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Topsy Turvey Slide!!!

post #1 of 12
8/1/10 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
Hi everyone,

So I am relativley new to decorating cakes but love trying new things!! Topsy turvey has so far been an absolute nightmare for me!! I watched several videos about how to make one of these cakes and have made two of these cakes that I was very proud of!!

I transported both cakes to their destinations with no problems at all! The first cake was stored in the clients cold room over night - the party being the next day - anyways, sometime during the night the top two tiers fell over! I thought it was because it was left in the cold room and not in the fridge.

I just did another one yesterday and again was brought to the location with no problems - but the bottom tier fell apart this time!!

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?!??!?! I am using box cake mixes but doctoring the mixes up - maybe thats just not good enough? Should I try pound cake or something thicker then what I am using? What if I coat the cake in chocolate ganache? Would that help? I used center dowels in the bottom two layers and one that went through all three - but they are still disaterous!! And I have another one for a baby shower at the end of the month!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!
LL
LL
Christina Ammendolia

Cambridge,Ontario
http://sites.google.com/site/cakemomma1
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Christina Ammendolia

Cambridge,Ontario
http://sites.google.com/site/cakemomma1
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post #2 of 12
8/1/10 at 1:17pm
I am so sorry this happened to youicon_sad.gif I am not sure about the cake recipes I do know that it has been mentioned to use a pound cake or something firm like that for teired cakes. There is an article on here in the articles section just search topsy turvey and it comes up and it gives every step of what to do. I know someone with more experience will have some great advice on here for youicon_smile.gif
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Be who you are and never apologize for it :0)


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post #3 of 12
8/1/10 at 1:23pm
I have read that it does not matter what you are stacking if you are using a good stacking system you can stack jello. I think leahs said this referring to the sps system, but have seen the same sentiment in reference to dowels and bubble straws.

what are you using to support the structure?
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"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes; that way when you criticize them you will be a mile away and have a new pair of shoes."
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post #4 of 12
8/1/10 at 1:48pm
i agree with deMuralist . . If you have the right support system, You could stack pretty much anything! SPS is the way forward icon_smile.gif
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post #5 of 12
8/1/10 at 2:26pm
Do you have any pix? if the angles or centering are off that can make very bad things happen.
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post #6 of 12
8/1/10 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
I have been stacking all my tier cakes the same way and have had no problems - except with these ones..... I place wooden dowels all in the center and then my cake on a cardboard cake board and place it on top of the wooden doels - I do this for each layer and have had no other problems - as well I place one through the center..... I have no problems with the cakes staying stacked, it's almost like the cakes just want to slide off along the sides (where the biggest angles are)

I have read the article on here about the topsy turvey stacking and assembling steps - plus I have a video, and have done everything that I was told to do, but still had a no go icon_sad.gif
Christina Ammendolia

Cambridge,Ontario
http://sites.google.com/site/cakemomma1
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Christina Ammendolia

Cambridge,Ontario
http://sites.google.com/site/cakemomma1
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post #7 of 12
8/1/10 at 3:19pm
I have read that the centre dowell you use which goes through all of the tiers is just a "comfort blanket", you think that you need it but you don't. If the cake is going to fall or a tier is going to slide it will just rip through the centre dowell anyway. It's up to you if you want to use it or not.

Leah_s swears by SPS (single plate system) if you search her profile or the topic SPS you'll find loads of information. I haven't used it as I can't get it in the UK and can't afford to ship from the US.

Another way of stacking topsy turveys is to cut a circle in the top of the tier which is the same size as the tier to go on top. So eg) 14-12-10 sizes. In the 14 you cut a 12 inch circle, and in the 12 you cut a 10 inch circle. That way the cakes are resting "inside" one another so there is a rim which makes it less likely to slide.

Ganache will make the cake firmer than when using buttercream so would be helpful. I always use ganache so I'm a bit biased icon_wink.gif

I'm very much a visual learner and found this video very helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHY_F53ClJ8
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post #8 of 12
8/1/10 at 3:57pm
The first one that I did the moisture from the cake soaked into the bottom of the cake board from the tiers above and made the boards soggy. Then the dowels pushed their way through the soggy boards which caused the cake to sag terribly. Luckily it was a topsy turvy and made it look better, but if it had sat any longer I am sure it would have collapsed. I used a pound cake and thought that the issue may have been partly due to the weight. Now I just cover the boards.
"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes; that way when you criticize them you will be a mile away and have a new pair of shoes."
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"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes; that way when you criticize them you will be a mile away and have a new pair of shoes."
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post #9 of 12
8/1/10 at 4:33pm
I use foamcore - nothing is absorbed, and they stay very strong.

The one thing that usually contributes to the bottom tier collapsing is that the hole for the next tier was not cut large enough, and then it just gives way from the pressure of that next tier pushing against the sides of the cut you made.

I have made several of them now, and once I figured out the hole wasn't cut large enough - I never had another problem.
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Knowledge is a candle that when shared, doubles the light, but the insecure person believes knowledge is a candle that is diminished when it is split between two wicks.
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post #10 of 12
8/5/10 at 12:36pm
Well i when my cousin does topsey turvy cakes she adds 1 to 2 tbls of floor to her cake mix. Box or homemade it makes it thick and dense so it can hold a standing 3d shape.
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Attack life its going to kill you anyway
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post #11 of 12
8/6/10 at 6:41pm
I cut secret holes that are level in each tier for the top tier to sit in. I make the holes exactly the same size as the cake going in it. And I make each tier just a little bit higher to account for the lost height. It gives the illusion of a crooked cake, but in reality each tier is sitting perfectly level.
All Day I Dream About Sugar...
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All Day I Dream About Sugar...
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post #12 of 12
8/8/10 at 6:57pm
Buy Sugarshack's Totally Topsy Turvy DVD icon_smile.gif
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