Has anyone stacked a sports ball pan on top of a 2-layer 8" cake? I've tried using the pans to get an idea how it would look, and I can't decide if a 6" diameter ball is too big for that size cake. What do y'all think?

Also, do I need a board under the ball or can I just stack it directly onto the top of the 8" tier? I have to transport it, so I'm going to dowel under the ball and do a center dowel, just to be safe. Would I need a board between the 8" and the ball, too?

Not sure what you have in mind for the design under the ball or what ball you'll be depicting, but....if you are going to put the ball on top of the cake I would level the bottom of the ball half that is in contact with the cake below. You could have a 6" cake board under the ball which will cover with icing and make it easier to lift it off.

I've dome some stadium cakes with ball pan accents you can see if you get any ideas from these in my photo's....

Good luck and have fun!

I did this!! I did this!! And I'm happy to say it turned out nicely. I had the 2 layer 8" square and set the ball on at the corner with the square pointing foward like a diamond. A picture of it is in my photos. I did skewer the ball to the cake but I didn't put any plate or board between them since I was doing grass. It hit any indentation between the 2.

Here's what I'm thinking...
Ice the 8" round cake in buttercream (with small bead borders at top and bottom and a vertical stripe design using my basketweave tip on the sides). Then, I'll crumb coat and completely cover the sports ball in roses. I want the effect of a large ball of flowers sitting on top of the cake (kind of like a bouquet without the stems).

The downside is, all those roses are going to make the sports ball very heavy, and they will take up space around the ball, making it appear larger than it is. I think it will look nice (and this is for a personal cake to bring to a dinner party with some girlfriends, it's not for a customer or any truly special occasion). I guess the edges of the roses will also make it easy to cover a board, even if it's sized larger than the flattened edge of the ball resting on the 8" cake.