One More Dowelling Question-- Advice Needed Please!
Decorating By elvis Updated 28 Mar 2006 , 8:07pm by elvis
I am still figuring this doweling thing out. I'm planning on dowelling a 4-5 layer, 14 inch round cake. I'm not using a cake board except for at the very bottom.
Does the dowel rod need to be sharpened and driven through the cake board at the bottom? Or does simply pushing a dowel through all of the layers until it meets the bottom cake board do enough to prevent slippage? I read the tutorial on this site but it was describing a different type of cake. Please help! :O) Thanks.
I was debating whether I needed to dowel at all and had posted a question on this yesterday... enough people told me that I should to prevent from sliding during transport. Its just a four or five layer cake (no need for cake boards), but since they are 14 inch round layers, I thought dowelling was necessary. I've never done a 14 inch round before.
What would you do?
Some confusion - are you doing a 14" cake that will have 4-5 layers? I'd suggest a board in between the top two layers and the bottom two - In other words- 2 layers, then a board, then the bottom two layers, then your base board. That's a heavy cake to not have any support in it. The center dowel - I usually sharpen it and put it through the base board also. That's mainly so when I transport it, it doesn't slide off the cake base.
And still have dowels in the bottom half to support the top half
I definitely would suggest doweling. Are you saying that this is going to be a 4 - 5 layer 14" round cake? Are you torting it? Or is it just going to be 4 - 5 layers?
I would not like the idea of a cake board in the middle there somewhere if someone was going to cut a slice to have that many layers in it. But, one 14" cake is heavy by itself, so I think I'd put a board in there somewhere.
That's right, 14 inch cake which will be 4 or 5 layers tall. I am used to doing this many layers for a 9 or 12 inch cake but for 14 inch, wasn't sure what kind of support I needed from a dowel, if any.
Is a dowel pointless unless there are cake boards to run it through?
Is a dowel pointless unless there are cake boards to run it through?
No. Alot of people use them for support in tall cakes, such as sculpted cakes. I guess you need to look at how thick each individual layer is. If they are 2" each and you do 4 layers plus filling, you've got a cake that is at least 9" tall. The dowels will just help it to stand up, without sliding. Like I said, when I transport something like that, I like to have it go through the base board also. That's just me though.
Thanks so much for all the advice. I've never had problems with my 9 and 12 inch round cakes which are both 5 layers with filling. (My layers are a little thinner than what you may be thinking)-- but still, I may have just been lucky so far!
I may have to rethink the number of layers-- since I would probably rather the hostess be able to cut the cake all the way through without hitting a cake board. Maybe I'll do a 14 round with fewer layers and top with a smaller cake on top (dowel beneath it)--
I'm just rambling now.... thanks again for the insight and I'd love to hear from anyone else who has an opinion on this- thanks!!
Forgive me, I thought you meant 4-5 tiers....I didn't realize it was one cake with 4-5 layers. (Even though that's what you said) 
I wouldn't dowel a single cake...and I wouldn't put a cake board in the middle of it either. Just let it settle for a while after you fill it, and then frost the outside. That way, it won't bulge. 
I would just make the cake like you were planning to, stick a dowel in the center (cut to size, not sharpened) and call it a day. How far is this cake traveling? I probably wouldn't even put the dowel in the center (unless it's travling a long way), but that's just me.
Thanks again everybody! Ya'll are so helpful. I actually did wind up calling two bakeries to ask their opinion today too-- they voted for doing nothing(just like some of you suggested) since I'm not putting anything on top. I'll probably go a little thinner on my layers and filling to be on the safe side. I guess everybody has their own way-- I'm sure it'll work out, but if not, you'll see my posting under cake disasters!! :O) Thanks.
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