Cake toppers add personality to your custom cake.
Stacked or tiered cakes are common at weddings. But when you're calculating your big-day budget, you might be looking for places to save a few extra bucks. Consider making your own wedding cake. Enlist the help of friends in your wedding party and you'll be able to finish the job in no time. Although most stacked wedding cakes are round, rectangular cakes look beautifully modern and might just be the perfect fit for your wedding. You may want make a "test run" cake a few weeks in advance so you have plenty of practice when it comes time for the real deal. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Either purchase or bake your cakes in advance. Your cakes should have a size difference of between two and four inches wide and long. If you order your cakes from a supermarket or bakery, ask them to frost your cakes in white frosting as smoothly as possible. If you are preparing the cakes on your own, don't forget to frost a thin "crumb-catcher" layer before applying the final frosting to ensure a smooth-looking cake.
2. Place each cake on an appropriately sized cardboard cake board. You can find cake boards at craft and restaurant supply stores. Decide on the size of your cakes ahead of time so that the cake boards fit perfectly without any extra trimming. Place your largest cake on a decorative cake stand as well.
3. Measure the height of your cakes. Cut the dowels into pieces about 1/4- to 1/2-inch taller than the cake. The size of your cake will determine the number of dowels you need, but you want enough to support the weight of the cake resting on them. A 13-inch-by-9-inch cake, for example, will require about 7 or 8 dowels. Each progressive layer will require fewer dowels.
4. Push the dowels down through the bottom cake. Be aware of the size of the smaller cake; you want the dowels to support it and not be outside of that area. Cover each dowel with a dab of frosting. The frosting will act as glue, ensuring that your cakes don't slip around.
5. Place your smaller cake and its cake board, on top of the dowels in the larger cake. Take a step back to make sure that it is centered properly. Repeat for each additional layer.
6. Purchase some pre-made fondant in a color that complements the decor of your wedding. Cut several strips of fondant, each long enough to wrap around one layer of cake. Use a ruler and a pizza cutter to ensure that the fondant is straight. Use a thin line of frosting and attach the fondant strips to the bottom of each cake layer, hiding the cake boards and dowels.
7. Cut a final piece of fondant a few inches smaller than your smallest cake layer. Center the piece of fondant on top of your cake and use it as a platform for your cake toppers.
Tags: your cakes, your wedding, cake boards, your cake, cake board, cake layer, each cake