HI, I just joined CC a week ago. I love it! I am doing a sweet 16 cake for this coming Saturday. I've only done one stacked cake before and I went to the location to set it up. I used wooden dowls. This time, I'd really like to stack it the night before, and have her pick it up the next day. I'm doing 2 tiers (8" and 10"). Top layer will be filled with a french buttercream and (maybe) fresh strawberries. Bottom layer filled with choc. ganache. Both will be iced in buttercream. I'm wondering about the stability of the cake and whether anyone would recommend stacking the night before? Will it travel well? She wants a fondant bow on top. Not sure if this will be too much weight for travel?? Also, I read Anne's article posted on CC. She recommends using straws instead of dowel rods. Does anyone have experience using straws? If so, what brand? Hope I'm posting in the correct place. Thanks!!
Pam

I travel with all my cakes stacked.. I've had clients pick up stacked cakes and they have survived. I chill my cakes overnight before delivery..They are solid, no jiggling tiers. I would just educate your client on traveling with tiered cakes...Flat surface, no sudden breaking or sharp turns. Unless you deliver the cake yourself, I can't imagine having a client stacking the cake when they get it home. I would highly recommend chilling your cake...It makes a huge difference.

As far as straws go, you'll get mixed responses...Some people use them with no problem and some people feel it's risky. I would probably use dowels if the customer is going to be picking the cake up.

Good luck!!

For a two layer cake, straws will be fine, use a straw with a larger diameter, like the Mc Donald's ones, some people are using Asian bubble tea straws but that is a different thing.
To support an 8 inch cake, about 6-8 straws will do, I would normally use 5 or so wooden dowels, I tend to use more straws though.
You are boarding the eight inch cake also right?
Also, when a cake is of more than one tier, you need a centre dowel in the middle of both cakes if it will be transported stacked.
With the fondant bows, a lot of people would transport that separated and assemble on site, but as long as it is stable it should be fine. The cake can be stacked ahead, although personally, I wouldn't put the fondant bow on it way ahead of time because the buttercream or whatever icing it will come into contact with may cause some break down of the fondant if left on way ahead of time. What will the top layer be covered in?
Hugs Squirrelly

Squirlley, thanks so much!! Yes, I plan to board the top layer. I like the idea of the McDonald's straws. I had such a hard time cutting those dowls last time. I think my cake was just a tad crooked b/c they were so hard to cut evenly. I've never done the center rod. I'll give it a whirl. Thanks for the advice on the bow. I'll just put the bow on last minute. Top layer will be iced in buttercream.

I plan to use 6" strips for my bow loops. I'm in the middle of a practice bow (I have the loops drying in my kitchen). I've never made bow before, but got a PM from someone of "how to". I will try about 20 loops. Do you think this will be good-sized to top an 8" cake? Will it look lost?

Any advice on fresh strawberries for filling? I was planning on CC french buttercream with fresh sliced strawberries? Do the berries need sugar?

Tami - thanks for the advice on chilling!

Thanks

Hi,
I'm new here too but I just learned last week (in my Wilton course) that you can put some shredded coconut or extra powdered sugar on the bottom tier before putting on the top tier to keep you bc from coming off when the cakes are separated for cutting. Just thought I'd meantion it if you didn't already know.

good luck with your cake,

mommachris

I actually started using kebab sticks to put in between the layers, i find they are strong and easier to cut. We also call them wooden skewers, they can be cut with a pair of pliers. For the cake below I used the Wilton plastic dowels, but i found them hard to cut evenly as well and they are a lot more expensive than the wooden dowels or the skewers.
The cake below was a vanilla buttercake with a 50/50 choc buttercream, ganache filling. It was soft, and it was decorated in buttercream, and the stripes were fondant. The roses and hearts were also buttercream. I assembled it the night before and refrigerated it, there was a board in between each layer.
I needed another person to lift it, and had to drive super slow to the reception to deliver it, i wouldnt have trusted anyone else to pick it up. It didnt move, and it arrived safe and sound. The cake was a 16" 14" 12" and 10", it weighed a ton, or it felt like it : )
Hope this helps you some
Nati

Boonenati, your cake is perfectly gorgeous! You do such lovely work!
Hugs Squirrelly

When I use fresh strawberries I chop them in smaller pieces (this will make the tier easier to cut) then mix with sugar. Once I am ready to use the filling, I put a thin layer of my bc on the layer then drain my strawberries really , really well and put them on the layer. Also, make sure you use a good stiff dam before putting the fillings in.

