For many couples, an elegant, tiered cake is non-negotiable, and skipping it would seem strange.

As for the cake, "I don't like the fountain style," he said, adding that he prefers a tiered cake with cannoli filling.

Her matrix is a dress pattern customized to resemble a tiered cake.

There's even a traditional wedding to cap things off, with white tulle, a tiered cake and a rousing rendition of "Hava Nagila."

Large tiered cakes, like wedding cakes, with sugar flowers, polka dots or gingham checks, are favorites for first birthdays, he said.

In many instances, though, there's another force at play: the cultural programming that prompts fantasies of tiered cakes and lilies in 6-year-old girls.

Flowers tumble from the basket on the top of her tiered cake.

Bakers report that cupcakes have begun elbowing out tiered cakes at weddings.

Though the prospect of creating a tiered cake may seem daunting, it is based on some pretty simple elements of architectural support.

Like all sound construction, a tiered cake begins with a good foundation.