A topsy-turvy cake is simply chaos on a plate. The layers is slanted in impossible ways. They tip unsteadily in all directions as if they were trying to fall over. And yet: when cut, the interior math are stubbornly normal.
Which makes sense, right? There’s something so naturaly chaotic about this type of cake, there’s no getting past its wild exterior and its standard interior. But that disconnect is what make serving these cakes a bit different. Instead of making an educated guess, you need a special chart to plan out your servings.
How to Cut a Topsy-Turvy Cake
The visual drama is distracting from its basic geometry below. We’re still working with round cylinders of cake, but the way we carve them change their behavior in terms of portion control. Knowing this will save you money (or prevent running out of dessert) by keeping you from buying pounds of unused sponge.
So let’s go through the basics: Carve each layer at an angle and then drape it in fondant. This is what give the design its wobbly illusion. And this is also why we has to figure out exactly how much usable surface area is left after all that cutting (see chart above). Every time you cut into a round cake, you’re wasting some of innermost portion, either shrinking it down to nothing or slicing away enough of it so you can no longer use it as cake.
Topsy turvy cakes increases the waste factor a bit more because the tilt of the tiers compress the center. You want to factor that into your plans from the get-go. A four inch high top tier may sound good for feeding six people. However, if you carve it deep enough to make an impact, those servings will become bite-sized pieces. You should of plan for more width or a larger base diameter instead.
The cake requires some patience and cold temps. You need a solid base for fondant to stick to without tearing. Buttercream has to be the right thickness (too much and fondant slides); too little and it cracks around the edges of an angled tier. Everything must chill in between steps to keep its shape while transporting.
It also makes sense that gravity isn’t helping you out with tilting layers of cake so there should of plenty of support from within. Too little and entire structure buckles under its weight. No thank you, structural failure, we don’t like you. The infographic recommends using a lot of doweling as well.
How do you serve? Depending on what kind of event it is, how you serve matters completely. For instance, at weddings, I usually serve thinner pieces that look good with other sweets and allow me to feed more guests. At parties, thicker slices makes people happier (though they will also be fuller). This chart shows the comparison between wedding and party servings for each combination of tiers, which should help you visualize the differences.
If you want about 40 wedding portions, then you know to keep your top tier size the same and get a bigger bottom tier. However, if you’re looking for around 30 party slices, bump up the bottom tier and maybe even throw in a small tier to give it some extra height. Bigger diameter = more cake! More layers = more cake, though not much more.
Here are a couple of tips that makes cutting the cake less intimidating than it appears. First remove anything from the cake that isn’t edible (no one wants to find a piece of ribbon in their mouth!). Then slice the cakes apart entirely before starting your slices. Uneven wedges and squished sides will result when trying to slice through multiple, stacked, wonky layers.
Once each layer is sitting independently on the table, every tier turns into an individual round cake. Use a long, serrated knife and dip it into some warm water to glide easily through the fondant without smashing the spongy interior. To achieve nice clean cuts, wipe the blade down between slices. Before attempting to cut, also remove all dowel. You don’t want to hit a chunk of wood or plastic!
One thing that catches home bakers out is how much fondant they use. They tend to roll it out too thinly in an attempt to cover everything with one piece but then end up with rips along the pointy corners. Based off the size of your tiers, the guide calculates how many ounces you need and recommends adding fifteen to twenty percent for the tilt and carving. Carefully portion out amounts and remember to allow for waste. It is better to have some left at the end than to run out halfway through decorating your 12 inch round base cake!
Keep in mind, once you start cutting into it, the whole thing will seem even more unstable. Although this adds to the fun, you still want to ensure there’s enough slice to go around before all hell breaks loose.