Overly Ambitious Cake Project - Help Required Please!

[Ahardyfool]

So, I've decided to bake a Boo Cake (Belle and Boo) for DD's 4th Birthday party.

Of course, I know exactly how I'd like it to look but have no idea how to bring this idea into fruition.

I'm a good baker - I've done commercial catering for over 100 people before now, which included cake baking. However, this was mostly homely looking lemon drizzle cakes and Victoria sponges...

My cake intends to look as follows:

2 tier with pink and grey sponge layers in the middle - possibly some kind of raspberry cream filling and maybe jam.

The top tier could be chocolate.

On the outside I plan to have off white bottom tier and brown top tier with brown striped ribbon at the bottom of the top tier.

Actually one of the tiers could be pink - but one has to be brown. Definitely brown.

I'd like to cover the top with Ganache or chocolate buttercream. However, I'd like it to be cocoa dusted for a matte finish.

I've got as far as ascertaining I need dowels and boards.

Oh and I'd also like the tiers to be tall rather than squat.

My questions are:

Madeira?
How do you make it all solid if you are having sandwich layers in the tiers?
What's this thing about cake boards between tiers - do I need a screwdriver? (Think I read that dowels have to go through board at some point and am guessing I can't just shove a biro through in approximate locations??

Do I need a hacksaw to cut dowels?

What size cake tins would work best - I'm not feeding the 5000. However, i do want the cakes to be tall but not topply over.

Am I mental?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can indeed be arsed to answer my pathetic questions.

I am planning on buying sugarflair colouring in dusky pink and back (to make grey).

Can I use this in the mixture for my grey and pink layers?

Should I buttercream the outside or will it look scruffy? I guess if I ice properly we get into Marzipan territory? I think I'd buy ready to roll and mould the colours in right?

I cant quite picture what you mean tbh. Do you have any pics of what your attempting .

Re the dowels and cake boards. I would make your bottom teir cover in whatever your having on it (butterc/fondant. Put a dowel into the middle of where your top teir will sit. Then equally space at least four more dowels around the perimiter of where it will sit. Make sure your top teir is on a thin cake card.

No need for a central dowel the whole way through.

Ive done a four teir with no central dowel.

Sugarflair will be good for colouring your cake batter. Just remember to add a little at a time.

Buttercream would be easier to do but no need for marzipan if you do use fondant. Just make sure your cakes are well covered in a layer of buttercream first. Into the fridge to 'set' for a while then smoothed down with a hot palette knife. Use a smoother to get rid of any lumps and bumps on your icing.

Oh and I use my normal sponge recipes. No need for madeira.

And I use bubble straws instead of wooden dowels. You can buy them in most supermarkets and pound shops. These should be fine unless you have an unusually heavy top tier.

And yes I do realise I spelt tier wrong a million times

Working with sugarpaste takes a certain kind of baker. I would practice by making a normal sandwiched sponge and sugarpaste or royal ice it. If your good at it, brilliant, if not think about buttercream!

Also, does it have to be connected? I think the sandwich layers are going to make it less stable.

Practice and see how it goes!

You are, not your.

I can't visualise it. Can you link to something similar?

I very rarely use dowels unless it's a proper wedding cake that's got to be incredibly solid. Sometimes I'll shove one down the middle of a structure if it's feeling wobbly. Tell us more!

ahardyfool, you need cake cards the same size as you actual cakes if yoy doing tiers, puthe cake on the cake card and sugarpaste both to give a neater finish.Dowels need to be put in, put one in mark it and cut all the others the same size, put cake on top secured with ome royal icing( you can buy this in asda).

This a cake i made for a colleague today, or check out the tired cake i mad a few weeks ago.

...

Sorry, I checked in a couple of times to no replies so decided to proceed and cross fingers! The (Madeira) is in the oven now... The advice is all very helpful and much appreciated as I have yet to assemble of course.

I forgot to buy boards. I have one large one already for the main base. Could I live without a base for the tier?

Presumably the cake will be on a plate or something. You can use cardboard for other layers, cover it in cling film to stop moisture soaking in. Generally you can go uo to 3 layers before you need a board.

Oh great. Thank you. I've just found a manky small board in the back of a cupboard which I guess I could cover with fresh foil.