I made a 3-tier stacked cake....12, 9, 6 inch cake pans. and had to transfer it across town. geez what a panic it was getting it there safely w/o it getting ruined and coming apart. I doweled the bottom cake, also the middle cake, and stuck one long down right thru the middle, so that one dowel was the only thing holding the cakes together. I noticed too, that the top of the cakes should REALLY be flat, even though i thought mine were you can tell it was exactly flat when setting the middle cake on top of the bottom, so i had to fill the gaps w/icing. It's different if you had to do a tier cake w/pillars then you can just put it together at your destination.
Is there an easier way to transport a stacked cake?
here's a pic of the final product, for a hawaiian theme b-day party. you'll notice side view cake the gap between middle and bottom cake.
side-view
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&pos=-45347
front
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos_display_8_-45345.html
thnx.
it is hard to transport cakes, no matter what you do to prepare.
One thng you can do if there is a space between the tiers, add your border when you deliver it. It will hide any spaces.
Another option is to use dowels a bit longer, and fill the space with flowers
Do you dowel the lower tier(s) before or after icing them? I used to have the gap problem, but now cut my dowels so they are just (maybe an 1/8 inch) shorter than the cake, then ice. When I stack the next layer on, it settles quite nicely. Also, for transporting, I try to use three dowels in a triangular pattern going through all the tiers...this also seems to add a bit of stability ... and as you know, any little bit helps! Tina
thnx guys.
I doweled both bottom tiers individually, but cut the dowl right at the top of cake, so maybe i'll try cutting a little bit smaller so the middle cake can level a bit better.
I only put one long dowel through all 3 cakes. Wonder if i should dowl both bottom tiers straight thru, then another dowl straight through all three cakes? to give it more stability when transporting. everytime we took a turn or had to make a stop....the middle cake jerked a bit like it wanted to fall, but didn't cause of the long dowl through all three cakes.
Here's a hint I learned the hard way. I noticed you have your cake on a board then on one of the white Wilton plates with legs. I found that these plates are not sturdy & make the cak wiggle when transporting. I now only use plywood boards covered. Then I put 2 blankets in the back of the van. With the blankets & flat board, they never move.
I stack the first 2 tiers with a long dowel through them and put the third one one at the reception. I never deliver with 3 tiers put together.
Ok.....feeling REALLY stupid. Why didn't I ever think about cutting my dowels before I frosted the stupid cake???? WHY??? I've had space between my layers before, and I have been SO irritated, wondering how in the world it could happen with me being so careful, and now I have the answer. Sigh....learn something new every day, right?
I do the same as cakesondemand. I stack no more than two tiers and put the cake together at the venue. I also use that non-slide shelf paper/plastic stuff underneath the cake boards and boxes in the car.
I do use those wilton cake boards with the legs on them in conjunction with plastic dowels. I press the plate into the frosted bottom layer....put the dowels where the impressions are and place the plate with the next tier (already frosted) on top (I hope that makes sense) I place the legs in the plastic dowel holes. It makes it kinda lock in together.
I have yet to have a misshap ...hope this helps!!!
BJ'sGRL-- When you ask 'Do you dowel the lower tier(s) before or after icing them?'
sorry to sound dumb, but what do you mean exactly? What i do is frost each cake then put dowels in them, then stack, then place a dowel through the whole cake. if i dowel the middle and bottom tier individually then frost each cake, how does that prevent gaps? confused.
I have a small level that I use to make sure my cakes are level...I can usually eyeball it. I deliver all my cakes stacked, but I chill them before delivery. The cakes solidify when chilled so they do wiggle around in the car. I don't like the idea of stacking at the venue. If there's a problem with the cake I want to take care of it at home. Your going to have to find a system that your comfortable with and works for you... The more wedding cakes you do the easier it will become.
Falenn - I know, after re-reading my previous comments, I realized they weren't all that clear - sorry!
Bottom tier, place cake on sturdy base, torte, fill, then dowel. These are the dowels used to support the next tier that will sit directly on top of the bottom tier. If my cake measures 4" in height, I cut my dowels at 3-7/8", insert them, then ice the bottom layer, covering those support dowels.
I torte, fill, dowel, and ice the next tiers(s) the same way, except that these upper tiers are not place on plastic or thick bases, just a same-diameter cardboard base. After the second tier is iced, I place it on the bottom tier. If there is a third tier, I will place it the same way.
Because the support dowels in each lower tier are cake level, or just under cake level, then iced over, there is no gap between the tiers when the next tier is placed. The upper tiers "settle" nicely onto the lower tiers.
After the two or three tiers are stacked, I run a sharpened dowel through all the tiers (using a hammer). The dowel is cut slightly shorter than the overall height of the stacked cakes, so I use another dowel to push the support dowel the rest of the way in, so it is not seen sticking out of the top tier. If your dowel is sharpened and you are using a thick (1/2 inch or so) cardboard base, the dowel with "nail" right into the base, adding a bit more stability.
Hope this made more sense! Tina
thnx for taking the time to type that all out. and i get what u are saying. what i did was just crumb coat the top of the bottom cake, where I placed the dowel's, i thought since the middle cake will be covering that area, i dont need to frost the whole thing. but i will frost it all next time and maybe i wont get gaps.
thnx again.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%