3-4 Tiered Wedding Cake questions....PLEASE HELP!!!

well the time to experiment is before doing a wedding cake, no when doing the cake. I would recommend using a doctored cake mix, they hold up well and take a bit of abuse. For icing go with something you know. Again you don't want any surprises on a wedding cake.

Royal icing is for decorative work, NOT crumb coating.

Once you choose your recipes try a test run.

Bake and decorate the cake just like you would for the wedding (but maybe make it smaller- unless you have somewhere you can unload 150 servings!)

I did this for my brothers wedding cake- full size- I had 75 Middle School summer campers to feed it to-
I learned SOOOO much from the test run- mad the "real cake" much more of a success than I expected.

I understand your stress, having just gone thru this! Here's a small part of what I have learned:

1. Think of it as 3 or 4 different cakes, not one. The structure supports the cakes, not the under-layers, so if you have a favorite recipe, it should do fine. I just used the SPS (see sticky in this forum) for the first time, and loved it. I completely constructed the cake at home, and transported it about 40 minutes with absolutely NO problems at all! And talk about level! I did not have to trim the legs (Leah suggests making your cake to the leg size, rather than trimming to fit the cake) and it was perfect!

2. filling- the secret is to not use too much. Just about a 1/4" for flavor. Put a dam around with a stiff buttercream to hold it in, then allow the filled cakes time to settle before continuing to decorate. Some folks put some weight on top to encourage the settling process. then you smooth out the escaping buttercream and move on.

3. I have used IndyDebi's recipe and Sugarshack's recipe for buttercream. I also tried chocolate (white or brown) ganache, which gives a nice firm undercoat.

4. You can certainly attach fondant to fondant. You may want to use toothpicks to help hold the pieces on the side (embed them in the back of the scroll as it dries).

I learned so much as I just last week did my first wedding/anniversary cake, 4 tiers covered in MFF, with gumpaste/fondant roses and drapes. I did practice with icings and fondant before getting to the real project. CC is the best with ideas and answers, all times of the day and night!

I would use sugarshack's BC recipe on this site. Holds up well under fondant and doesn't taste greasy because of the hiratio shortening. I also recommend her BC and fondant DVDs if you want a flawless finish.

There are various ways to prevent bulging:
1) Fill the cakes well in advance and let them sit overnight before covering with fondant. Gravity will force all the air out of the layer. You can even put a bit of weight on top of the cake to help it along, but it's not required. Clean off the sides of the cake once the cake has set and then cover it.
or
2) Take some buttercream and stiffen it by adding powdered sugar. Use that to pipe a dam around the outside of each layer. Then fill the layer with whatever filling you choose. The stiff buttercream will hold the filling in. (I've never done this, but I read about it on this site.)
or
3) (My favorite) Crumb coat with ganache and let it set. The hard ganache keeps everything in and provides a very smooth surface for the fondant to lay on. This is especially helpful if you want to create the crisp edges. Before covering with fondant, just spray or brush the ganache with a bit of water so it will stick.

1.what is the BEST reciepe for STURDY,DELICIOUS CAKES??? that won't sag after being stacked???

If properly supported, the cake won't matter as it isn't supporting anything....be sure to dowel the cake properly.


2.what is a good basic filling/icing reciepe that won't bulge onece the cakes are stacked and is variable enough that I can add different ingredients to make different flavors???

Again....the bulge is often due to not having a nicely leveled cakes. Mine are cut with a cake leveling saw so that the layers are completely flat...no bulging. Also keeping the cakes well chilled as you work will help prevent the bulging.

3.what is the best icing to crumb coat with...i feel like when i crumb coat with buttercream(wilton reciepe)that it's too greasy for the fondant...would royal work better?

No royal....it dries hard and would likely crack all over the place....or the moisture from the cake would likely break it down. Try cutting back at 25% on the shortening/butter in the recipe.

4.to make scrolls that will be attached to the cake,I had planned on using fondant...will this be too heavy? any suggestions about attaching them to the cake?

Do you mean attaching fondant to buttercream? Unless they are really thick and heavy they should do fine....we use fondant accents on buttercream all the time with no problems.

Hope this helps some.

I always make sure I put my dam in from the edge of the cake 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so, so that when the weight of the cake settles it has room to expand without bulging. I have never had a problem with bulging since (at least not on my cakes!)
Lori