I'm just curious if theres a better way to stack one cake on top of another when your stacking. I hold the teir I'm adding with my hands as close to the top of the bottom cake as possible and then just let it drop but this tends to really mess the buttercream up around the base (finger tip marks) and sometimes can be hard to repair once stacked. Most of it is covered with a border but sometimes can still be seen (by me anyway). Is this the way most do it or is there a better way?

There's a trick for it. Only insert your dowels halfway into the cake. Then set the next tier on. The weight of the tier will lower the dowels into the cake below, but give you time to get your hands out from underneath.

Yeah, dropping a cake does have it's disadvantages!

I use my icing spatula. With the spatula under the cake, place the cake in place; lower the cake with my hands until there's no hand-space left, then let the spatula do the work.

and that's why we love indydebi!!!!!!!!

I just watched the DVD from Sharon Zambito and I loved her way of stacking but I have only one problem don't know where I am going to find bubble straw here in Holland lol

I order my online @ w w w (dot) t e n t e a (dot) c o m

I use the bubble tea straws and leave them up about an inch or so - set the next tier on there, and gravity takes it down just fine.

Here is a video tutorial on stacking.

WOAH! I'm sorry shipping is so high for you Spices5. Is there anyone you know stateside who can ship them, or will the shipping still cost the same? I'm just thinking U.S.P.S. can be cheaper then Fed-Ex or UPS.

I now the shipping cost from the US to The Netherlands is just killing me, my sisters and step mom lives in the US but even when they send me certain items they have to pay quite a bit for shipping and they always use U.S.P.S

Hummmmm...... Lots of good tips here. Can't wait to try them out. Thank you indydebi for the pics. I was trying to picture how you did that just before I scrolled down and saw the pics. I'm not familiar with tea straws but will def. be checking it out. Thank you all for your advice.

Hello all
and Hi Edna! I am a huge fan of yours. You do amazing work and do a wonderful job teaching. Thank you for taking the time to do what you do.

I will be making a simple 3 tier cake for my sisters shower in 2 weeks. I am very new at this so I need a little help. There will be one 10'. one 8' and one 6' and I mean one of each...no doubling up on the sizes. SO, my question is how many dowels should I use for this size. Will one thru the center do the trick or should I dowel the 10 and 8 also? So confused. I have never made a stack cake before. Also, just made a cake topper for this cake yesterday out of gumpaste and it has hardened pretty well. Should I now store it in an airtight container or a ziploc bag?

Thanks! any advice is appreciated.
Shannon

Each tier needs to be supported. You can center dowel if you are transporting stacked.
And, do you mean, each tier is only about 2 inches tall?

Jamie,
Thank you. So, I would only need to put a center dowel thru them all if I am transporting it that way? Well, that makes sense.lol
Yes, the tiers will only be 2' tall.

You got it!

Thanks again
BTW, sorry Kakedreamer for using your thread!lol