I was just mortified! This viagra pill bottle cake was such a cute idea. My friend found a pic online and asked me to make it for her husband's 40th. But she didn't have many people to feed so she wanted it made with smaller cakes. First mistake! So I made two 6" white one 6" chocolate and one 8" chocolate round. Then she loves my cream cheese oreo filling so she wanted that. Second mistake! I filled it with the filling and pegged it. I used chocolate fondant to cover the 3 stacked 6" cakes. Then I covered the 8" with white fondant and used a cake round to set it on the pegs. I decorated and did a ton of writing for the "label". The whole cake took me 6+ hours to make. I took pictures of it and she picked it up and all was good. Until I got the "phone call". Oh no! The cake is folding in on itself. Dummy me didn't put together that cream cheese fillling needs to be refrigerated and fondant does not like to be refrigerated. Not a good combo. She stuck it in the fridge after taking off the top layer. She was able to smooth the tear in the fondant. But the next day they had to drive an hour to the party and by the time they reached their destination the cake had completely toppled over. I felt so bad. Not a good day and she hasn't asked me to do a cake since.

I am so sorry! I have had a bad cake week too! Sometimes I think some cakes are doomed before we ever start them.

Sounds like the cake needed it's own viagra! I am sooooo sorry that happened to you!!! I had a 6 layer wedding cake fall over before the wedding... and that was the worst phone call I have ever had!!!

Oh, that is very sad. Hopefully, they were able to eat it and enjoy the flavor, even if it did collapse. You might consider a cake as a gift. You might be able to get her back as a customer that way.

I gave her a gift certificate for another cake, but she didn't use it. Maybe a cake would be better. Thanks.

i am sorry about the cake, that really stinks.
I know, if she is a friend you can always say... OOOOOO i know what i forgot.......cake viagra... works every time!!!!
ok ok ok '
i know, dumb joke, it is the smple things in life that make me laugh...
but no it really is not at your expense temptations. sorry

Hang in there, she may not have had an occasion to use the gift certificate. Keep baking!

You poor thing, what a dreadful thing to happen - especially knowing that her husband would have loved it, and spending such a long time making it.
When you are asked for specific things it can be difficult remembering everything. I know all about that.

Perhaps in time they will laugh at what happened....
and you will get another order.

sorry to here that the cake didn't make it but can we see the pictures.
of the cake before it fell apart.

I am so sorry you had a bad experience. I had a cake drop on me last summer, I underestimated the heat. with my mousse and ganache cake!
It turned out ok, but the back 1/2 was a pink rainfall!

We all get those bad cake things happen here and there. We just got to pick ourselves up and get to the next cake.

At least you still have some pictures? You should post the pre-pick-up picture!

It was a great idea.

Good Luck.

SO depressing! I bet it was wonderful! Post a pic if you have it for all to see your work!

Okay, I figured out how to upload a photo. Now hopefully I can attach a photo to this post.

I think your cake is fantastic, and it was such a good idea.

Well done to you for trying - as they say, we are always learning something.

Keep up the good work. May all your cakes stand as they are supposed to...............

Thank you for your kind words.

Fondant does fine in the fridge....believe me, I refrigerate EVERY cake now! They travel so much better and I don't have to worry and fret about the car shaking the cake loose.

Also though, when I do 3D cakes, I do not use fancy fillings...I use a thin layer of plain buttercream. I know others do fine, but I figure you can either have a fancy tasting cake or a fancy looking cake (and my 3D stuff is moist and yummy, just usually plain, nothing fancy).

As long as your cake was level and there were straws or dowels through the entire thing, it should have been ok except probably the car ride did it in. I also like to tap a sharpened dowel all the way through the layers down into the board.

Anyway your cake is really cute! I'm sorry it fell.... I'm serious though, refrigeration is the way to go. I've had some really really close calls (not completely destroyed but cracking and wobbling and some icing falling off) before I started refrigerating.

Love the cake, sorry it couldn't stand on its own. Fondant does just fine in the fridge! I do it all the time.

Your cake was so cute, so sorry it did not work out.

I agree with the 3D stuff, I made 3 cakes with fancy filling inside and got disasters, So fancy looking outside get's pretty plain inside.

Plain outside gets fancy inside if they want it.

Good Luck.

I agree with the filling suggestions above.

I'd add that I was taught that every 2 layers (1 tier) should have it's own cake board and dowels to increase stability. I've seen people on TV not do that, but their cakes aren't riding in a car to get to the judging table, either

Another tip would be to cover the cylinder with a strip of fondant, seamed at the back, rather than to cover it with one piece placed over the top--a huge piece draped over the top puts an enormous amount of pressure on the whole cake, sort of pulling it down, whereas a strip actually adds strength and support to the cylindrical structure.

To do your cake, I'd have probably used (from bottom up): a decorative cake board, a 6" two layer tier with same sized board under it, 2-3 plastic Wilton dowels in the tier, another 6" 2 layer tier on a board, 2-3 plastic dowels, 8" single layer tier on same sized board, a single sharpened wooden dowel (about 10" long) through the whole cake and into the decorative bottom board.

Check out the biscotti jar in my photos. Although it's a dummy, the above instructions are exactly what I was told to do were I to make it with real cake.

I also use 3/16th inch foamcore for all cakeboards between layers--no buckling, ever.

All that said, I love the cake and the idea--really cute!

Rae

Thanks. I was always told that fondant will weep in the fridge. She did put it in the fridge once she got home, but I think the damage was done. It had been out at my place all night. I learned a lesson with that one that I will definitely use buttercream between layers for funny 3D cakes in the future. She did eat it and said it tasted great.

Thanks again for the tips. Oh, and I did do the dowel tapped into the board and it still buckled. It was just all the filling getting too warm I think. Live and learn.