As far as the dowel down the center-I put a small hole in the top tier's cake board and push the dowel thru once the cake is stacked. Squirrelly uses a method where she lowers the tiers down onto the dowel. She'll be able to explain it better. Some swear by it for getting the cakes on top even.

Also, alot of people put a bit of powdered sugar on the bottom tier where the top tier will sit to prevent the icing from sticking when they remove the top tier.

You may want your client to pick up some of the non-skid mat you can buy at Wal-mart to put the cake on for the trip.

Good luck!

boonenati, I was just about to ask if those skewers would work. They are super sharp already and about the same length as the Wilton wooden dowel rods. I have a hard time cutting the Wilton dowels and then you have to figure out how to sharpen them. The wooden kabob skewers sure look like they would do the trick.

Yes, I especially use that method when I don't want the hole or dowel to show on the top of the cake. Basically I cut centre holes in the boards the upper tiers will be placed on. Then I make sure I put icing sugar on top of the lower cakes. Cut a centre dowel so that it is slightly shorter than the height of the cakes it will pass through. Have someone hold the centre dowel in place on the lower cake and looking underneath the boarded cake to see the centre hole in the board, I line up the dowel to the hole and thread the upper tier through.
I have used the skewers for smaller cakes. The only caution I would have with these is some of them tend to splinter and also they are bamboo, they are not hardwood like the wooden dowels which means they are not as strong. For larger heavier cakes I wouldn't feel quite as secure about them, mainly because they are quite easy to snap in half with your fingers whereas hardwood dowels cannot just be broken using your fingers. Hardwood dowels are 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter and skewers are much smaller in diameter so there is less support surface and strength.
Hugs Squirrelly

Thank you everyone for your incredible input. I was very very anxious about this cake. With your helpful hints, I'm feeling confident now!! I am just thrilled I discovered this website. Thank you!!
ps. Nadi, your cake is just breath taking!
pam

Squirrelly
I made the following two cakes with skewers, i cut them with a pair of pliers and cut off any splinters too. The skewers i used are a bit thicker than normal ones. I found them at a dollar store and just bought them, i only used to use them to test deep cakes to see if they were cooked, and then when i did the white chocolate cake below i decided to try when DH refused to cut my dowels in the middle of one of his guitar jamming sessions.
The white chocolate cake is a 10inch base with a 6inch top. The cake itself was pretty light as it was a vanilla buttercake, but the roses and choc were heavy, and the skewers held up wonderfully. The red rose cake was a 10inch base,8 inch center and 6 inch top. The base tier was white choc mudcake, a rather heavy cake, and the middle was double decker mud cake, just as heavy, the top was vanilla buttercake with Dulce De leche(caramel) and fresh cream filling. I used 5 skewers for each tier and a board in between. I think maybe to avoid splinters it may be a good idea to put them inside a straw. Dunno about using straws on their own though, i dont think straws would have held up this cake.
Nati

Both cakes are gorgeous! Haha, that is what I bought the skewers for too, to test the deeper cakes. I think straws are fine for smaller lighter weight cakes but I don't trust them for supporting more than one cake. They may work, but I am not comfortable taking that chance.
I think the cake density has a lot to do with the support network we install too, the cake itself, the boards and the supports. I just feel better using hardwood dowels for the bigger heavier cakes because they have been used for years. Other things may work some of the time or all of the time but based on what I know about structure, I am concerned about the other portion of the time and Murphy's law which plays a big role, haha!
The fact that skewers like dowels, tend to splinter on the vertical and not the horizontal is a good thing though.
But I am actually surprised that only 5 skewers per tier held that cake up, I wonder if you were just really lucky. Bamboo is not known for its ability to support weight when it is in such small circumferences.
Hugs Squirrelly