I have a question about cutting stacked cakes. (More specifically, how do you cut one?) I'm thinking of a cake that has three layers, with the bottom one being the largest and the top one being the smallest. It would be way too tall to simply cut like a two layer cake, so I am assuming you would take the layers apart, cut each circle into a half circle, then slice. Is this right? But won't the tops of the bottom two layers look pretty messy? Thanks for any tips.

Dear Family cake maker, the 3 tiered effect you are going for is much easier if you use 3 different size pans. I use a 10", an 8" and a 6" to get that effect youre going for. I'm sure you could split, and cut, but then you'd be dealing with a whole lot of crumbs, not to mention the fragility of the cake. Remember when you stack them, put 1/8" dowels and cardboard in each layer so the next layer has something strong to rest on, and so the cake is not resting on cake. Good luck!

making the dowels 'slightly' taller, as suggested above, is good advice. I know Martha Stewart tells you to start at the top and cut (ie. cut the smaller tiers first), but I prefer to cut the largest tier first. If there's any leftover cake, it will be the smaller, easy to store tiers. I remove the top two tiers (don't panic....it's pretty easy) and set them on the cake table, sort of like a mini-wedding cake centerpiece.

I also don't use the 'circle method' as in the Wilton charts. I find it too messy (who can cut a perfect circle?). I cut a 2" strip in the cake, then I cut that strip into 1" to 1.5" pieces (ergo the 1"x2" wedding cake slice). When that's done, I cut another 2" strip and repeat. Super easy, and very uniform pieces.

I was watching Martha Steward one day when a caller asked how to cut a cake. She described the circle-method as "just like your mother cut your birthday cakes". Holy cow, no one I knew ever cut a cake like that at home! She definitely travels in a different social circle than I do if that was the norm she grew up in.