How do you it and will it go through the cardboard between each layer? I was also wondering where you purchase them. Is it safe to put one from Home Depot in your cake? Thanks

I'm sorry, are you speaking of a 3 layer cake or a 3 tier cake? I make 3 layer dessert cakes for my family often, and have never doweled them. A 3-tiered cake would have to be boarded and doweled.

See the articles section for constructing a stacked/tiered cake for more information.

As far as using dowels from Home Depot, I mentioned that previously, and was told not to, because there is no guarantee of their food safety.

Theresa

I meant 3 tiered

definitely see the articles section on the home page. there is a tutorial in there with photos.

Theresa

Doweling--

Yes, you can use the dowel rods at Home Depot, just remember to disinfect them with a bleach/water solution before you put them in the cake. If you don't want to sterilize the wood yourself, you can purchase the pre-sanitized wooden dowel rods at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and I think at JoAnn's and Wal-Mart, too.

Here's a link to the Wilton instructions for doweling each tier:
http://www.wilton.com/wedding/makecake/building/dowelrod/dowel_tiered.cfm

Additionally, you'll want to have one dowel going down thru the center of all three tiers (and cardboard circles). To do this, you will have to sharpen one end of the long dowel rod that goes thru the center (a handheld pencil sharpener will work for the standard size dowel rods).

That being said, I think that using hidden pillars and plates makes for a much sturdier cake than dowel rods. In fact, the cakes I've made using that method haven't budged one bit in transporting them (even on a gravel road and down a steep hill).

fronklowes, and others, do you have a particular type or brand of hidden pillar and plate system that you prefer?