Dowelling A Three Double Tiered Cake -Need To Avert Disaster
Decorating By emmascakes Updated 25 Mar 2007 , 4:23am by Steady2Hands
I am making a wedding cake in July which will feed 300 people, it will be three tiers high but each tier will be two cakes stacked on top of each other, so in effect it's six tiers. I've done something like this before but it was a disaster and the tiers cracked and it went wonky (the lighthouse cake in my pictures)
I want to make sure this doesn't happen again. The last cake was free for friends so I didn't feel too awful. This one is for paying customers and I have no option to mess up.
I find it really hard cutting the dowels evenly - can I use straws instead? How do I know where to place the dowels etc. I've never had any teaching on this and I've never seen it well explained in abook either. Is there a thread or tutorial on here that could help me?
I think there is a tutorial on the Wilton site. There may be one on this site too in the articles... My understanding is that your lay the cake board on top of the layer and place the dowels in equal distance apart inside the circle....I think at least 4 dowels around and then one to go thru the whole thing. You do this on the 2 bottom tiers.
I have a hard time getting the dowels even too, but heard someone talking about getting a pvc pipe cutter and that might actually make it easier to get them the same. You can get one at the hardware store. I don't think I would risk straws on such a big cake. I don't think they are sturdy enough.
Hope this helps.
Cindy
Hi Emma,
Cindy did a great job explaining how to position dowels. I just wanted you to know that I use straws all the time just like you would dowels. I used dowels on my first wedding cake and I have never used them again. My MIL use to make wedding cakes and she said they always used straws in the bakery 
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