Help Four Tiered Wedding Cake
Decorating By Annalisa Updated 25 Aug 2005 , 8:40pm by SquirrellyCakes
Hi all,
I am making a wedding cake which is four tiers all stacked, but each tier contains two cakes (to give added height) so once the cakes are baked I will stack two on top of each other and then ice them making one tier. The cake is fruit cake. My question is, when sticking the cakes together before icing and making one tier do I need to stick anything in between the two cakes eg., buttercream or icing. I have never done this before so I am a little unsure, any help would be much appreciated.
Thank You
Well, normally you do not use two layers of fruit cake to make one tier. Fruit cake is a bit harder to get to stick together. I think I would be tempted to use marzipan to fill, but that is me. If you do use buttercream, you need to make sure that you use a really good stiff buttercream dam all around the outside edge in about 1/4 of an inch. I think you may want to experiment with your buttercream filling to make certain that it holds the two layers together, I would be a bit concerned about it. I would also be concerned about how it will cut, depending on the height of each tier.
But yes you wouldn't want to just place one on top of the other without a filling or it may well shift. I guess I am concerned that you still may have a bit of a problem keeping the two layers together even with filling. You will have to get that filling to a good consistency to get the cakes to stick together. The good thing is, it is fruit cake so you can play around with it a bit, not like regular cake.
Hugs Squirrely Cakes
Yes, I would assume she will be using either royal or fondant and likely marzipan since it is fruit cake but perhaps not.
Hugs Squirrely Cakes
That would be my concern too! I guess giving it a try would be your best bet, you can always scrape it off. I think you will have to play with the consistency, too thick and it won't stick, too thin and it may squish out and slide, but the buttercream dam should help with that.
Hope it works for you!
Hugs Squirrelly
I would use a thin layer of apricot jam to stick them together.then coat it with marzipan. let it dry for a couple of days which will stabilize the shape then ice. Marzipan doesn't work on it's own as it needs something to stick it to the fruit cake anyway. Buttercream would be too rich with fruit cake especially with royal icing on the outside. The technique I've described above is one that I often use when making 3D cakes for weddings (churches with towers being a favourite). I've never needed to use dowel
Something I've wondered while looking in my Australian and British decorating books. When icing a cake in royal does the marzipan keep it soft on the underside? Meaning, the royal icing doesn't harden to a shell and crack right? I have never done this but would love to try. Also, what other cake could you use and cover with marzipan and royal besides fruit cake?
Amy
Thanks MissBaritone, sounds great I will try the apricot jam if you say you have used it and it works I will give it a go.
Thanks once again
Don't forget a stiff butterecream dam and fill with the jam lower than the dam, so it doesn't leak out. You were going to use the jam or glaze under your marzipan and royal, right? I just assumed you would be.
I would also cut off the top and bottom of the cakes so that the less drier cake is exposed as it would likely be more readily acceptable of the jam. Usually fruit cakes tend to get quite a set upper and lower area. This will make it easier to cut.
How deep are your cakes that you will be attaching to make one tier?
Hugs Squirrelly
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
No buttercream does not go with marzipan and royal icing at all. simply make sure the two cakes are level. spread the top of the base cake with a thin layer of jam. Place the other cake on top.spread the whole thing with a thin layer of jam. Cover with marzipan and leave to dry for a couple of days. This will be firm enough to royal ice and the jam will not leak. You are using a thin layer of jam as a glue NOT as a filling.
In answer to cakemommy the royal icing still dries very crisp. If you want the royal icing to stay moist add glycerine into the icing when mixing. It still crusts over on the outside but doesn't set solid underneath
We tend to keep marzipan and royal icing for fruit cakes as the icing has to be applied in thin layers to get a good smooth coat. The top and sides have to be coated seperately and each layer has to have a day or so to dry properly before the next layer is added. Most cakes would go stale in this time but fruit cake gets better with keeping
Miss Baritone,
Well, the English and the Australians are the experts.
In Canada, fruit cake was always the traditional cake until about maybe 20-25 years ago. My mother made my cake and it was fruitcake.
