British Expatriate Network

I have been asked to make the cake for my sons wedding on October 23rd. It is not going to be an English fruit cake, but an American sponge type one!!!!

Now, I have never made a tiered cake before, and they want three tiers. This is where I need help! How on earth do you get a sponge cake to hold up other layers?
What kind of icing do I use?

Please, any help at all will be gratefully received!

I have made "picture" and theme cakes for my boys since they were born, but nothing like this. A wedding cake can't look like a farm yard or fort or car racing track can it?

They want purple and white so I thought a white cake with purple flowers trailing down or something.

I've tried to get out of this but have failed dismally in the attempt! sad

Please guys, I know this isn't a British recipe...but I need advice! ? roll wink

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Now where did I put that? I can never find it....I keep losing my mind!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by Melhug on 2002-09-24 2308 ]</font>

I watched this on the Food TV channel only a few days ago, its sponge layers held together with icing and the covered sides and tops, but was only one layer.
Try this web site.
http//www.cakemag.com/

Forget that last link try this
http//www.pastrywiz.com/wedding/wedding5.htm

Oooh and try the library for books and check out the local cake shops . . .its all the rage now to have you photo on a cake!

Thanks I'll have a good read of that! smile

You can make sponge cakes with fondant icing and have them in tiers by inserting plastic dowelling, cut to length in 3 or 4 places in each of the bottom two layers of cake. These in turn will support the pillars on which you place the cake board with the next layer on, etc.

Does this make sense?

Debs x smile

I could have cropped further and just left the cake, but I realised that although I thought I was fat then I wasn't really, so why not show my wedding dress (and cleavage :grin:) as well? :lol:

Can't help much with the recipe, but thought you might like to see a (slightly dishevelled) purple wedding cake.

Debs that did make sense... Thanks! smile

Monster, I can envisage the colour theme better now thank you too! That is a lovely looking cake, but such a pity you cropped your heads out of the picture too! wink

I'm already feeling a bit better about the whole thing. I may make some sattelite cakes also as there will be quite a few people at the wedding and reception.

Can't help with the cake Mel, but cream/white with purple flowers trailing down sounds beautiful. I have seen several cakes decorated with real flowers and the effect is stunning.

Oh and many congrats on your sons engagement, I was thinking of you just this morning because I found some Oregon newspapers used as packing in a parcel. I'm going to have a good read of them when I get the chance.

Monster, lovely cake and please can't we see the rest of the photo? Your dress looks gorgeous and the bod inside looks pretty damn good too.

Isn't it sad how so many of us think we are fat when we aren't?

I was looking at some old photos of me when I distinctly remember feeling that I was very overweight. Now admitedly I wasn't the slender 8 1/2 stone of my youth but I was by no means fat. Now I really am obese I would kill to be the "whopping" 11 stone I used to think was so big!



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by Deborah on 2002-09-25 0014 ]</font>

Y'know, thinking about it as the scientificy sort of person I am, if I had to make a tiered sponge cake, I would probably manufacture my own supports. I would have 4 supports which stretched up to the base of the top tier. I would make holes in each layer of the cake (except the top one) for the supports to go through, and use discs that clipped onto the supports above and below each layer of the cake to support them.

Deborah, you posted while I was typing -you do not look obese by any stretch of the imagination. I was only ever 8.5 stones when I was still at Junior school! I probably weighed about 10.5-11 in the photo. Why do you need to see the whole thing? you know what we look like! grin wink

But not on your wedding day!!

Thanks for the kind words but its official I'm way off the chart and into the morbidly obese graph!

I am working up to joining Weight Watchers though and I worked out if I loose 2 pounds a week it will "only" take me 40 weeks to get to that 11 stone I once thought was so big but now know is wonderfully slim!

There is something oddly sexy about that picture...

At least Moo won't go near this thread...

HU might, and then....

smile

I think sleeveless/strapless dresses often look very sexy.


Especially if you've got the "goods" to hold the dress up, which Monster obviously has!

Oh and McZ, your supposed to be giving Melhug wedding cake tips not oggling (is that a word?) Monsters cup cakes!

Well, thanks -I think :roll: