This one was the biggest, tallest heaviest cake yet. Each pillar is 5 inches so you can see that the layers are ALSO 6 inches. I just loved how elegant and regal the extra height make the cake look! From the table to the top of the roses was 32 inches! This bride didn't want fondant so icing the cake smooth was really important. *trick alert* to ice butter cream smooth you boil a big pot of water, stick in 2 of your metal frosting spatulas. Then take one out, quickly wipe it dry, smooth it over the icing- once- and put it back in the boiling water and grab the next one. It's like "ironing" your cake. And works like a charm. In the end I thought it looked as good as a fondant cake, but tasted better, was cheaper and slightly easier to do! Even though fondant is really popular (it's what I had) unless it's an outdoor wedding I'll always suggest doing just the butter cream! This was my first pillar cake, and I was nervous about it falling over, it just doesn't seem as secure as the stacking cakes, but it made it through the wedding just fine, and that's really all that matters! Unlike the 3 days it took me to make a wedding cake a year ago this one only took 1 1/2 days! The decorating WAS simple, otherwise it still would have taken longer, but the baking is the most time consuming part! No short cuts there!
