How is this cake constructed? I have a book with this same "layout" but it never tells the "inner story" if you know what I mean.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1199045.html

would love to know too!

Me too!! I have never seen that one....it is great! Maybe that will be what can make my nephews cake different this week...

me too - I would love to know

have you tried pm-ing the artist?

if they are not dummies, the cakes are placed on sturdy cake boards, then placed on top of one another.

Off set

Then a center dowel holds everything together.

I like putting 2 center dowels side by side because I don't like my cakes having the off chance to spin around the center dowel like a crazy stripper.

lol

Stripper cakes...now there is an idea.

You ladies make me laugh!!!

wow...that's an interesting structure!

ButterWench- you make it sound SOOOOOOO simple!

If I tried that it would end up looking like skyscraper hit by an earthquake!

I think the plate and dowel must be glued to keep it from spinning, and give it strength.. then a center dowel all the way thru.. p.s. I would probably core out the part around the dowel for each tier... hope that makes sense

On one of the Food Challenges - the Cartoon one, where Mike did Scooby Doo - he did something similar.

IF I remember correctly, he used a PVC pipe and then, like Butterwench said, used STURDY boards. I vaguely remember, but want to say that he had a little 'platform for the cake to rest upon.

a little engineering help.

it's the cantilever in action (go frank lloyd wright and "falling water"!)

really very simple principle

so long as over hang does not exceed more than about 1/3 the dimension (length or width) it should stay put by itself (barring earthquakes, additional loads, children in case of cakes)

now...another secret to the cantilever -- if the part sticking out has something sitting (applying force down) over the area that is over the support -- even more can stick out.

So.......

in diagram....

12" square base -- black line

10" middle cake -- blue line -- offset so about 2 inches hangs off the two edges (this is well w/in the 1/3 of width tolerance -- could go almost to 3 inches.)

then a 6" x 12" top layer -- which works two ways....
A) it exerts downward force on the middle layer helping to keep it from tipping over.
b) it over hangs by 4 inches -- 1/3 it's total width. that combined with 2 or more central dowels keeps it from going tippy.


sizes of tiers can be changed so long as stay with the no more than 1/3 overhang.

---

as for Mike McCary's method -- he uses flanges that attach to the PVC and then you can bolt a piece of wood or masonite to them.

Ah Doug- you've solved the mystery for us!

Looks like if I ever decide to try this, I'm gonna need the help of my civil engineer son!

PS-thanks for the diagram!

but what happened to the stripper?

LOL!! She Fell Off!!
Just kidding!!
Kathy

Doug, you are to smart for me. I think I understand but I can't be sure. Thank God hubby is an engineer. Maybe I'll try this one day. I like the stripper idea.

OMG that takes the girl jumping out of the cake to a whole new level!! LOL

Doug! Whoa! Thanks so much! Question though: "direct force" has me concerned (esp for fondant and no filling leakage)....do you just dowel each individual cakes as you always would?

This is one of those posts thats worth a million dollars!

Wow, beautiful cake. Thanks for the tips, Doug.

direct force as in the weight of the cake above on the cake below.

and then the dowels as per usual (both tier support and all the way through)

(sigh) Isn't Doug fabulous!?

All, I gotta say about Doug is that hed better be glad that he lives far far away from me. A man who likes to bake, and construct, and is super smart? I would be on him like white on rice.

Thanks for the diagram Doug, I think I am going to try one oof them in the future, it would look SUPER cute with baby blocks. In pastel colors. Maybe add some teddy bears, rattles, and all things baby to punch it up a bit...Ahhh, now THAT idea is going in the idea bank.

Doug - I think you have an official fan base now! Ok being serious -
1. what would you suggest as the strongest cake base for each tier? Foamcore at a certain thickness?

2. would your 4 support dowels be bolted into the bottom cake plate for support?

Also I'm not visualizing how Mike McCary does his version - how would it be hidden? Any insight obviously is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Doug your explanation helped! How's the website comming along?

lol, doug to the rescue once again. doug you remind me of the scene in napoleon dynamite where napoleon asks pedro how he plans to ask the popular girl to the dance...and pedro says..."i don't know...build her a cake or something." it sounds hilarious when he says it like that--who builds a cake?? but now we know: doug is the builder of cakes.

Who is that masked man??

Doug, I see your posts often. You always have so many thoughtful and intelligent answers. Just wondering what you do for a living or what your education is. Well, that is, IF you are willing to take off the mask!

Doug is the best, his diagrams & words of wisdom have saved most of us at sometime. Doug you are top of the list when it comes to help.