Hi all,

I need some advice since I am just starting to get my feet wet.

I am making a cake for someone who wants a 40 serving cake and I am unsure what round pan sizes to purchase. I've attached a picture of the cake design.

What size pan should I use for both the bottom and top tier? Each tier will be either a 2 or 3 layer cake (I usually make a double layer but thought I might experiment a little).

Also, I need a little advice on how to stack the tiers? Should I use a plain (wrapped in parchment) cake board or one of those plastic Wilton tier plates?

Will I need to use wooden dowels, Wilton plastic columns, or something else for support, or nothing at all?

Oops! I almost forgot, will I have to insert dowels down through both cake tiers for stability?

TIA!
The Food Fairy (Roger)

IF it were me, I would do a 10" round and a 6"round. I use regular cake boards when stacking, and just put a little powered sugar on the cake below to keep it from sticking.

You will definitely need to dowel. I use 3 dowels in the bottom cake, and then drive one down through the middle of the top all the way down to the bottom. (this is a must if you plan to transport the cake! I learned the hard way!)

Good Luck!

My question on this topic is
When you say you put a cake board on the bottom cake when stacking, do you mean between the layers?
And if you put a dowel through the middle will that not have to go through the cake board?
Am I understanding correctly?
Thank you all!!!

Yes, that is correct. You can read more about it at http://cakecentral.com/article23-Teired-Stacked-Cake-Construction.html