I'm making a 3 tier cake covered in buttercream with a fondant "ribbon" along the bottom. I really don't want to have to pipe a border after I stack them so I'm wondering if I should put the ribbon on after I stack to hide the boards? Am I flirting with disaster?

Also, am I crazy to wait to stack tomorrow? It's not being picked up until 3ish tomorrow afternoon. (Yes it is travelling stacked but it was unavoidable so pray for me) I'm thinking of waiting to stack it tomorrow around lunch time so that it isn't stacked overnight. Or shoudl I stack tonight so if I have a disaster I still have time to fix it?

I would stack, then add the ribbon if you want that clean look w/o piping. Re. stacking tonight or tomorrow, I always get impatient at that point to see how it looks all done, so I would likely stack. But that's just me! Maybe some of the pros can give you a good reason for or against. Good luck!

As far as stacking the cake you can do it either way. I usually have mine completely assembled the day/night before it's due. That way if there is a problem I have time to fix it without being rushed.

Yes you put the ribbon on AFTER you stack the cake and have it fully assembled. Have you stacked a cake before or is this your first? What kind of support system did you use?

Thanks cakecraft. I know I'll be impatient tonight too However I have a bunch of cupcakes to do for my son's bake sale tomorrow so have plenty of other stuff to get done as well lol

I think I'm just afraid that the cake will topple. It's the first stacked cake I've done for someone else eek!!

Sorry mamwrobin - not ignoring you we just posted at about the same time

I have stacked a couple of cakes before and I'm currently just using bubble tea straws and dowels. I have yet to be able to get my hands on SPS or anything like it

Any tips?

I would also use the center dowel so that your cake doesn't slip during transportation. I use the wooden bbq skewers. They already have a sharpened end and they're skinnier than the wooden dowels for caking. I also use straws and cardboard cake circles. I prefer straws because they "fill up" with cake where dowels "displace" cake. I know that alot of people use dowels w/o any problems but I'm more comfortable using straws.

What are your tiers resting on? Cardboard cake circles? Plates? The reason I'm asking is that unless it's cardboard it's not possible to get that center dowel in to "nail" your cake to the base to prevent slipping.

Oh yes I will definitely centre dowel, especially since it has to travel stacked However, if you wait until the last minute to beg me to do a cake I guess you take your chances.

And yep, cakes are on cardboard cake circles. I also prefer straws for the same reasons you do. It's a 10,8,6 - how many straws shoudl I use? I'm thinking at least 6?

I agree with all the advice given so far, I just wanted to add that I (and I believe many others) usually add a circle or two of royal icing around the top of the teir being stacked on to sort of give it a glue to bond it. I rarely, if ever, drive a center dowel. Hope that doesn't come back to haunt me someday (knock on wood). I also try to stack and finish decorating the morning of the occasion. I don't like the stacked weight sitting on the support longer than it needs to, especially overnight. Just my habits

Thanks and I will post pics

One more question if you come back to this - Should I dowel the top tier since I'm putting a fondant loopy bow on it? I just thought about that.

NO. You don't need to "dowel" the top tier for a loopy bow

I never use royal to "glue" the cake in place. Actually I cut a piece of wax paper the same size as the cake to put between the cake and the tier that it sits on so that when I take it apart for cutting it DOESN'T stick and pull of icing off the tier that it's sitting on. I use the center dowel. Edna (tonedna) has a great tutorial on youtube "How to Stack A Cake...my way that I suggest that you watch. It was a great help to me when I first started stacking cakes.

If your cake is stacked properly stacked weight doesn't have a time limit. The blue and white cake in my photos (also 10/8/6) had been stacked for 2 days when that picture was taken. The yellow and red cake (also 10/8/6) had been stacked for 5 days when that picture was taken and is STILL stacked and hasn't budged. Before you ask, no we're NOT planning on eating the yellow cake . Party was cancelled, I sprayed it with sealant and kept it for a display.

Exactly, which is why I said "just MY habits"

I'm not a pro, nor claim to be. I've seen pro's do it, which is where I got the idea. Cakeboss' Buddy glues cakes.

And I figure I dowel them properly since I haven't had any fall (without a center dowel), but still, the lower the cakes center of gravity, the less chance you have of something going wrong... hence why I wait. So Murphey's Law doesn't kick in.

Again... not trying to give you a lesson... just trying to share ideas and tips.

I appreciate all the advice I love how we all do things slightly differently and learn from each other,not that I've done much teaching since I'm new here LOL

Darthburn..I totally agree with you. Like I said in a previous post that she should do "what works for her". I wasn't saying you were wrong. I use to have the same fear about stacking a cake too soon. I was just saying that I've actually been suprised that they will (or can) hold up as long as they do.

Honestly, just last month I started putting that center dowel in because I was always afraid that I would destroy my cake trying to "nail" it in. So.... I totally understand where you're coming from.

BTW..the cake that you posted earlier looked great.

I'd use 7 in the bottom (one for the center) and 5 in the 8 inch (1 for center as well)

So when you finish stacking and add your center dowel, doesn't it hit and displace the center straws in your first and second layers?

thats exactly what I was thinking ren715

I've never had that problem. Probably because I use a wooden skewer (no dowel) that easily fits inside of the center straw or goes down beside it w/o any problems.