Cake Stacking Question

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eileen S on September 24, 2010 at 8:45am

It's mostly for transportation. I think if you transport the top tier separately from the bottom tiers you can just put it through the bottom two, then put the top tier on when you arrive. Make sure all the bottom tiers have some kind of support structure (straws, dowels, etc.) in them to prevent cakes sinking into one another.

Permalink Reply by Sherry Qualls on September 24, 2010 at 2:28pm

personally I would dowell the bottom two tiers and transport the top tier separate from the other two and put them together at the event. Makes transporting easier and less stressful.

Permalink Reply by Deidre on September 24, 2010 at 3:20pm

Thank you both. I think I prefer to dowel only the bottom tiers and transport the top seperately.

Permalink Reply by ann pallett on September 24, 2010 at 7:22pm

I never put a single dowel through the whole cake and transport it without any mishaps .
And I've been doing this for 29 years.

Permalink Reply by Deidre on September 24, 2010 at 8:19pm

Thanks Ann, I was also wondering if you could stack the cakes without a dowel installed in the center of all the tiers, nice to know that it can be done with without the long center dowel.

Permalink Reply by ann pallett on September 25, 2010 at 9:10am

Sorry Deidre, I didn't make myself very clear. I put 4 pieces of dowel in each cake to hold the next tier but never through the middle of all of the tiers. I think thats clearer!!!

Deidre said:

Thanks Ann, I was also wondering if you could stack the cakes without a dowel installed in the center of all the tiers, nice to know that it can be done with without the long center dowel.

Permalink Reply by Deidre on September 25, 2010 at 10:00am

Ann, thanks for the clarification Ann, but I figured that is what you meant ;-)

Permalink Reply by Mary Ann Brooks on September 25, 2010 at 11:56am

If my cake is finished with buttercream, I always drive a center dowel through the stacked cakes before transporting. I don't worry much about fondant-covered cakes, though ... they seem to do very well without a center dowel.

When I stack my fondant cakes, I put a few blobs of melted chocolate on the tier beneath, then stack the next cake on it. The tiers separate easily when serving, but the chocolate holds well enough to keep them from sliding during transport. If in doubt, though, dowel! lol. Better safe than sorry, IMO.

Permalink Reply by Deidre on September 25, 2010 at 2:14pm

Thanks Mary Ann. Now that you mention it, in the future I would transport cakes in butterceam with the wooden dowel in the middle. Covering in cake in buttercream is still very hard for me to do. I guess I need some more practice.

Mary Ann Brooks said:

If my cake is finished with buttercream, I always drive a center dowel through the stacked cakes before transporting. I don't worry much about fondant-covered cakes, though ... they seem to do very well without a center dowel.

When I stack my fondant cakes, I put a few blobs of melted chocolate on the tier beneath, then stack the next cake on it. The tiers separate easily when serving, but the chocolate holds well enough to keep them from sliding during transport. If in doubt, though, dowel! lol. Better safe than sorry, IMO.

Permalink Reply by jeri c on September 25, 2010 at 4:48pm

If I am transporting a cake already stacked, I always run the dowel through the center. It would be a shame if you had to stop fast and found cake all over the place. If I am stacking at the venue, I just skip the center dowel.

Permalink Reply by Deidre on September 25, 2010 at 7:22pm

Thanks everyone for all your help. I am feeling more confident to take on a wedding cake I may do in the next coming months.