I don’t normally do cakes that require carving or shaping (a la Cake Boss haha), but a friend really wants a topsy-turvy type cake and I might go for it. I need a pound cake recipe or something that is nice and sturdy and somewhat dense. I know Rose’s pound cake recipe in TCB recommends using a loaf pan only, so I don’t want to use that. Can anyone recommend a sturdy yellow or white cake that I can bake in 12” or smaller layers and can carve? Thanks!

If you have access to the Purity Flour Cookbook, or any other similar “basic” cookbook, you should be able to find a classic Pound Cake with enough substance to carve. It should be one that uses the traditional “Butter Method” not Rose’s improved 2-step method. BTW - aren’t those Topsy Turvy cakes created by just trimming the tops/bottoms of regular layers at an angle and then stacking them differently? If you don’t find a recipe post again and I can post the one I used for years (before I discovered Rose’s).

If you go to cakecentral.com and search topsy turvey, there is a great tutorial about how to make topsy turvey cakes.  They only look like they are leaning.  I have made them with the all occasion downey butter cake and it holds up fine.  I have enclosed the link but you need to be a member (which is free) so I am not sure if it will work or not.

http://cakecentral.com/articles/6/how-to-make-a-topsy-turvy-whimsical-cake

Good luck!

Thanks so much! I have perused cakecentral afew times now and finally added it to my favorites so I can refer to it when I finally get up my nerve to do a Topsy Turvy! One thing I am searching for that you might be able to help with is a tutorial or something that expplains how to do a “quilted” pattern of diamonds on the sides of a cake covered in fondant. With the little beads on each corner of the diamonds. I am hoping to do that next weekend if possible but am still stumped as to how exactly they go about it. I have a two layer square cake to do. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

The way that I make a quilted pattern is first you need a quilting tool.  It is found in the wilton gumpaste kit.  I then use drafting triangles that I purchased from Michaels and use them to make the lines.  I mark off along the base of the cake where the lines should be, for example 1 inch apart, and then use the right angle triangle to make the lines going one way and then the opposite way.  I either pipe a dot or use sugar beads or sparkles where the two lines cross.  I hope that helps.  I myself am more of a visual learner so it might be hard to follow.  Try youtube.  There are a lot of tutorials there.