I am making a cake for my mom's birthday tomorrow. I've only ever made two cakes before and for this one I would like to stack two cakes. My mom wants a strawberry banana cake- will this work? And if so, any suggestions on how I should go about it? Thank you

What size are the two tiers you are stacking?
Each 'tier' consists of two 2" tall layers with filling between them.
Are you making a strawberry cake and using sliced bananas as filling?

You can make whatever type of cake you like, because the support system you use will hold it up.

There are several different ways of supporting the bottom layer. There is the SPS system, you can use plastic cake dowels or straws.

I've only ever used straws, and for the type of cake you are going to do, I think this would be the easiest for you.

You can place your top tier on a thin cake board and cover it if you like, but you often don't need to do this if it's only 2 tiers. As long as you put supports in the bottom tier, you can place the top tier directly onto the bottom tier of the cake.

Hope this helps, feel free to message me if you need more info.

Oh man, it looks like I'm in trouble. I have absolutely no idea what size to do or how to use the straws. I don't need an extremely big cake, a standard size should be fine. If I am stacking only two cakes- I will use four 2 inch layers of cake? And to attach the top of the bottom cake to the bottom of the top cake do I use icing? Thanks so much for your help! Clearly I am in serious need of it

I would do an 8 and 6 inch cake if it's not feeding many. Otherwise you can do an 8 and 10 inch.

Depending on the height you want you can use either 3 or 4 layers of cake, that's your preference.

Don't be too put off. It really is very easy to stack two tiers of cake. You won't need to use anything to 'stick' the cakes together. I never have and haven't had any problems.

If you're using straws to stack the cake, you'll only need 4. Place the straws into the cake at equal inervals where the top layer will be, noting where the top of the cake is, then pull them out a small way and snip off the excess.

I have to disagree with NatalieMarie when it comes to using a support in between tiers. You should always use a cake circle or foamcore underneath each tier, even just 2 tier cakes. Otherwise you will likely end up with bulging on the bottom tier. In addition to providing proper support for the top tier, this will make disassembling the tiers much easier and less messy.

Also, with regard to the supports within the bottom tier, you can use dowels, bubble tea straws, SPS, or even drinking straws if that's all you have. If you plan on transporting the cake, I would recommend inserting a long dowel rod down the middle of both tiers to hold them together better during transport.

Do you want tiers....different sizes of cake....or just a higher stacked cake? If you are making a cake for just a few and just want a higher, stacked, cake....you don't need support. You could make two 8" or 10" round cakes...2" high each, fill and stack with no support. If you want tiers..then the other suggestions are best. You don't need support, from my understanding, in a stacked cake until you get over 4" high....2 - 2" layers are fine.

Oh yes, sorry if I misunderstood your question. If you are just stacking to layers of the same size of cake, you dont need any support. But for tiers that are above 4 inches in height, or for multiple tiers, you do need it.

I think what you are planning is nice. Go ahead and do it. It would look great with the top two layers smaller than the bottom two. Do this and you should be fine:

Place the bottom of the top two layers on a cake circle(cardboard round). Put some frosting in the middle and place the second layer on. Frost as usual.

Do the same for the bottom two layers and put them on whatever you will be moving the cake on( cake plate, doubled up cardboard, or foam core).

Now you have two different cakes ready to be put together. Use a circle the same size as the upper cake as a guide to place straws(yes regular straws) or wooden rods called dowels in the lower cake within the area of the circle. Four or five should do. Cut them so that they are almost exactly the height of the cake. These will act like stilts for the upper cake and prevent smooshing.

When you are ready, use a spatula to help you lift the top cake and place it on the lower cake. Use extra frosting to hide the cake board and any small dings.

It's not that hard. I'm sure it will look great!. Good luck!