How Do You Ice And Smooth A Cake Tier Like This One???
Decorating By honeyscakes Updated 15 Apr 2010 , 3:31am by anxietyattack
Hi all,
I am "thinking" about creating a cake like this for my niece in June 2010.
all they need is for it to feed the invited guests and match her wedding colors,rest is all up to me,gotta love sweet in laws heehee 
Now I wanted to try making something "different" other than a basic 3 tier cake.
I can smooth my 5 1/4" high cakes (Sugarshack BC) with a bench scraper and it works perfectly OK! but what do I do with this tall tier in the middle?
How would you ice and smooth it?
Also, it will be a 4 round tiers cake,all stacked on top of each other.No decorations,just a silk ribbon,some dragees and a plaque on the 2nd tier.I will be travelling with it ..about 60 minutes.I want to "finish" the cake before I head out as I will be all dressed up and dont wan to work with frosting and stacking tiers etc at the venue. Do you have suggestions/advice/ideas/experiences to share? anything I should know?
oh I will construct the tall tier with 4 layers of cake(dense golden butter cake) and there will be a foam core board between layer 2 and 3.so basically it will be 2, 8" tiers stacked on top of each other with dowels and bubble tea straws.
Any help and advice will be appreciated.
Thanks
- h
Ok, the first problem is that the cake you have pictured is a fondant covered cake, not buttercream. That will make it a different presentation than the photo. Have you tried the viva towel with the paint roller technique? This has worked on taller tiers for me. As for travelling with it completed...not something I would do. I am required to travel to the Bay Area all the time with stacked cakes and if they are more than two tiers I always assemble at the venue. I have been known to do two and two and just do the one stack but that is SO hard to get right. I have heard that if you do a center dowel it would work but it's not something I have personal experience with. If it were me doing this cake I'd do it in fondant and assemble each tier on site. I'd be terrified of travelling so far with it stacked, even with a center dowel. Gorgeous cake...hope to get to see your version of it!
For transporting I would suggest the sps support system. There is a sticy at the top of the "How Do I" forum that explains it and you should be able to assemble before delivery. As for smoothing an 8" tier you could use a large drywall knife found at home improvement stores. They come in many sizes and as long as you sterilize it you should be fine. This cake appears to have an all over shine so I would also airbrush with pearl color.
Leave in plenty of time to assemble cake and get dressed up before the wedding. You will be upset if you carry that cake in and get icing on yourself and don't have a single tool to fix a smudge. Smooth with a VIVA towel.
Not to horn in on your post but do you cut the tall tier any differently that the others?
Not to horn in on your post but do you cut the tall tier any differently that the others?
Nah...its cool 
I found that info in this post
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-675450.html
and that's where I got this crazy idea of making this cake 
I'd just do that in fondant.
Oh and SPS of course.
SIGH...
I wish I could...but no one in the family likes fondant (any kind) plus,I work part time...so I couldn't afford that much expense on the cake since it is a gift from me and hubby to his niece.
AND...I am also making 3 more cakes for 3 other people who are getting married in June and May! one is my best friend ( her cake will be the wedding present), my other niece(present) and a charity wedding cake!
I am loving all this work.Its a good deed and if I can help anyone with my skill I'd be blessed to do so...but I have to stay in my budget (sigh ]
Now that being said, I will look into the SPS system THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THAT SUGGESTION!
Yes, I will make sure I keep plenty of time on hand since I am the "designated cake maker" at all these events,I didn't get to be incharge of any other craziness so all I have to do...is to kill myself working on the cakes...get them to the venues and then sit and relax like a guest and have fun (unlike the rest of the family running around cRaZy fixing last minute things)
tiggy2, THANK YOU!!! I will swing by Home depot this evening when I go running...it is a few miles from where I live and I will go check it out.BIG HELP!!!
To all those who suggested Viva.Yes I do use Viva, I use Sharon's buttercream so it is pretty smooth itself, but then again...i was wondering about all those, "what if...."
Thank you SO much for replying.
I think I will stack the whole cake but the top 2 tiers and assemble it at the venue.I have traveled with a 4 tier cake all stacked and decorated ... it was just fine after a 60 minutes ride...however all the tiers were the same height!
oh well...I will keep you guys posted...
Anyone else,who has made any cakes like this one??? any experiences?
perhaps I cake try stacking two dummies on top of each other and try my hand at icing them for a trial 
-h
I have made tall tiers, but I have used fondant. However, you can do this!
For the tall tier, I think you should be able to ice each cake on its own board, smooth out the cakes, then stack them as you normally would, only they are stacked same size on top of same size, then fill in the crack with a small round tip. Use a pallette knife to smooth out the buttercream over the crack. A pallette knife will give you more control and you'll be able to squeeze in there and get it perfect - just don't accidentally stick your hand into the buttercream as you're using it! LOL
Good luck!
Oh - one more thing. In Sugarshack's stacking video, I picked up this tip, which you will probably need to utilize for this tall tier...
Create a small amount of stiffened buttercream by adding a lot of powdered sugar to your buttercream until it's pretty stiff. Then apply that to the crack evenly around where the tiers join. Do this first. Then go back over and use the small round tip with the regular buttercream, smoothing with a pallette knife.
I think you should use the stiffened buttercream in order to avoid being able to see the cardboard through the buttercream and in order to avoid any cracks from forming around that tier.
Hopefully this makes sense.
Oh - one more thing. In Sugarshack's stacking video, I picked up this tip, which you will probably need to utilize for this tall tier...
Create a small amount of stiffened buttercream by adding a lot of powdered sugar to your buttercream until it's pretty stiff. Then apply that to the crack evenly around where the tiers join. Do this first. Then go back over and use the small round tip with the regular buttercream, smoothing with a pallette knife.
I think you should use the stiffened buttercream in order to avoid being able to see the cardboard through the buttercream and in order to avoid any cracks from forming around that tier.
Hopefully this makes sense.
OMG! YES I love EVERYTHING I learnt from all her DVDs...
I never thought of stacking to iced cakes together I was thinking more like...putting both 10" cakes,on their own foamcore board,just as I'd normally do for any cake I make, and then frosting them all in one go!
I will try it the way you explained..it made perfect sense...THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
- H
Honeyscake, I just did a wedding cake for a good friend of mine and I brought my dress with me and changed after I setup the cake. I just didn't want to risk anything. Good luck. The picture of the "goal" is beautiful.
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