I'm doing my first ever wedding cake this summer (June). It's 3 tiers with a fountain between the bottom tier and middle tier. I'm a little nervous about it. I'm just hoping things go smoothly. Does anybody have any words of wisdom or tips from experience. Any advice pertaining to constructing the cake, delivering and
setting up the cake, etc would be greatly appreciated.
I usually do a 12,9,6. Beware the Wilton plate and pillars for the fountain are crappy. For my three tiered blue star cake in my photos I was so glad I took a bag of royal icing with me to set up because the pillars don't fit very well. I placed a ring of royal icing inside the pillar when setting up the cake. My mother insisted that the cake was going to fall because of the flimsy pillar system. Once the royal icing dried everything was fine. I added a little food coloring to a small bottle of water for the fountain.
Probably 6, 8, and 12
Those size tiers won't work with the fountain between the bottom two tiers. The fountain bowl is 9.75" in diameter and MUST be used with at least 14" diameter plates, or larger if using the optional crystal-look fountain tiers with ring. You'll have to place the fountain on the bottom under all tiers or make the base tier at least 15" or 16" to use the required minimum 14" plates with the fountain between cake.
Those fountains can spit and leak all over a cake
It is entirely possible the bottom layer of cake will get wet and sloppy from the fountain overspray.
I guess anything is possible, yet I've never seen it. The crystal-look tiers do tend to splash a little more than the plain tiers that come with the fountain since the flow is directed over the plastic rather than straight down through the holes, but the slight splash is normally contained to the plate below and not beyond onto the cake. If the fountain isn't turned on until 30 minutes before guests arrive, you'll minimize the chances for excess oversplash.
It shouldn't be a problem. Even when the fountain is setup directly on the table, there isn't enough splash to soak a tablecloth or show food coloring stains.
Thank you so much for the comments. I haven't purchased the fountain yet so I didn't realize or think about how big it would be. That won't be a problem because I can do whatever size tiers I need. So if I need to do a 16" bottom tier to fit the fountain then I should probably do 12" and 14" tiers above the fountain? Or would it look okay to do 10" and 12" tiers on top?
Actually I now realize that if the bottom tier is 16" then I will need to do a 16" tier above the fountain as well. So maybe a 16" and 14" above the fountain?
Actually I now realize that if the bottom tier is 16" then I will need to do a 16" tier above the fountain as well. So maybe a 16" and 14" above the fountain?
Do you think you need to do a 16" above and below the fountain, or is that something that you'd like to do? You do realize that it isn't necessaryis it required? The upper 16" would hang over the 14" double-plate system that IS required. Also, a 14" is way too big for a "top tier" which would also hang over the 14" plate.
I'd do a 16", 14" plates, a 12", and an 8".
Or, a 16", 14" plates, a 12", 9", and 6".
The base cake in my photo is a 12" cake. I prefer not to bake 14" or larger cakes If I don't need to. This is a tres leches cake so it can get really moist and hard to work with when filling and stacking. The 12" worked just fine with the 14" plates and pillars.
I don't want to give you any more to worry about, but a tres leches is not going to be stackable or carvable. It will be too moist.
Perhaps you intended to post this in another threadflavor(s) weren't mentioned by the OP.
The base cake in my photo is a 12" cake. I prefer not to bake 14" or larger cakes If I don't need to. This is a tres leches cake so it can get really moist and hard to work with when filling and stacking. The 12" worked just fine with the 14" plates and pillars.
yes, she did.
The base cake in my photo is a 12" cake. I prefer not to bake 14" or larger cakes If I don't need to. This is a tres leches cake so it can get really moist and hard to work with when filling and stacking. The 12" worked just fine with the 14" plates and pillars.
yes, she did.
That's not the OPSugar_and_Spice is.
Sorry - apparently my train of thought got derailed.
She did just mention it a couple of posts up...
Tres leches is do-able (I've done it) as a tiered cake, you just can't soak is quite as much as you would serving in in a cake pan.
But man oh mah honey - you sure are taking on a lot of new and iffy things at once for your first wedding cake!!
Thank you again for all the comments. I do know I need the double plate system. Like I said I haven't purchased the fountain yet, so does it come with the double plate system? I assumed that it didn't. If the wilton system isn't very steady is there a different one that is better? I see what everyone is talking about with the tier sizes too. I'd rather not do a 16" tier either if I don't have to. In fact I think 10" is probably the biggest I've done. A 14" still bakes pretty evenly doesn't it? And no I'm not doing a tres leche cake but I have done several cakes for birthdays and showers, just never for a wedding or with a fountain. (Also it's my brother's wedding and a gift but I still want them to love it.)
The fountain doesn't come with plates, but if you did manage to find a fountain combined with the plate set they would be 18" plates with six columns... much larger than what's required for your setupyou'd need to make a 20" or larger base cake.
The Wilton system is sturdy enough... there is a little wiggle room, but only if you try to make it wobble. When using all six columns under 18" plates, that's quite a spreadof course, it's going to wiggle a bit. You'll be using four columns with 14" plates, so it's a much tighter fit with less chance to wobble.
You'll still have to use a 16" to go below the fountain. If you're afraid of 16" cakes, do what leah_s suggested and use a 16" styrofoam dummy tier for the base.
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