I have never heard of a fruit cake being layered, it was always done in the deeper pans.
But I do know from experience that it will be difficult to cut when layered as will be the case in this post.
Canadians and Americans do sometimes use buttercream with fruitcake. So it may be no, in England or Australia, but it isn't the case everywhere. In fact I have attended a few Jamaican weddings where the icing used was indeed buttercream.
Though I wouldn't ice a fruitcake with buttercream, I would still try using it as a dam it in this case. More to be safe as we do not know how high or how deep the tiers are. But that is just my opinion, like I noted, I would try it out beforehand and see which method or consistency works best.
On these sites, apricot jam or glaze are not popular, I have discovered this because I use them as a glaze and most Americans and Canadians do not care for them. That was the only reason why I wouldn't have recommended it as a glue. The folks on these sites generally don't like using it at all.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Hi Guys, thanks for all your good advice and replies. Each cake is approximately 3 inches high and when I put them together one layer will be approx 6 inches it is the biggest cake I will be doing to date and am a little apprehensive but it is reassuring that there are so many wonderful people to help with their advice and ideas.
Annalisa
Hi Guys, thanks for all your good advice and replies. Each cake is approximately 3 inches high and when I put them together one layer will be approx 6 inches it is the biggest cake I will be doing to date and am a little apprehensive but it is reassuring that there are so many wonderful people to help with their advice and ideas.
Annalisa
Please don't take this as critical, it isn't meant in that light. Since you stated you have never done this before, I am not sure why you need to make a fruit cake 6 inches high. Or if you are trying to get the height that some folks attain with other types of cakes.
Anyway, here goes, for the most part, the safest height for tiers in a stacked cake is 3 inches high, some people do go higher that is true, but 3 inches is the most stable height and since this is a 4 tiered cake, I would really not go with tiers that high if it was me. Nor would I go with a fruit cake of anymore than 3-4 inches high per cake.
For one thing, a 6 inch high cake of any kind is not easy to cut, in fact it is really messy to cut. You have to cut wider so it doesn't fall apart and it is really difficult with a cake such as a dense fruitcake.
Also, it is generaly difficult to fit a 6 inch high piece of cake on most cakes. This is why generally most folks use either a three inch high torted or 2, 2 inch high cakes, filled.
This cake is going to be really heavy also, being fruit cake, if you are making 4, double tiers of 6 inches high each. Pieces of cake of that height would be very rich for folks to eat and a lot may well go to waste.
I do make 6 inch high cakes, but not of fruitcake, in fact even a carrot cake this size is a lot of cake and very rich.
I would not, however make a stacked cake of 4 tiers with the individual cakes this high.
Not saying this to be discouraging, just saying it in case you got the idea because of all of the stacked cakes folks make out of ordinary white cakes and such, Even for regular stacked cakes, 4 tiers of this size are not the most secure cake to construct.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Apricot jam with just a touch of Southern Comfort! (or Grand Marnier) is very, very yummy-- especially with anything chocolate! Really nice under chocolate fondant! Think I'll use it for my cake this weekend.
Grand Mariner and anything, most especially chocolate, is my cup of tea, haha!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Thanks SquirrellyCakes for your reply. I haven't taken your comment as critical in any way and thank you for your insight. I have taken your advice and will seriously consider everything you have said. I have printed your post and the first thing I will do when I get home is measure all the cakes to see exactly how many inches they are. The bride wanted a tall cake and I suggested the fruit cake, it being my first wedding cake I thought fruit cake would be easier to make and decorate, now I feel as though I have gotten myself in a bit of a mess. Will keep you posted and thank you once again
Thanks SquirrellyCakes for your reply. I haven't taken your comment as critical in any way and thank you for your insight. I have taken your advice and will seriously consider everything you have said. I have printed your post and the first thing I will do when I get home is measure all the cakes to see exactly how many inches they are. The bride wanted a tall cake and I suggested the fruit cake, it being my first wedding cake I thought fruit cake would be easier to make and decorate, now I feel as though I have gotten myself in a bit of a mess. Will keep you posted and thank you once again
Oh good kiddo, I was hoping you wouldn't be offended. I know a lot of folks are not familiar with stacked cakes and such and that was why I asked.
