Topsy-turvy cakes have hit the sweet spot of the party business, and Kaye Hartman deserves some of the credit.

Hartman, owner of Glendale cake supply company Petal Crafts, recalls the first time she saw one of the cakes, with its layers rising askew. When she tried to make one, it took more than two hours of slicing and sculpting.

So Hartman, who runs Petal Crafts with her husband and three employees, invented a set of four tilted pans in different diameters to create the concoctions, which are sometimes called Mad Hatter cakes to describe their eccentric appearance. She hired a metal craftsman to make a prototype, tested it and then had the pans manufactured.

The pans produce angled layers that make the process a piece of cake. As evidence of her success, she points to the nearly 5,000 Topsy Turvy Cake Pan sets she has sold at $99 each since launching the product in January.

The pans were sold on her website, and in summer they were listed on Amazon.com. At the same time, they reached the shelves of baking stores in Florida, Ohio, Australia and the Netherlands. Hartman estimates about half the buyers are professional caterers or bakers, and the rest hobbyists.

A recent article on cooking site CelebrityCafe.com reported that “topsy-turvy style wedding and party cakes have become one of the hottest trends,” and mentioned Hartman’s pans.

Hartman said her goal is to get the product to a larger market through increased distribution.

“I would like to see it sold nationwide in Michael’s, Jo-Ann’s and even Williams-Sonoma,” she said. “I know a lot of people are really interested in the pans but want to touch and see them before purchasing them.”