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Wedding cake disaster...What happened? - Page 2

post #16 of 20
4/4/12 at 3:36am
I know you would have used it if your supplier had it in stock. Sometimes you need to make do with what is available. Before SPS and bubble tea straws people used wooden dowels. I sometimes still do. There are a few key points to remember. Always measure rowels perfectly. They must all be the same height, which is the highest part of the top of the tier they're in. Sand them down till they're perfect. Place 1 for every 2" cake width it's supporting + 1 or 2 eg to support an 8" use 5 or 6 dowels. Use buttercream or fondant to fill lopsided gaps, the apply your ribbon or piping border. Always add in one or two centre dowels, especially if you're delivering solo. And, if it's BC-covered, leave home with it properly refrigerated. Keep it solid.

Having said all this, I use wooden dowels only in heavier cakes (eg mud, banana cake, hummingbird, fruit), and never butter cake. Always use straws for that!

Hth!
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post #17 of 20
4/27/12 at 8:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachie204

Leah, Do you just include the price of the sps into the cake so the client keeps the sps or do you charge a deposit on even the small cakes so that you get the pieces back?

One of the reasons I have only uses the sps a few times is because even though I buy the 4 inch legs for the plates sometimes they are still a little bit too tall for my tiers. Probably only a 1/4 inch or so. But they are so hard to cut....is there an easy way to cut them or should i just leave them that height and have the border cover the extra room? That seems like the wrong thing to do...but the legs are super hard, not sure how to cut them other than my husband using power tools.



I know this post is a bit old, but I wanted to add that I do include the SPS cost in my quote. I charge $15 regardless of the cake size (it all evens out in the end!). They do not have to return it; I once had a bride return it 4 months later, in a bag, UNWASHED- ewwww!
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post #18 of 20
4/29/12 at 5:44am
Rachie, I hate the ones that are made to use with sps, you're right, they are so hard to cut. The ones Wilton makes that come 4 to a pkg actually fit the sps plates pretty well and they are a breeze to cut. I mark the cake with the sps plate I'm going to use, push the support posts in place leaving maybe 1/2" above the cake, place the sps plate in place on the posts and then push it down in place. Easy to cut, easy to use and peace of mind no matter how far you are delivering a cake.
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post #19 of 20
4/29/12 at 6:11am
I always charged an equipment fee of $10 per tier. In a decade no one ever cancelled an order because of it. In fact, no one ever objected. Its all in how you explain it. "This is a support system that's very different and very secure. Without it your cake will fall down."

The overwhelming response was, "Oh yes, I want that!"

And yes, if there's a ribbon or a border, just use that to cover a small gap. Then figure out how much batter of each type of cake you bake that needs to go into the pan to bake up to the top of the pan. This will give you the correct height so you don't have to cut the layers.

To cut the SPS legs, you need a miter saw and box, or power tools. They're strong for a reason. icon_smile.gif

SPS every cake, every time.
Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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post #20 of 20
4/29/12 at 11:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaigle

I only use wooden dowels and a center dowel. I know it's old school---but I have never, ever had a shift or disaster and I have traveled with fully assembled 3 & 4 tier cakes. I also travel with a completely chilled (over night) right-out-of the frig cake..and drive like an old lady. To me, traveling with a room temperature cake is setting myself up for failure.



I was going to say the same thing. I never use anything but wooden dowels, and I don't bother with a center dowel at all.

The only time I've ever had a cake shift sideways (it didn't collapse, but the tier shifted on the lower one a little) was when the cake wasn't refrigerated before delivery. Warm cake is the danger, not the wooden dowels.
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