I haven’t done many carved 3D cakes but if its something I know I have quite a bit of carving to do or may be slightly precarious, I will only use a pound cake mixture so that its sturdy to work with. I also wont do fillings (aside from buttercream) in a cake that I have to carve. I don’t freeze my cakes, but I will put it in the fridge to get cold before I carve it so that it doesn’t fall apart. I like to carve with steak knifes because they are serrated but small so you can have more control.
Nikki, So Cal, www.Facebook.com/nikkibelleperchecakes