I made this cake for a wedding at the weekend. It's VERY tall - each tier is two cakes high (over 6") there's three tiers plus a pastillage lighthouse topper. As you can see the dowelling didn't hold up and it started to 'sway.' Fortunately it didn't actually fall over, even more fortunately it was for friends who only paid for the ingredients. It's chocolate with a thin layer of buttercream in each cake (not a thick layer as I thought this would make it less stable) The covering is fondant.

Each layer of cake is dowelled with thick plastic dowelling and between each cake there is a board - so the whole cake has 5 boards (excluding the base) and 32 dowels in it (six in each base cake, five in each of the higher cakes). I think I maybe didn't put the dowelling close enough to the edges of the cake so it had room to tilt at the sides?

Are there any foolproof tips for dowelling massive cakes like this? I would really appreciate any advice as I love making cakes on this scale - but I definately didn't like the stress of seeing it tumble!

FABULOUS CAKE!

And, why not drive a central dowel through such a tall cake? I use one for all my tiered cakes and it lessens the heart palpataions during transport.

On all of my tall cakes I place one dowel that is the height of the cake right down through the center of all layers. This will not allow it to sway. I also use dowels in each layer with boards in between the cake layers. The one really long dowel, I sharp to a point and gently tap it through it layer of cake and its board until it hits the bottom plate.

Hope this helps!

By the way, gorgeous cake and design!!

I didn't transport the cake assembled - I assembled it on site so I didn't think I'd need a central dowel - this being the case should I still have had one? I don't see how it would have stopped the middle tier tipping back slightly and squashing a bit of the bottom tier. Also if hammering a dowel through it how would the dowel have got through the five hardboards? That stuff is solid like wood!

hi there

sorry, this is a little off topic but how do u serve such a tall cake?!?!?!

its VERY pretty.. i would LOVE it as my wedding cake..

GREAT job!

I'm sorry, I can't offer any help on your question, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE your cake!!!

are you sure that your cake is swaying, It looks like the topper is slightly off? Did you dowel under that?? The cake looks pretty straight to me. If its off i don't see it until you place the topper on.

BTW: this is a wonderful cake. I really like the design.

Gorgeous cake, your friends must have been overwhelmed yet delighted. Did you put dowels in the middle of the tier? Because this could cause the tilt. I only dowel in a circle. Bit hard to explain, but imagining the cake is a clockface, dowel at, say 12, 3, 6, 9 o'clock (or more depending on the size, evenly spaced) and not in the centre of the clock. Cut all your dowels for the same tier the same height, regardless of whether the tier is perfectly level (but using a spirit level, try to make it as level as possible). Hope this helps!

This cake is so gorgeous I wouldn't care if the lighthouse was leaning over and touching the table!

did you use cake plates as opposed to cake boards ?? I know i read someone here uses cake plates but predrilled holes so that they could still place the center dowel.

I have only done one stacked cake but that center dowel really helped .


the cake is unreal !! what a fantastic job - hope you are thrilled with it wow!!!

how did you do the icicle things ??

I use a predrilled hole in my hardboards. You have to place the dowl first, then lover each tier doen onto it. At least that's the only way I could come up with. I'm open to suggestions f anyone has a better way.

Sorry I am new to this and have no suggestions I just had to say that I LOVE that cake....and can only hope to do something that good someday!!

Great Job!

I just love your cake!!!

I want to do the really tall cakes and with lots of research I think I will either need the "Stress Free Support System" or design another type of stand with a central support pole.

thanks for sharing, I now know that some other type of support system is required - putting it on my Christmas list.

I have the stress free support system and I love it! I don't do any important cakes without it!

where can I find out more about this stress free support system?

Serving it was ok - the waitresses just took off the long tall curls and cut it, like any other cake. The Long tall curls are made from gumpaste and handpainted with 'waves' at the base.

where can I find out more about this stress free support system?

Serving it was ok - the waitresses just took off the long tall curls and cut it, like any other cake. The Long tall curls are made from gumpaste and handpainted with 'waves' at the base.

earlenescakes.com is where I'm looking.

I actually just gasped when I saw that cake. It is a work of art!!!! Congrats on it.

(Incidentally, I also agree....the tiers look nice and straight to me. It's the topper that looks off to the right a tad too much.)

If the middle tier tipped and squashed the bottom tier a bit...then your doweling on the bottom tier wasn't right. Possibly you didnt' get the dowels spaced properly to support the second cake?????? I did this once. Had them too near the center.This caused two dowels to lean over from the weight of the top caks....... NEVER did that again!!!! Another possiblity is that a dowel was too short???

Nevertheless................the cake is wonderful. I know how you feel tho~ I want perfect..and as customer I would expect perfect. The dowels must all be exactly the same length...and the bottome board/plate must be perfectly flat.

Hang in there!!!