I am sure this has been asked before but I didn't find it when I searched...

I always stack my cakes with wooden dowels. I don't do a lot of them but here in the past month I have done one every weekend. I am ready to go to the SPS but until I get a chance to order some I was wondering...

For those that always use dowels, how on Earth do you get the layers stacked (iced in buttercream) without smashing the icing in on the side of the cake and how do you get it where you want it on the first try???

I am getting so sick of fixing my icing where I have fingerprints and not getting the top layers exactly where I wanted them.

thanks

I leave my dowels sticking out of the top of the cake by about an inch. Then I line the cake up, and take away my fingers. There are a bunch of videos on Youtube showing this.

Indydebi has a great trick for this. She posted pics of her technique in a thread SOMEWHERE but I couldn't find them. Maybe you'll have better luck.
Basically, you leave the dowels sticking out of the bottom tier just enough to get your hands/cake mover underneath. When you set the upper tier on the dowels the weight of the cake will push them down slowly, giving you enough time to get your hands out of the way without messing up your icing.

I found Edna's video very helpful (thanks Edna!)

If I don't get a tier exactly where I want it, I just move it slightly using my spatula. I always chill my cakes so I think this makes them a little easier to handle.

That video is AWESOME!!! Thanks for all the replies. I am going to try it that way next weekend!

What works for me is to chill the cake first before I stack. That way if you have to readjust the layers, the icing wont get messed up. Always works for me. I have used both sugarshacks BC recipe and SMBC.