Do I put the dowels in and then cover each tier in fondant, or do i cover the cake and then put the dowels in going through the fondant? I've made tiered cakes before but this is my first one covered in fondant, so I'm not quite sure where that step comes in during the process. TIA!

(It's my parents' 30th anniversary cake! Woohoo!

Cover & decorate first.

I've wondered as well if I'm actually stacking right. I put the dowels in after the fondant is on the cake, trim them down to equal size, then stack the cake on top. However, I never include a cake sheet or board underneath the top tier. Is this wrong? Should I be using a cake board underneath the top tier so that the bottom of the cake doesn't stick to the fondant (which looks worse when the top tier is chocolate cake). If you use a board, how do you get the main dowel through both tiers? I imagine it wouldn't easily go through the cake board. Thanks!

yes use a boad under the tier above. place a whole for the center rod thru your circle before you place it under your other cake. It is of great help. If you're worried about sticking you can use a parchment circle under the board as well. HTH.

Nic17, yes, you should put a cake board under the top tier so that it can hold the cake up. To get the dowel through the two tiers, sharpen one end and poke through. WHen you get to the cake board, use a small hammer or something like that to get it through the board. This is what I do and it works everytime.