Help Stacking Fake Cake

Decorating By zoeychihuahua Updated 24 May 2011 , 1:25pm by lisaduhaime

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zoeychihuahua Posted 23 May 2011 , 5:09am
post #1 of 7

I need help!!!! I have a fake cake that's about 4 feet tall. All rounds and every other layer is gumpaste flowers. The ones without the flowers have scrolls around them.
The questions are, how do I stack them???? Wooden dowels? Do I need to have a piece of cardboard between the layers?
***Another question*** unrelated. As far as cutting a piece of cake, I know that I can add a piece of real cake to the bottom layer, however, the cake is about 200 lbs together and loaded with gumpaste flowers at the bottom too. Would it be ok to either have the very top real and they would have to take it off the cake for them to cut, or just have a separate cake for them to cut? I'm not sure what is the proper thing to do.
I would appreciate any help and or suggestions.

6 replies
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CWR41 Posted 23 May 2011 , 2:55pm
post #2 of 7

I don't see how a dummy cake can weigh 200 lbs. (even if it's covered with fondant). I'd just stick with the real piece of cake in the bottom tier and push the gumpaste flowers aside that are in the way before the bride and groom's first bite.

You don't need cardboard between the tiers. You can skewer the dummies to one another by jabbing a 5" long dowel half way into one dummy before pressing the next dummy on top on the other half of the dowel. (I'd use two skewers per tier.)

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zoeychihuahua Posted 23 May 2011 , 4:16pm
post #3 of 7

oopsie, typo, 100 lbs -- don't type after midnight & always preview, lol

Thank you for the idea. You don't think that it's too heavy? It's like having a kid stand on top of it. Just scared it will squish each down and become uneven?

Link to cake I'm trying to go for, it's the 4th cake
http://blog.sylviaweinstock.com/page/3

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dsilvest Posted 23 May 2011 , 4:56pm
post #4 of 7

You don't need dowels or cardboard. Just "glue" the layers together with some piping gel or royal icing.
One question though. Will you vehicle transport a 4" tall cake or do you need to take it in 2 sections?
As for the cake cutting, just place a plated slice or a small round, decorated in a similar manner to the faux cake. My brides do this all of the time and no one is ever the wiser. Your faux cake is left undamaged and you can use it again for another wedding (rented out) or as a display cake.

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zoeychihuahua Posted 23 May 2011 , 5:21pm
post #5 of 7

Thank you for your suggestion. I will transport it in 7 boxes & 2 trucks. Don't think I can just glue them together just in case someone bumps up into the table. I really want to make sure it's very sturdy and there are no errors.

I think I like that idea with the mini cake though. Thank you

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CWR41 Posted 24 May 2011 , 6:46am
post #6 of 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoeychihuahua

oopsie, typo, 100 lbs -- don't type after midnight & always preview, lol

Thank you for the idea. You don't think that it's too heavy?




No, it's not too heavy--the lightweight styrofoam practically weighs nothing at all... definitely nowhere near 100 lbs.

If the cake in the photo consists of a 6x8x10x12x14x16... even if it's REAL CAKE, it would only weigh about 53 lbs. (19# cake, 34# icing), excluding the flowers. So all of the iced dummies would probably not weigh anymore than 35 lbs. total. (It looks like the mountain of flowers are stuck into another spacer dummy, an 18" dummy, and a circle of six 8" diameter dummies which wouldn't need to be iced because they're completely covered with flowers.)

Since you're transporting the dummies separately, the weight shouldn't be an issue. If you're concerned it will topple from the added weight of the flowers once it's assembled (and you don't trust skewering them together, using BC, chocolate, tape, etc.), you could use a hot glue gun on your fake cake.

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lisaduhaime Posted 24 May 2011 , 1:25pm
post #7 of 7

Here's how I stack and ice my faux cakes.

I always have the "real" cake on the very top or very bottom layer....so that they can cut it for receptions :0)

Stack and stick all the faux pieces together by hot glue or with toothpicks in the sides (toothpicks is a quicker method I have found)

If you use toothpicks, cut the excess off flush with flower cutters.

Ice the cake like normal, being very careful with the top edges.
Smooth the cake with the "viva" method

Ice your bottom and/or top tiers

Lift and stack all of the layers on top of the real tier and decorate like normal.

Make sure to secure the faux layers to the real layer with buttercream like you would normally do.

You might want to add dowels to the bottom tier for support.

Good luck.

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