1Constructing a wedding cake is a c

1Constructing a wedding cake is a complicated process. 2Before any baking takes place, the size of the cake and the decorative design to be used must be determined. 3Then the layers are baked. 4On a large cake the bottom layers may be as much as sixteen inches in diameter. 5Because of their size, these layers must be baked one at a time, a process which may actually take an entire day. 6Once the layers are cooled, same-size pairs are matched and frosted. 7Since large wedding cakes are surprisingly heavy, half-inch dowel rods must be measured, cut, and carefully driven into the bottom layers. 8These wooden posts provide hidden support for the weighty upper layers. 9When all the layers are set in place, flowers, garlands and leaves of frosting are added. 10These delicate touches individualize the wedding cake and transform it from merely a cake into a culinary work of art.