I am making a cake for a church Halloween party this Wednesday. I'm making 3 pumpkins and then stacking them. I'd really like to put at least one of the pumpkins slightly tilted, but I'm not sure how to do it and I've never ever done a topsy-turvy cake.

So, I could use some advice or suggestions....

Also, how do you dowel a bundt cake?

Rachel

Just a suggestion - sketch out what you want it to look like and post it here. If we can see what your mind's eye sees, it might help us help you!

By the way - if Doug is still around he'd be a good person to ask about the architecture.

This is what I want to do:

Not to discourage you, but that is going to be very difficult to accomplish. First, you have three separate cakes that is actually 2 cakes in one - that's going to weigh a lot! Then stacking the is one thing but balancing them on an angle is another. That is just a lot of weight.

Another thing to consider is that the base of your cakes is small - you don't have a lot of surface on the very bottom of the cake to work with. And then to consider that you will have to "notch" out the bottom and middle cakes.

You have a lot to consider with this cake. Could you use a "foam dummy" pumpkin for the top cake?

Good luck and I can't wait to see it!

I probably won't bother to do any of the tilting. It's a dream, but not one that this cake is going tobe worth the trouble.

Rachel

Since you may not be able to tilt them, why not do a tower 'o pumpkins with a big one on the bottom, a med. size one in middle, then a small one (or dummy) on the top? That would look ok I think, and still give a similar effect to what you're trying to do.

I wouldn't do bundt cakes for the mid or top one though, just the bottom. That way you can still dowel and stack them without potential disaster!

Good luck!

Hmmm...

I haven't got much other option than to use bundt cakes. I"m not in the best of baking situations right now.

I already have 3 of the 6 bundt cakes baked.

That's ok, you can still do it I think, just dowel through the cake and ignore the hole in the middle. If you stack them like regular tiered cakes, you should be fine. Maybe just carve the middle and top ones down to a smaller size so it's not so heavy.

It'll work out, and I'd love a picture when it's done. It sounded cute when I read your post!

What I'm going to do, along with the doweling, is build a PVC support structure to go right up the middle.

Rachel

I dont know if this helps, but did you see the cartoon cakes contest on food network? The guy who made the scooby doo cake had a todem pole (sp??). The pieces were offset like the pictures of your pumpkin, but the judge said that the weight is actually evenly distrubuted, it is an "Illusion" that is looks like they will fall, as long as the supports goes through the middle correctly. can you stuff the centers with fondant with supports so it dries to the supports maybe?? just thinking out loud. post pix when your done, it sounds really cool!

That's what I was hoping to do, but I"m not sure with the big hole in the middle if that would work. I am concerned the hole would make the cakes less stable and unable to take that kind of doweling.

Rachel

Totally missed the part about stuffing the center w/ fondant. That's a possibility... though Id on't know if it would have time to dry before Wednesday.

Rachel

Well, bundt cakes have a built in hole down the center. If you don't put the "stem" on the bottom and middle, you can put a big 'ole dowel through the center of all 3 without harming any of the structure of the cake.

You could do....If you have the time: go to the hardware store and buy:
1. piece of PVC pipe that will fit down the center (bring the bundt pan for reference, or measure it). 2. The thing that you use to connect a table leg onto the bottom of a table. It is a small, flat square with a "hole" in the center. The PVC should slide right into it. I can't remember what it is called...pps:
3. a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to mount it on.

Then, you have a cake-stand, and a very sturdy one at that! I would maybe cut a cardboard piece to put between the individual 3 cakes to help support the weight of them on top of each other.

If you can't do that, don't have the time or whatever....well, you may have something at home that you could use. A broom handle would probably work, but....I don't know how sanitary that would be!!!

Hope this helps. Gotta go watch my 1 and only show!

LukeRubyJoy: We must think exactly the same because about 10 minutes ago, and I kid you NOT, I drew that exact thing with the exact materials you are talking about and my husband is going to build it for me tomorrow



Rachel

Can you put 2 next to each other and the other one on top?

That's an idea I hadn't considered...

Rachel

MrsRight: That is so funny, I started typing my response before yours popped up....and I take a long time, because I sometimes get distracted, like tonight with 2 out of 3 kids with the flu!! Bleck!

Anyway....I was trying to look up the 'technical' name for that table-leg-holder-thing too. Took some time. pps:

The only other thing you could maybe do is bake some sheet cake to carve into the shape of "hay" or "grass" or "vines" that could prop/support the center pumpkin if you want to put it at an angle.

gotta go...sick kid!