Please forgive me ladies and men, I don't believe I am asking this, but I was on the Articles section of this site and I was reading all about "Teired/Stacked Cake Construction".
Now at the end of the demostration it saids to sharpen a dowel and insert into the cake to build more strength. So does that mean that when I put one cake onto of the other that there is no cake base to put on the cake that I just inserted the dowels into?
So I am just putting a cake untop of the cake I inseted the dowels into?
Also, so when I am ready to cut the cake do I remove the cake then cur, even though it doesn't have a base?
I hope I'm making sense. I feel so stupid asking this.

you need a plate or cardboard underneith the tiers, the rule i follow is every 3 to 4 inches you need support, and that includes a board.

I think they mean that you sharpen the end of the dowel to push it more easily through all the layers of cake and the cake boards...(with a mallet?). It looks like these instructions were from the Wilton yearbooks. I read, and re-read these instructions several times to understand ...

Also, it says "Cakes are supported and stabilized by dowel rods and cake boards." Just before it starts listing the #1. instruction.

Hope this helps?

Try this link out and read how it explains more in detail. Hope it helps you some!
http://www.cakecentral.com/article23-Teired-Stacked-Cake-Construction.html

No question is a stupid question-that's how we learn!
Let's say for example you are making a 3 tier stacked cake (6,10,14" for example)-place wooden dowels in the bottom tier in a circle, dust the area to be covered by the 10" with powdered sugar or coconut then place your 10" cake (on a covered-both sides-cardboard cake board) on top, dowel that layer, repeat with dusting of your choice (this will prevent the icing from sticking to the board), and place the top tier. Now as far as the dowel all the way thru the layers-I place a small hole in the cardboard circles (about the size of a quarter) in the center, position the sharpened dowel and push it thru the layers. SquirrlleyCakes, the cake guru, places her dowel in the bottom tier and lowers the other tiers down on top. She has posted about it somewhere on here.
When you are ready to cut/serve the cake, just lift the layers off to serve and remove the dowels.
I hope this helps!
dori

Hmmmm.....something about the word mallet and cake in the same sentence scares me!! Has anyone actually done it before I try??

Another question: Is it ok to do a cake with an 8, 10 and 12 or do I have to go buy the 14 pan?

I am definitely not down with the mallet idea I read a post about a lady who crushed her cakes doing that!! That's why I always put a hole in the center. You don't need a mallet-it just pushes right thru the cakes-no muss, no fuss!
As far as size, it's personal prefrence. It might have a bit of a cone look but you could get a 6" pan for $5 at Wal-Mart . Try stacking the pans to get an idea of what it might look like. My cousin's wedding cake was an 8, 10 and 12 but we put the 8 on plate and pillar and stacked the 10 and 12. I personally wanted to put a 6 on top but her topper wouldn't work with a smaller cake.

dori

I have used a mallet before and it does work. I have also sharpened a dowel rod and just poked it trough the tiers and that worked too. I was really nervouse the first time I did it...but I just followed the step by step directions in a Wilton Weddings magazine...and I was fine. I have done an 8,10,12, and the bride loved it. I am sure you will do a great job!
traci

Ok, I am feeling stupid but I am wicked terrified to put the dowell down the middle. I don't want to have to make a practice cake.

I was too the first time I did it! But it really adds extra support. I was so glad I did it because it was a 4 tier stacked cake that I had to drive downtown. I had nothing to cover it... and it was riding in the back of the car!!! It made it there and none of the tiers fell...thanks to the dowel rod in the middle!!! Better safe than sorry!!!
traci

I use the sharpened dowel driven down the center of tiered cakes a lot. If you have your dowel rod sharpened to a point, you can drive it down with a small mallet or a small ping hammer. Just be very careful and take your time. It really does add stability to the tiered cakes, especially if you need to drive with them stacked. The center dowel will need to be removed for serving purposes if the cakes are different flavors. Otherwise, the servers can serve one layer at a time and remove the board off the dowel as they need to move to the next layer. I always leave a note for the caterers (or servers) if there is a dowel in the center so they will know what to expect. Good Luck!

i guess, i'm odd man out, i don't use the center dowel. I deliver my cakes cold and stacked. Have delivered as much as 4 tiers already stacked with no center dowel. And knock on wood haven't lost anything yet.

