Just one little suggestion re the cracking fondant. I was very lucky with a cake I made that this didn’t happen and realised after that I had cut my dowels a little too short. They should be 1mm taller than the surface of the cake so that the cake isn’t supporting the weight of the upper tiers. Cutting them even a fraction too short can cause the icing to buckle because it’s supporting the weight of the upper tiers.
