since i had many request on how i made the crooked fairy cake i decided to post them here since i would have no idea on how to type it out then send them out individually, not very good with computers! i basically followed the instructions from michelle (from another site), an *amazing* cake artist.

i'll try to explain this w/out confusing you all too much, hopefully it will make sense. i baked and decorated 3 cakes, a 10, 8 and 6 inch. i wanted it to be whimsical so i added alot of details, just depends on the look you want. then for the 2 white "cakes" with polka dots (they are actually dummies) i bought two 6 inch green styrofoam dummies and two 4 inch dummies. i took one of the the 6 inch styrofoams and cut it at a slant then glued it to the other 6 inch one. then did the same for the 4 inch. let them dry, then cover in fondant. so now you have your cakes and dummies decorated.

next you want to buy oak wooden dowells, you'll want to purchase 2 different widths, one the thickness of a pencil and one thicker, not sure on the eact measurments. i got mine from home depot, i know hobby lobby sells them as well but i don't think they are oak, i could be wrong though. i placed the 10 inch cake on my wooden baseboard (covered in fondant) with some icing underneath as "glue", then i cut 6 of the thicker dowells and stuck them in my 10 inch cake. (i cover all my wooden dowells with plastic wrap first). next, add some icing to the top of the ten inch cake, then place the 6 inch dummy on top. now used the skinnier dowells and sharpen with a pencil sharpner and hammer it through the top of the dummy, i used 3 of them. then you just repeat the procedure, put the icing on top of the 6 inch dummy and place the 8 inch cake (make sure you put the thicker dowells in this one, i used about 5) on top of that and then hammer in the thinner sharpened dowells again, (i used 3 again). and so on and so forth. you'll need someone to help you assemble the cake, my husband hammered the dowells in for me while i held onto the cakes. its very helpful to have them covered in fondant so you don't mess up the icing.

so bascially, the 10 and 8 inch cakes have thick dowells in them (the 6 inch doesn't need any) and then you pound in longer, skinner dowells as you go along. does that make sense? if not, let me know what i can clear up for you. make sure you put a cardboard baseboard underneath the dummy cakes and bout 2-3 glued together under the real cakes for support. the topper i made using white wire from hobby lobby, just shaped it into a "A" and then added the crystals.

so the top tier is real cake, and is just sitting on the dummy, not doweled? How did you get it to balance and not fall over?

BTW, that cake is amazing!!! You didn't transport this cake already stacked did you?

jenn,
sorry, not very good at explaining, it made sense while i was typing it! anyways, yes, the top tier is real sitting on a dummy. there are 3 long dowells going down through the top tier.

i assembled the cake at home and drove it about 20 minutes to my mom's, very slowly. make sure you refriderate the assembled cake overnight so it hardens up and is more stable for the drive. when i finally cut the cake, those tier were *really* secure, i actually had a hard time taking it apart.

Thank you so much dailey. I found them and am so thankful to get them. I don't think I can get mine to come close to how wonderful yours is, but it sure will be fun trying. Again, you are truly awesome and should be a big time decorator in NY or somewhere BIG doing cakes for the rich and famous! Thanks Again! God Bless! - Ellie

Thank you so much dailey. I found them and am so thankful to get them. I don't think I can get mine to come close to how wonderful yours is, but it sure will be fun trying. Again, you are truly awesome and should be a big time decorator in NY or somewhere BIG doing cakes for the rich and famous! Thanks Again! God Bless! - Ellie

thanks ellie!

Your cake is fantastic! Every detail is perfect. You should be very proud. It just appears to defy gravity! Also a big 'WOW" to you for transporting it assembled!

It was so kind of you to post directions. I have been 'studying' it and I would love to get this concept. If I am understanding the directions, there are support dowels in each of the 2 lower real cakes, with longer dowels going all the way through the upper cakes to the bottom? Is that right?

The stacking part I can begin to understand, but how in the world do the tilted cakes keep from sliding off their plates? And I just don't see how the weight of all the upper cakes along with the tilt does not rip the lower dowels out and the whole thing topple over! I think I need to stare at it a bit longer! lol

Like I said, you did a fantastic job!
-kim

thanks kim. yes, you got idea, you put the dowells in like you normally would for a stacked cake. then you pound in the long, skinny dowells as you go along. i believe i had a total of 9 long dowells in mine. i also used my icing as "glue" in between every cake tier. trust me, when i took the cake apart, it was VERY secure and stable, HTH!

what a beautiful cake. i'm not confident enough to try that yet but maybe 1 day so i'll ask my question. the long dowels you used went into the dummy right? was it 1/2 in dummy and other 1/2 went into cake above? i hope that makes sense.

debbie,
the long dowells went in everytime i stacked the cake, i added more dowells everytime another cake was put on. when i was done stacking, i put 3 dowells going through the *entire* cake. i hope that makes sense, if, not let me know.

Beautiful cake and thank you so much for the directions. I just can't stop staring at it...it defies gravity!

dailey, what was the website you got your inspiration from? You did a perfectly wonderful job!!! The cake is gorgeous and very, very impressive!

dailey, thank you! i have colette peters books that show diagrams, but i've been racking my brain trying to make sense of the construction. i will be making one the same size in 2 weeks


i had thought that i'd have to predrill holes through the styrofoam. i assume you used dry dummies,not wet floral dummies...how did you feel pounding through all that foam? was is any more difficult than hammering dowels through a stacked cake?

here is a link to a thread i recently opened up,

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-4273823-.html#4273823

if you dont mind taking a look, there were a couple more questions that i had, i appreciate your help very very much!

amazing cake by the way. i left a comment on it earlier this year, i love the dragonfly, its one of my favorite parts.