Oh, and BTW all my cakes have to go down a very steep hill before getting to the main road, and most of my deliveries are over country roads.

I got the stress free support system so I dont' have to mess with dowls anymore, but before that i did what squirrelly did. Put a little hote in each tier and then lower it onto the dowl. It save a lot of headache trying to poke a dowl down throught the cake.

How does the stress free support system work?

It's a metal ring with threaded legs You screw the legs onto the threads and they stay put. You can adjust the height and she has diffrent size legs you can order. Then you push the legs into the cake and sit your next cake ontop of the ring. It's pricy, but I love it and would do a stacked cake without it!

Where can you get one of those support systems at?

Go here http://www.earlenescakes.com/newringsupportset.htm
It has all the information, at the bottom of the page is a link for instructions on how to use it!

That sounds better than cutting those wooden dowels. I will have to check that out - thanks

Hi there......Peacock....a question re; the stress free separators....

Does each layer actually attach to the one below it or does it just rest on top of it? Thanks!

You have to put a sturdy plate under each layer. ( I use masonite boards wrappen in contact paper) Then you press the legs into the cake, then put frosting on top of the ring and put the next cake board on top of that. The frosting works like glue to keep the ring and the cake board together. It works so well, when I'm trying to remove a layer to cut, the rind and legs come out with the board above. It sticks just that well.

Look at this page. It explains the the instructions
http://www.earlenescakes.com/pkgckconst.htm

Thanks...it sounds like a great product.....

This sounds like a silly question...but the wedding cake I will be doing will not be moved....will i still have to use all the dows?

When I took my classes, the instructor had metal circle supports. They look exactly like silver duct work pipes (like for your furnace). She had different sizes for the cakes and would put them directly into the cake, the plate sat right on top. Does anyone else use these? Our local store sells them but they are expensive. $8-14 each.
Judy

Here is a few more sites.. Good Luck
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayArticle?articleNum=as0141
http://www.wilton.com/wedding/makecake/building/stacked.cfm
http://shop.pattycakes.com/Guides/tier_cake_construct.asp

I tried the dowel rod construction once and only once. It was just a complete mess AND I followed the instructions. I do have a question about the size of the final dowel rod to hold all the tiers together. What is the maximum height of cake or maximum tiers you can have before a dowel just isn't long enough to go through all tiers? I just use what I learned in a wedding cake construction class. This is how I stack my tiered cakes:


I have the hidden plastic pillars by Wilton. I also have the separator plates. I trimed the slanted part the feet on the bottom of all my separator plates so they will fit into the hidden plastic pillars. When I bake my cakes I place them on their respective cardboard circles. Next, I use non-stringy hot glue on my separator plates and glue the cakes on their respective cardboard circles to the plates. I then place the cakes, on their separator plates, into the hidden pillars already pushed into the bottom cake.


Does that make sense! I only had to do the measuring and cutting once and I have them ready to go the next time I need to do a stacked cake.


Amy

Amy, that is a great idea!! That's what I've been thinking about doing, and I'm so glad it works for you! Thanks, because I just can't afford that stress-free system right now. I'm assuming that the hot glue peels off the separator plates when you're done? One question, though - since you trimmed the feet on your separator plates, doesn't that make them less stable when you want to do a pillar design?

that sounds like a great idea. I really wanted to try something other than wooden dowels for stacking. I have a wedding in September and it is a 4 tier stacked cake. Will you be able to see any part of the separator plates once stacked? Also, are you using plastic dowels or hidden pillars or does it matter? Also, are you just using the 4 dowels that stick into the plate or are you adding more dowels in the centre of the cake or just into the cake in general? Sorry for all the questions but I really like this idea and want to get it right? I appreciate any more info, advice you can give

Thanks Amy, if you can a picture would be wonderful for us all to see. I'm not even sure I've seen separator plates here where I live without the scalloped edges. I have to look now. Thanks again!