I will be attempting my first multi-tier cake, which will be a white cake with whipped cream cheese frosting and decorated with fresh strawberries (very simple design).

I don't have or like any of the cake stands I've seen for multi-tier cakes that allow the cakes to not sit on top of each other, so I'm considering just placing the top layer on the bottom with the proper support.

Does the top layer (with the proper cake plate and supports underneath) get placed directly (actually touching - not on pillars) onto the bottom frosted layer, which will also have fresh strawberries?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks.
-M

the way it works is the bottom tier is sitting on the cake drum or cake stand of your choice. It has dowels running from the drum/stand to the surface of the cake. Your next cake, on a cake board round sits on the dowels, not actually on the cake. Now the cake board round may touch the cake top so if you worry about icing sticking to the cake board round then you can either use crusting BC or sprinkle it with shaved chocolate or coconut or PS . Each tier from there up is really standing on the dowels inside the cake, not the actual cake. So it wouldn't matter if you filled your cake with jello, the cake above is sitting on the dowels, not the cake so it won't squish it. I usually cut my dowels so that they are JUST above the surface of my cake...maybe an 8th of an inch or so. After the cakes are stacked I can then pipe or wrap a trim and you never see any space between the cakes. HTH...Cat

I cut my dowels level with the top of the bottom tier to avoid having that gap. You might want to consider not putting the strawberries under the top tier or adding them after you stack your cakes.

Libby