I can bake my hind end off but I can't figure out cake boards. So stupid, I know. Can someone PLEASE walk me through how they work? For example, if I'm making a 9" round cake, I usually put it on a 9" cake board. I usually start with a board the same size so I can keep it clean when I'm icing and them move it off my turntable onto a larger (10" or 11") round that I usually cover in food safe foil.

Is that right? Should I be putting it directly on the 10-11" board with foil and/or fondant covering it? I can't seem to find instructions anywhere. I know I'm over-analyzing it but I can decorate a cake now...just not put it on a board!

Oy vay. Thanks for your help.

Sounds like you're doing it right to me. Like you, it is too difficult for me to keep the board clean.

Not a stupid question.... If its just a cake Im not going to stack, I just place it directly on to the decorative board (usually 2 inches larger than the cake) and ice/cover with fondant. If Im going to stack I will use 1 size smaller or cut it down to fit under the cake. If Im using buttercream only I will use the same size board and use the board as my guide for the icing thickness. Does that help?

You are right! Just think about keeping the board clean. A foil or grease proof board can be wiped off whereas a fondant board cant. If you arent decorating the board, go ahead and place the cake on the larger board.

If im just putting the cake on a reg. cake board I just put it right on the 10" board. I use the wilton Icing tip to apply my buttercream and i think that cuts WAY down on board mess. Whatever I do get on the board I wipe off with a damp papertowel once im done. Sometimes i wait till it crusts on the board and then it kind of just flakes of with a dry towel. If im putting it on a fondant covered board I use 2 boards.

I have a question to you ladies. If you are using 2 cake boards. How do you stop the small one from sliding during transport? Just some buttercream under there?

If you make your boards using several cardboard rounds (or squares) on top of each other, tape the sides and then cover with white Freezer Wrap...it's in the grocery area with the parchment paper.

Put double sided tape on the center of the board and place it face down on your paper which should be at least an inch around wider than the board. (Make sure the shiny side is on the outside of your board! ) Then cut slits in it all around up to the edge of your board and then tape them to the underside of your board. Use lots of tape. Pull one or two tabs up and tape--making sure you pull it tight when covering so there's no crumpling or loose paper. Don't worry if the edge of your board looks like a bunch of slits...you can cover that with a ribbon. Of course if your cake is square, no need to cut the slits.

Put a glob of icing in the center of your covered board and put your first layer of cake on top of that to secure it. Then fill and ice as usual! I always decorate my cakes this way and wipe the edges around the cake and board clean when I'm through. The freezer wrap is strong and can take a lot of moisture and abuse. I also use it to cover the thin boards for stacking tiered cakes. HTH!