A four tiered cake will be tall regardless of how high the tiers are. You can also raise the cake up on a stand or base.
But I know from experience that most cake plates will not accomodate a 6 inch high piece of cake and that for fruit cake that is too much cake.
A fruit cake does make a nice stable cake for a stacked cake, but at each layer three inches high, it would be best and then you don't have to worry about filling it.
We all get ourselves into bits of messes sometimes, believe me. That is how we all learn.
Hugs Squirrelly
Just wanted to add, even with only three inch high cakes, a 4 tiered stacked cake is going to be really heavy. Were you going to set the cake up on site? Because I doubt that you would be able to lift this cake up or transport it stacked.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Good, it is just that many folks do transport stacked! Can you imagine, a stacked fruit cake weighs a ton. I had a cake buddy, newbie, who stacked a four tier cake and then couldn't fit it into her car because it was too high.
Hugs Squirrelly
Heehee, that would be a site!
Hugs Squirrelly
Appreciate your commrnts squirrellycakes. The only time I tend to layer fruit cake is when I make the 3D churches. The church itself is about 6 inches deep. The tower is about 12 inches deep. I don't usually have any problems. Apricot jam tends to be used as a glue to stick the cakes together and it's also used to stick Marzipan onto fruit cake as it's quite a mild taste and when used on fruit cakes the taste tends to be un noticable.
Appreciate your commrnts squirrellycakes. The only time I tend to layer fruit cake is when I make the 3D churches. The church itself is about 6 inches deep. The tower is about 12 inches deep. I don't usually have any problems. Apricot jam tends to be used as a glue to stick the cakes together and it's also used to stick Marzipan onto fruit cake as it's quite a mild taste and when used on fruit cakes the taste tends to be un noticable.
I totally agree about the taste, but others we would have a hard time convincing, haha. I don't find it gives much taste to anything at all, watered down or not.
I can see it helping a lot in a structure like that! Have you posted pictures of these churches, they sound wonderful!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
our traditional family xmas cake is a 6'' high fruit cake, made months in advance with brandy poured over it monthly. We cut the top off smooth, use some glaze (apricot or whatever) to stick the marzipan on top. When we cut it it is more or less into thin rectangle shape pieces then cut into maybe 2'' wide pieces so you get a tall 2x2 inch piece. the icing may crack a little (dont ice it too far in advanced or it will go rock hard) but the cake wont if it is nice and moist- (use brandy!! and plan ahead). the marzipan wont get too hard. when baking a 9inch round it usually takes about 4 hours- there are a couple of tricks to make sure it cooks but the outside doesnt burn or dry out!
hope that helps- i just cant see buttercream tasting good with fruit cake 
our traditional family xmas cake is a 6'' high fruit cake, made months in advance with brandy poured over it monthly. We cut the top off smooth, use some glaze (apricot or whatever) to stick the marzipan on top. When we cut it it is more or less into thin rectangle shape pieces then cut into maybe 2'' wide pieces so you get a tall 2x2 inch piece. the icing may crack a little (dont ice it too far in advanced or it will go rock hard) but the cake wont if it is nice and moist- (use brandy!! and plan ahead). the marzipan wont get too hard. when baking a 9inch round it usually takes about 4 hours- there are a couple of tricks to make sure it cooks but the outside doesnt burn or dry out!
hope that helps- i just cant see buttercream tasting good with fruit cake
Are your six inch high cakes, two layers attached together as this post is about? If they are, what are you using in the centres to stick them together? It is more the problems associated with slip and slide and stacking 4, two layer, 6 inch high tiers and cutting through 2 layers of fruit cake, than one layer of 6 inch high cake. If they are one layer, what kind of pans do you have and where did you get them?
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
this is one solid layer of cake- I use a high sided round pan, its an old fashion one that the bottom pops out (the bottom is 2 layers with air between). I collar it with parchement paper- thats why it takes so long to cook- can give directions on cooking
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