Dowelling W/ Fondant - Help Please

Decorating By beachcakes Updated 9 Jun 2006 , 9:35pm by oneprimalscream

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beachcakes Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 8:13pm
post #1 of 8

I have a wedding cake to deliver at 4:00 tomorrow. OMG that's in 24 hrs!!!! And it's my first - I'm now going into panic mode! icon_cry.gif Anyway, I'm using the hollow wilton plastic dowels instead of wood dowels, as per the suggestion on here.

When using in a fondant covered cake, do you push the dowels through the fondant or do you cut the fondant away first? Will pushing them through mess up the cake?

Any help would be appreciated!!!!!!

7 replies
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SLK Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 8:20pm
post #2 of 8

I've never done a wedding cake, but I have done some stacked cakes and I put the dowl through the fondant. It may mess up the cake a little, but the next layer will hide that. You don't have to dowl the top layer unless the cake topper is heavy - and if the top of that cake gets messed up - then the topper will hide that. Hope that helps.

Congrats and good luck! Can't wait to see it.

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okred Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 8:24pm
post #3 of 8

I just push them down through the fondant, doesn't mess up anything. they go in quite easily. Don't panic I bet your cake is beautiful!!!! Can't wait to see pictures

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oneprimalscream Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 8:38pm
post #4 of 8

I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't understand how the dowels work if they aren't connecting the two layers.

Do they add weight to each layer, and since they are at the center, they cause the cake to NOT shift?

Could someone please explain?

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SLK Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 9:21pm
post #5 of 8

oneprimalscream - The reason for dowling a cake is to support the weight of highter cakes without crushing the bottom layers.

Let's say you are stacking 3 cakes on top of each other. Start with the bottom cake and figure out where the next cake will go. If it's smack dab in the middle then put the dowels so that it will support the cake board of the above cake. The bigger the cake - the more dowls you will need.

These dowels support the second tier. Then, if you have another cake going on top, you would dowl the second cake to support the top (or third) cake.

By doing this, the weigh of the cakes will not crush the lower layers.

Then, if all cakes are stacked directly on top of each other - you can stick one dowl right through the middle of all 3 cakes to keep them from shifting.

I'm not the smartest at this - someone else may be able to add to it if I stated something wrong.

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oneprimalscream Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 9:27pm
post #6 of 8

Thanks for taking the time to answer.

So, I'm guessing that you would stick the dowel in until it hits the cakeboard, then mark it, and cut all your dowels that same height?

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SLK Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 9:31pm
post #7 of 8

Yep! Forgot to also mention, you should also put the cakes on cake boards and not just stack cake on top of cake. It helps with stacking and cutting and supporting.

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oneprimalscream Posted 9 Jun 2006 , 9:35pm
post #8 of 8

You read my mind! I had just posted this question in the other thread...lol.

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