This may be a little long. I made the Valentine Wild Thing Cake. I'm sure it is old, been there, done that to many of you. However, I just found CC this past summer and saw it for the first time then. I've been waiting since that time to do this cake. I made it a few days ago and had it in the freezer until I could get it decorated. I took it out last night and let it set until all my frosting was ready. I made the WASC cake with almost no oil so it would be good and dense. I used bubble tea straws with dowels inside for the arms. The hearts were on their treat sticks also. I began decorating it and didn't have any problems. It was coming out great. I couldn't quite get the arms completed before church so I left it thinking I'd finish it after church. When we came home the arms were laying on the board. They'd fell right off. I stuck them in and they did the same thing immediately. I poked quiet a bit of extra cake in the places the arms had been for more support, waited a bit and stuck the arms in again, they slowly fell over again. I finally gave up and we at the feet. I went ahead and brought it to work. They've seen many many of my cakes and always tell me to bring them even when they don't turn out well (I usually leave them home when they're not so good). So thankfully they've seen some of my best work. What can I do to correct this for next time. I love this little cake and would like to make it again somtime, maybe not a holiday version. Any help from some with experience making this cake would be greatly appreciated.

With almost no oil it may have been dry and cracked apart. I would try a pound cake with extra fat like a cheese pound cake or something with pudding in it or an extra egg. You need a heavy to hold together.

Leaving out the oil will not make a cake more dense, it will make it dry and crumbly. MORE fat = more dense cake.

I've seen many posts here on CC saying to make a cake more dense or sturdy to decrease the oil. I've also seen over and over that many CCers use WASC for carving. WASC has not worked for me and carving. I use it most often, but when I need to carve something I use the pound cake. Any have any suggestions?

The wasc isn't fat free, it just replaces the oil with sour cream. You should be using whole sour cream, not fat free or low fat. The sour cream also makes it more moist. How long were your dowels coming out of your arms? I'm not sure what wild thing cake you were making, but I haven't made one. The only cake I have made with arms was a sponge bob cake. My dowels were pretty long and they were in the cake at a down ward angle. I think if they had been just straight in they would have fallen out. Also, what did you make the arms out of. Weight could also be a factor. I would try rice crispy treat if that is not what you used. Good luck on your next try, you might try sending a pm to the persons who made the cake. Everyone here is so helpful.