I just wanted to ask everyone if I have all the steps in the right order:

1.  have a very firm cake recipe first of all.
2.  when cakes comes out, let rest for 5 minutes, then wrap tightly and put in freezer. It keeps the cake moist.
3.  take out of freezer.
4.  Prepare cardboard cake base - cover with wax paper.
5.  Put little buttercream on cake base of first cake before putting cake on. Keeps it from moving. Some do it in heart shape.
6.  level and tort.
7.  Do super stiff dam about ½ inch in from edge of cake.
8.  fill cake (fill only half the way up the dam). For 8 = ¾ c. 9 = 1 c 6 = 1/3 cup. Wrap cakes well.
9.  do I do this??? let cake settle overnight. Put couple of cake pans on top to help settle.
10.  trim sides straight; spackle cake if necessary.
11.  dowel each layer. Space about 2 apart. Measure where 8 cake pan goes on first tier and then go ½ in to put dowel.
12.  for wedding cakes especially, put in centre dowel through all cakes. Cut hole in cardboard so hole will go through.
13.  crumbcoat and make sure bottom of cake is sealed so no moisture will get in cake.
14.  flashfreeze to harden buttercream
15.  apply fondant and let rest again. Do I do this all on day one?????
16.  Day 2 cake has settled. Adjust fondant, if necessary.
17.  decorate.
18.  stack cakes remembering to put dab of buttercream on bottom of cake board so it will stick to fondant of each cake.

You guys are great and so supportive. Thanks in advance

Hi there, after you put the filling let it rest over night. I don't keep anything on top of the cakes. The next day, after NO.10 you need to cover the cake with buttercream. It should be a bit more than your normal crumbcoat. Then comes NO14- flashfreezer. Then you cover the cakes with fondant. After that only you need to dowel the cake. Not before that!

HTH!

If I had to follow each one of those steps I would never have made the 1000s of cakes I did!
Until I came up with the WASC recipe I never used a firm cake recipe.....always used Betty Crocker straight from the box.
while cake is baking make icing &./or fix board(s). Boards are not covered w/wax paper.......but w/a decorative covering - grease proof if possible. Seldom put anything on the board under the cake.
After removing from oven, let cool on a cake rack 10 minutes. Leve cake (if necessary) while still in pan, then turn out onto same rack to cool 20-30 minutes. If not using right away put into a plastic bag and put in frig or fzr.
.......9. do I do this??? let cake settle overnight. Put couple of cake pans on top to help settle. 10. trim sides straight; spackle cake if necessary 11. dowel each layer. Space about 2 apart. Measure where 8 cake pan goes on first tier and then go ½ in to put dowel.
12. for wedding cakes especially, put in centre dowel through all cakes. Cut hole in cardboard so hole will go through...........

Have never done this. Well of course I dowel in some form but don't put them that close together. In an 8" cake I'll only use 3 or 4 dowels
........flashfreeze to harden buttercream (crumbcoat)........
No, let it set at room temp - depending on b'cream recipe this can take as little as 10 minutes while do something else.
When covering cake w/fondant there is NO wait time.......it should be put on the cake asap.