashion) pushed together, then stack 14, 10, & 6. I know that's not 6 tiers but......... do you want a nice looking presentation that will stay standing or does she insistest on her 6 tiers? Maybe make at least the top tier extra tall and put 2 letters on it. A 6" round 4" or 5" tall will look really tall compared to a 12, 14, or 16 round x 4".
Definately do NOT try to transport already stacked as was mentioned. Take it in several stacked pieces. 16, 12; then 10,8; and 6,4. Even then the smaller ones will not transport well. Box them to help keep them steady. I don't care how much dowelingis used; that's not the problem it's the weight of the upper tiers on such small bases that will cause the cakes to be topheavy & tip over when you go around corners or have to stop quickly.
Use plenty of doweling. Don't skimp! 4 to 6 dowels in the larger, bottom tiers is not enough but is plenty in the sizes 10 & smaller.
Each tier goes on a cake board. Do not poke a hole in the board. Since you won't be transporting it stacked, a long dowel really isn't needed - unless you use one just in the base/largest two tiers.
Don't let them talk you into 'bigger' sized servings. Use the 1x2x4 industry standard. If they want more cake (and most people won't!) let then order a larger cake . A few might come back for 2nds. Charge for how many servings whatever the finished cake will serve based on the tier sizes you end up making.
It's good you have enough time to really think this out and maybe practice - at least some :)
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Permalink Reply by Stacy on
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It sounds like the bride just has a vision of the cake in her head and it needs to be six tiers so it can read BOSTON. Thats it. More than likely she has no idea how many people a cake that size will feed.
In my experience with bakeries that my brides have used. The first question the bakery asks is "how many guests do you have" then they tell the bride how many tiers she will get and if she wants more she has to pay extra for it no questions asked.
Larissa said:I highley doubt it but I'm not for sure. She came to me yesterday with it and she has it all planned out. She wan't it to say Boston with a letter on each tier. I'm thinking of suggesting maybe 2 letters per tier I'm not sure.
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Hi Lynne, Thank you for the suggestions. I was actually thinking last night of makeing the bottom tier a 16 instead of 14 haha. I do like the idea of the triangle arangement. I'll have to talk to her about that. Thank you so much for your help! I really appriciate it!
Lynne Salmon said:Just because the bride *wants* does NOT mean it is possible. Y ou are the 'pro' and you have to tell her it's an accident waiting to happen, then suggest alternative ideas.
Do NOT stack/use 14,12,10,8,6,4. It will NOT be steady. This is not a good looking arrangement either - at least in my eyes :) You need a bigger base for all those tiers. A 16 base is best for 5 or 6 tiers.
Or another suggest is using two 10 or 12s as a base - side by side; OR three 8"ers(in a triangle fashion) pushed together, then stack 14, 10, & 6. I know that's not 6 tiers but......... do you want a nice looking presentation that will stay standing or does she insistest on her 6 tiers? Maybe make at least the top tier extra tall and put 2 letters on it. A 6" round 4" or 5" tall will look really tall compared to a 12, 14, or 16 round x 4".
Definately do NOT try to transport already stacked as was mentioned. Take it in several stacked pieces. 16, 12; then 10,8; and 6,4. Even then the smaller ones will not transport well. Box them to help keep them steady. I don't care how much dowelingis used; that's not the problem it's the weight of the upper tiers on such small bases that will cause the cakes to be topheavy & tip over when you go around corners or have to stop quickly.
Use plenty of doweling. Don't skimp! 4 to 6 dowels in the larger, bottom tiers is not enough but is plenty in the sizes 10 & smaller.
Each tier goes on a cake board. Do not poke a hole in the board. Since you won't be transporting it stacked, a long dowel really isn't needed - unless you use one just in the base/largest two tiers.
Don't let them talk you into 'bigger' sized servings. Use the 1x2x4 industry standard. If they want more cake (and most people won't!) let then order a larger cake . A few might come back for 2nds. Charge for how many servings whatever the finished cake will serve based on the tier sizes you end up making.
It's good you have enough time to really think this out and maybe practice - at least some :)
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Permalink Reply by Leslie Cannon on
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Well first, remember to have at least a two inch different on size of layers. Then make sure you have the right supports for the cake stacked of with poles or tiers. A great base icing is the one thing that must be right, the rest can be covered up if you mess up a little.
best of luck to you.
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Permalink Reply by Barbarann Garrard on
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if she absolutely wants 6 tiers, you could always use styrofoam dummies on a few tiers, that way you have the effect of a large cake and have the cake say Boston using each tier for a letter.. the cake will not weigh as much either.
My very first wedding cake, pictured here, fed almost 300 people and these were VERY generous slices. My cake was delivered stacked with several support dowels to act as a platform for the upper tiers and a center dowel to keep the tiers from shifting . I carried this myself and it was pretty heavy.. it was around 50 lbs. (without the gumpaste/modeling chocolate figures , which i added when i got there )
it wasnt the BIGGEST cake i ever did , but it was my first wedding cake, and I was definately nervous! ( the bride helped design it,.. she choose these colors and asked for a "boho,funky, hippy, yet tasteful design, and i want stripes on the middle tier " , which is why it is so far-from-typical looking! )
luckily I only had to carry it about 60 ft. the bottom was 16" and 5" tall , ( 3 layers) , then 15" hex , 5" tall ( 3 layers) and then the top was 10" , 4.5" tall.( 3 layers)
seriously, that is going to be a LOT of cake and you are going to have a LOT of leftover !
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That cake is so cute!!! Also yes I heard about the styrofoam dummies yesterday actually and was thinking of this. :) Thank you for your suggestions. I really do appriciate it!!
Barbarann Garrard said:if she absolutely wants 6 tiers, you could always use styrofoam dummies on a few tiers, that way you have the effect of a large cake and have the cake say Boston using each tier for a letter.. the cake will not weigh as much either.
My very first wedding cake, pictured here, fed almost 300 people and these were VERY generous slices. My cake was delivered stacked with several support dowels to act as a platform for the upper tiers and a center dowel to keep the tiers from shifting . I carried this myself and it was pretty heavy.. it was around 50 lbs. (without the gumpaste/modeling chocolate figures , which i added when i got there )
it wasnt the BIGGEST cake i ever did , but it was my first wedding cake, and I was definately nervous! ( the bride helped design it,.. she choose these colors and asked for a "boho,funky, hippy, yet tasteful design, and i want stripes on the middle tier " , which is why it is so far-from-typical looking! )
luckily I only had to carry it about 60 ft. the bottom was 16" and 5" tall , ( 3 layers) , then 15" hex , 5" tall ( 3 layers) and then the top was 10" , 4.5" tall.( 3 layers)
seriously, that is going to be a LOT of cake and you are going to have a LOT of leftover !
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Permalink Reply by Dawnetta Pompeo on
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I would recommend using something other than wooden dowels for your supports. If you are a slightly off level it could spell disaster, even with with a dowel down the middle. Trust me - been there, done that. I have not stacked a 6 tier cake that was all cake in a while, but after that disaster I ordered a bunch of bubble tea straws (if you've ever watched Ace of Cakes, they use them). A lot of folks also recommend a SPS (single plate support) or a SFS (stress-free support) system. There is a price issue, but if you do lots of stacked cakes it might be worth the investment. Here is one link to an SPS http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/wedding/Wplates-pillars.htm
Good luck, and please share pictures of the finished cake!
Dawnetta
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