Ok let me get this straight. The smaller dowels in the cakes are so that the cakes do not sink into each other.
The large rod that goes through all the layers is so that it does not slide.
Is the larger one necessary if you are stacking on site? I would guess not. The larger one is neede if stacked cakes are being transported stacked.
I am also not getting the heavy cake thing. Is this person saying that cause the cakes are so heavy they won't slide so a center large dowel is not needed? I am guessing the cake is not collapsing on itself because she uses plastic dowels.
Ok the smaller ones prevent the cakes from sinking into each other and the larger one is to prevent it from sliding and no if you are stacking on sight then you dont have to have it but, if there are kids I would incase one of them bump the table, that way they wont go for a dump.
I, too, only drive a central dowel through the entire stacked cake if I'm having to assemble it before traveling with it. If I stack on-site, I don't do the central dowel.
It's actually easy to drive a central dowel through your stacked cake if you use single layers of cardboard under each cake and stick the end of the dowel rod in a pencil sharpener to make it sharp. It drives easily through the cardboard cake circles.
Of course, traveling with a stacked cake is risky business....www.buttercreamdreams.com/disaster.htm
I won't ever do it again, that's for sure!!
Well Cakepro after reading all that I can see why you would never do it again. Just out of curiosity, was that cake refrigerated at all before delivery? I can't imagine having to assemble after delivery but that's just me, and I know that everyone is different. I believe and also had others on this site say that refrigerating before delivery "solidifies" the cake for transport. I always do this and have never had a cake even slightly budge during transport. I've never not refrigerated (sorry for the double negative) but I wonder if it's true that it helps??
No, I sure didn't refrigerate it before transporting. I only refrigerate iced cakes before applying fondant because I've had condensation problems on cakes returning to room temperature.
The worst part of that ordeal was my questioning that one dowel when I put the 3rd-from-the-top-tier on top of the base tier. Not listening to my gut instinct to deconstruct and recut that one dowel cost me (and the bride 
) dearly.
It might not have collapsed had I not hit what we now call the "Cake Killer Bump" in the Beltway....it's a huge dip in the road that has grown worse and worse over time, and when I went over it, the backend of the Suburban got some lift and I imagine all the tiers in that cake got a lift too...when it came back down, that bottom dowel slipped and KABOOM. Even the central dowel, sharpened and driven deeply into the base cake board, didn't keep the structure from collapsing.
When we go over the Cake Killer Bump now, we slow to about 30 MPH to do it. I really need one of those "Wedding Cake Onboard" signs for my car...it sure pisses people off to slow down there but it's absolutely necessary.
If I HAD to transport a stacked cake now, I would not cut the 36" central dowel rod until after I arrive at the reception. I would ask one of my cake transportation partners to sit in the back seat and hold that central dowel rod sticking out of the cake and then cut it and place the topper on location.
Cake_Princess, are you really as rude as you seem or do you just say things to get a rise out of people?
Justcakn it's your perogative to draw whatever conclusions you want to. Be it right or wrong. I was merely pointing out that people should be careful not to mislead those asking for help. I am sure they don't do it intentionally however for a person that does not understand a concept it can be very frustrating.
I have only had to transport stacked a couple of times and I put the dowel all the way thru the tiers BUT I pre-cut holes in the cake boards a bit bigger than a dime so that way the dowel just slipped right thru. I would be terrified that the cake boards would buckle (I read about this happening to a lady) and ruining the cake if I tried to hammer it thru. I always adhere to the better safe than sorry philosophy!
Yep I will second that, I had a hard time once trying to get a dowel all the way through the cake so I pre cut a hole through the board. The only hard part was finding it 
If you sharpen your dowel, you won't have the problem of the cake board buckling. You're practically defeating the purpose of a central dowel by creating a dime-sized hole for a dowel rod the diameter of a pencil.
To each her own...
Cakepro, easy now LOL... you don't want to be accused of being rude 
I have pre-drilled the holes in My boards then I use a small skewer and I push it through the board and up through the cakes and then i remove it. This way everything is all lined up when and I don't have to guess where the hole in the board is. Grrrrr i hope that all makes sense i Am really tired...
