I have no idea what to do. I did a stacked cake for my boys 1st birthday party but this is for a friend's baby's 1st. It's a 9 inch and 6 inch cake. Do I ice them first then stack then decorate? How about the dowel business? I have no idea how to do this. I'm taking Wilton's Course 3 next week but I don't want to mess this cake up. Is there an article or thread?

Yes, depending on the level of detail on the sides of the cake, Ice first, then stack, then decorate. Just cut the dowels even with or just slightly below the level of the icing(make sure they are all even) and leave the dowels sticking up a couple of inches. Use the weight of the upper cake to push the dowels into the lower cake. Makes stacking easier.

HTH! Good luck! ~Mindy

(If you need more info) here's an everything you ever wanted to know about making a 1st tiered cake:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-5958955-.html

HTH