Thank you in advance for any suggestions or recommendations you may have. This is all completely new to me. As part of a cake I'm making for my husband's birthday I will need to stack several 9x9 square cakes, most likely 6. I have tried looking online and see advice about stacking different sized tiers with dowels, etc. so I think I have a pretty good idea about how it's done. Is this something I should do with layers that are the same size as well? If so, do I need cardboard and smaller dowels between each layer or should I just layer the whole thing and stick several long dowels down into the entire cake? Is there a special cake cardboard you're supposed to buy? Would it be better to use wooden dowels or plastic ones? Thank you again for your advice! I really have an interest in becoming more creative with my cakes but I really have no idea what I'm doing!

never done it, but i should guess so...

giving you a bump.

If you are stacking 6 two-inch thick squares, I would definitely use cake boards and dowels. If the cakes are two inches thick, I would think you would probably treat it as three two-layer cakes. I would definitely recommend short dowels to support the layers above, plus, if you will be moving the cake, longer dowels that go through the whole thing.

I'd also be really careful, because the cake will be taller than it is wide, which can be a stability issue for transport. I've only had this be a problem once, when I made the mistake of stacking four six-inch rounds, making a cake that was 8" tall and only 6" across. I live on a rather steep hill, and the poor cake didn't have a chance.

I use foamcore boards cut down to the size I need, and wilton's hollow plastic dowels (kind of look like very large straws). The plastic dowels are easier to cut and seem more hygenic, plus the added thickness of them helps stabilize the cake. Since I'm buying foamcore at the craft store and it doesn't come all wrapped up, I wrap the cut pieces with foil or plastic wrap before I put them in the cake.

The general rule of thumb is a cake board and dowel for every 4" of cake height. That will make it easier to serve too.

Redpanda is right about the height thing...I decided to get creative once and cut a 10" round into quarters, doweled and stacked them, and it was so wobbly that I had to put it on a few extra thicknesses of foam board and hammer bamboo skewers into the whole thing just so it would stay still to be decorated.

I really appreciate the help and advice. I plan on assembling the cake where the party is the day before so I hope I won't have any huge stability issues. I see what you mean by the height versus width. I will put in as much support as I possibly can. Many thanks!