Hhmn, don't think Cake Princess was being rude, my take was that she was just clarifying the wording. You know, sometimes you need to know a person before you understand their wording or the tone of their posts. I have known Cake Princess for a long time and she has a tendancy to be matter of fact so I know there was no attempt at rudeness here. It is so true that we forget that a newbie needs all the details and that is where I got my tendancy to go into a lot of detail because it is better not to assume that the newer decorators and bakers make assumptions.
I have my own point of view, I believe in dowelling whether it is wooden or plastic, either or will do. Using double plastic separator plates with pillars in between is a different system but one I love also and you still use dowels when doing this. Using the plastic separator plates with the hidden pillars or such works well too but you don't use dowels for this one. (Edited to add this information.) Straws are ok for smaller tiers and a cake with only maybe two tiers, or the tinier cakes like a 8, 6 and 2 or 4 inch one, but I wouldn't take a chance with anything much bigger and definitely not the bigger three tier stacked. I also believe that the density of the cake plays an important role as does using covered cake boards and a good sturdy base for all of the cakes to sit on.
Regardless, when you have two tiers or more and plan to serve the cakes separately you must always, always use dowels or separator plates or something that will support the weight of the cake.
I have no problems with hammering a centre dowel through, I sharpen one end with a pencil sharpener and for a cake that has no topper, I feed the centre dowel which I cut shorter than the combined cake and make a centre hole in the top tier board. Then I either hammer the centre dowel into the lower cakes and then thread it through the centre of the top tier by looking underneath at the hole in the board and lining it up or I thread it through this way in all of the cakes but the bottom one. And I make this hole the size of the dowel, no larger so that it will hold tight.
I will use the wooden skewers but only for a two tier smaller cake, mainly because they do have a tendancy to splinter and are made of bamboo which is not the strongest thing around. I agree, when using wooden dowels for larger cakes, you need to make sure they are made of a hardwood.
I never transport any cake of two tiers or more without using a centre dowel, it just isn't worth taking a chance in my view. Not that it won't work some of the time or even most of the time but for those times when people stop suddenly, I don't think it is worth the risk to me.
The bubble tea straws are a good choice too but again, I am old-fashioned and prefer to place my trust in the tried and true methods so when it comes to supporting heavier larger wedding cakes, especially when fondant comes into play, I prefer wood or the larger plastic Wilton dowels. I just will not take any risks when it comes to a wedding cake.
Heard way too many horror stories I guess.
Hugs Squirrelly
I've read many of cake_princess post and yes, she does sound rude. I waited until the other day before I said anything about it and I thought someone needed to. I respect your opinion, squirrellycakes, your right I don't know her.
So if any of you mis read this, I'm just being matter of fact, not rude.
I've read many of cake_princess post and yes, she does sound rude. I waited until the other day before I said anything about it and I thought someone needed to. I respect your opinion, squirrellycakes, your right I don't know her.
So if any of you mis read this, I'm just being matter of fact, not rude.
You are right, sometimes when we know a person fairly well, we know their way of wording things. CakePrincess puts in pretty darn long days so sometimes when she is tired, her posts are more "matter of fact' but because I know her fairly well, I guess I read her posts in a different manner than someone who doesn't know her well would. Heehee, so I do think, oh boy the kid is tired when I see a post where she isn't joking around. But she is a good kid, very loyal, very helpful and nice. (She will shoot me for calling her a kid, but you know, anyone under 134, qualifies).
I think perhaps it was just one of those days where things came across wrong, you know, we all have them. Hhmn, just got myself into trouble teasing my youngest about the fact that her hair colour is different nearly everytime I see her. Now normally she knows that is a "mom" kind of comment, but today, well she is sick, so it didn't go over too well.
And kiddo, I wasn't trying to give you hang either, just to point out that sometimes once we know someone better, we are less likely to take offense at their wording because we kind of understand the tone that they meant to convey, even if it might strike someone else differently.
I think there has been a fair amount of rudeness, somedays and perhaps we are more apt to watch for it now - well I am speaking for myself with that comment. I must say that I personally miss the days when someone would comment that they were hurt by another post and then that poster would immediately post an apology and there would be so darn many apologies back and forth that well, it was rather nice. But that is just me, I think we all have days when our words might not be taken well and once we are aware of it, well, it is the right thing to try to make things right again.
Must be my age, but I sure prefer peace and kindness and am not really good at handling the rest.
Hugs Squirrelly
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