Dr. Seuss Cake - Help With Structure Please!!!

Decorating By AmyWynne Updated 16 Jan 2014 , 6:44pm by -K8memphis

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AmyWynne Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 4:02am
post #1 of 13

AHey y'all. I am planning a Dr. Seuss cat in the hat cake. My idea is the big red box as the base(cake) then on top of that the ball. Then have the cat in the hat standing on the ball holding items in his hands, and balancing items on his head.

My questions are...for the ball, would you do cake or Rice Krispies? I've never had much luck with rkt, however, I wonder if cake would hold up in that shape with the weight on top.

Also, the cat in the hat has long skinny arms, how do I support his arms/hands enough to hold stuff (book, umbrella, fish bowl)

I'm assuming just a large dowel rod through the middle would be fine to support the cat on top of everything, and then of course put supports underneath the ball and the cat...right?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 2:30pm
post #2 of 13

cake doesn't hold weight cake holds dowel upright if they are properly used in the first place--but you are right of course that a ball cake is harder to execute than a regular cake in this design--

 

so kinda depends on how big this all is--what are we talking here for size?

 

with the experience you're showing in your post--i'm thinking maybe you might want to consider using nice juicy cookies for some of this? maybe?

 

but i would love to talk to you about your original idea too-- just a passing cookie thought--

 

so how big? and have you done tier cakes before?

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AmyWynne Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:26pm
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AYes, I have done tiered cakes before, but just standard tiers, not anything funky. I was thinking 3 2" layers of 11 x 15 cake for the bottom. So with the filling/frosting/fondant added it will probably be around a foot tall.

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AmyWynne Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:29pm
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A[ATTACHMENT=1452]image.jpg (1,742k. jpg file)[/ATTACHMENT]

This is a sketch of my idea.

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:32pm
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what are you thinking of making the cat out of because that will help determine how to make a good ball--

 

what is the cat balancing on his head?

 

i imagined a large cat made out of tubing and covered with modeling chocolate--you weren't going that way were you? 

 

but if cake is a foot tall and bottom tier is like 5" tall (cause you'll have to level and it squishes down some) then the figurines are not very big if the ball is 6" tall--

 

so we increasing the height or decreasing other things?

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:33pm
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oooh--just saw the post for the sketch!

 

brb...

 

 

that's like almost 3 feet tall give or take

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:37pm
post #7 of 13

that is an extensive amount of infrastructure--

 

it has to built from the inside out then place cake and et cetera

 

there are many critical areas--

 

great sketch!

 

you need a drill, you need a lot of pvc pipe and a lot of expertise--

 

suggest we scale back or start rolling out the cookies :lol:

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:41pm
post #8 of 13

AYou will need to make a custom support for that, PVC pipe is great for stuff like that. Boards, dowels and a center dowel won't cut it. I would make a support that includes arms, then build everything above the bottom cake out of rkt.

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 3:45pm
post #9 of 13

how to make the ball is not high on the list of critical things to accomplish--it's important but how you gonna hold the umbrella how you gonna tip the hat how you gonna make all that balance weight wise on his toe there how you gonna suspend that tea cup in midair ;) the tail, the bow, the crooked hat, the cake, both arms,--you have like at least 8 major structural conundrums that are certainly do able but clearly need to be reduced in magnificence -- do you agree?

 

what about if he is popping out of the ball and you only see his upper torso with a few of those items?

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 5:48pm
post #11 of 13

and come back and we'll talk some more--

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ammcats Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 5:56pm
post #12 of 13

AK8, I just HAVE TO SAY IT, (cause I say it out loud a lot to my computer), Your enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me, I get the impression that your brain runs at a hundred miles an hour and there will never be enough time on this earth for you to finish everything! :-D

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-K8memphis Posted 16 Jan 2014 , 6:44pm
post #13 of 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by ammcats 

K8, I just HAVE TO SAY IT, (cause I say it out loud a lot to my computer), Your enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me, I get the impression that your brain runs at a hundred miles an hour and there will never be enough time on this earth for you to finish everything! icon_biggrin.gif

 

 

thank you ammcats, you called it, i am indeed a brilliant 'starter' hahahahaha

 

it's like half a strength :lol: 

 

and thank you--that was sweet to say

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