I am making my first stacked cake for tomorrow, it will be three tiers. I plan on doweling the bottom two layers.

I will take the cakes unassembled to the party and stack and decorate there.

My question....do I have to put a center dowel down all three layers once the cake is set up at the party?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Kim

What size are your tiers?

Disclaimer! I'm no expert so if someone overrules me, go with their advice.

That said, it's my understanding that the center dowel is for when you transport the cake to keep the tiers from sliding off one another. The first wedding cake I did I assembled onsite but I had to carry it some distance over uneven ground so we center doweled it (because I'm a big chicken!) But if you assemble it on the display table and it's not going anywhere (and you're all leveled up) you shouldn't need to. HTH

My tiers are 14, 10 & 6.

I am hoping that Fran is right and I won't have to take a hammer to my cake! That really scares me. After it is all set up it shouldn't go anywhere. Should it?

I did my first stacked cake a couple of weeks ago, and to tell you the truth I was so scared that i was going to ruin the cake with the center dowel...it worked great! Use a pencil sharpener to make a nice point on one end of your long dowel, find your center, and then push the dowel throught the cake, when you get to the first board just twist the dowel using just a little pressure and it will poke through, then do the same thing all the way through the entire cake...once it is through take a marker or pen or pencil and draw a little mark just where the frosting meets the dowel and then you can remove the dowel, when you remove the dowel be sure to do it slowely and twist it out like you were unscrewing a screw and gently back it all the way out and then cut your dowel about 1/4 inch shorter than where you marked it and the push it back through, it will go in nice and smooth! I promise!

I personally would transport the first two tiers already assembled and then put the top tier on when you get to the venue. (Only because i wouldn't want to work on anymore than I had to with an audience, 'cause I'd be sure to screw up under all the pressure...)

If for some reason the dowel wont twist though (it should with no problem) then you could break out the hammer, but I am sure you will be just fine!!