Yikes! My first three tiered cake...

Don't Laugh??!!! No, this bad boy was not supposed to be a topsy turvy cake...it just kind of ended up that way. I said...STOP LAUGHING!!! I learned a lot of lessons from this cake. First, my friends are so kind, supportive, appreciative, and generous! Thanks for making me feel good when I try so hard and don't like the result! Second...leveling each cake layer is essential. Third, structural support for a tiered cake...not that hard. Really...you can do it.

Here is where I went wrong... With each layer of cake I was not a perfectionist. I thought, "well, if it is a little cock-eyed, I will make the second layer a little cock-eyed and they will fit like a puzzle." WRONG! If one layer is crooked, your whole cake will be crooked. Lesson learned. Make sure each tier of the cake is perfectly level before you stack. When stacking, mark the center of the first layer before you just plop the second layer on. I mean really... you are all thinking this is common sense. But...hey...just sharing with you my mistakes. And if I made them...maybe someone else out there is as inexperienced as I am. Can't wait for my next cake class that goes into all this a little better. If you are splitting each layer of cake...split to perfection. Before you start carving away, pop the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for a half hour (wrapped in Saran wrap). A cold cake is easier to level. It crumbles less and is easier to move around, stack, assemble, frost, etc. Keep each section refrigerated till you are ready to work with it. I learned this tip in a cake decorating book.

After I frosted the bottom/first tier, I cut wooden dowels the same height as the first layer. The bottom layer was a ten inch cake. I stuck the dowels in a 6 inch circle in the center of the cake. The next layer of cake was an 8 inch cake. After that was frosted, I put the dowels in a 4 inch circle in the center of that layer. I topped my crooked cake with a 6 inch cake. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. She decorated the cake with fresh fruit. It was for her daughter's Wedding Luau -themed birthday party. You got to meet this little gal-7 years old (I think) going on 16 years old! What a doll!