I will be assembeling a three tiered cake tomorrow for the first time. Does anyone have pointers on how to do assembling for a first timer? I have purchased the dowels and need help with the next step. thanks in advance!

Is it stacked or pillared and if it is pillared what style of pillar are you using?

Its just stacked,no pillars involved. Its a 9 1/2 inch,then a 7 inch and then a small cake shaped like an apple on the very top of the cake. I am going to try to do it in fondant.

I am planning on making rhondas mmf and using dream buttercream. Now I think the bc dream needs to be refridgerated,since it will be covered in mmf, does mmf stand up to the temp in the refridgerator?

Okay -- for stacking you will need dowels. Make sure each cake is placed and decorated on it's own cake board sized to the cake (example: 8" cake on an 8" board etc.). I personally tend to over dowel-- meaning I place more dowels than reccomended. With this cake i would say 5 dowels in the 9and 1/2" layer to supprt the one above. And 3 or 4 in the 7 inch layer to support the apple. Your fondant could be refrigerated but you will need to make sure that when you take it out you try to place it in a cooler room to prevent condensaton. The other option is to have a fan blowing on when you remove it to dry it up faster. Condensation causes fondant to get sticky so if touched while warming it can ruin your finish. That being said -- I have never had condensation problems but I have yet to do fondant in summer weather and I live in a dry climate. I hope this helps you.

thank you cakeangel
what if I want the cakes to be stacked on top of each other though?

You still do stack the cakes on top of each other. Your board is there to support each layer. If your board is the same size as the cake - once it is frosted and covered you won't see it but it is there so that when you set it on top of the dowels it doesn't squish into the cake underneath. It is part of the construction to give stability to the stacking. If you can see any of the board then you use a boarder to cover after you put it together. Also make sure your dowels are the same size. To measure push one dowel into the layer and mark it where the icing line is. Then remove and cut (I love the ratchet style pruners for making even cuts). Use the first dowel as your measuring stick for cutting the rest of the dowels for that layer. Then hold them together and make sure they are even. Once you are satisfied with the cuts push them into the layer where they need to be to support the tier above when placed on. Do the same for every tier that will have weight placed on top if it.

If you plan on transporting the cake assembled make sure you sharpen a long dowel and dowel through the center all the way to the bottom of the cake - for support. Personally I prefer to transport my tiers seperately and then stack and add boarders when I arrive on site. Less stressful for me that way.

Feel free to ask more if this doesn't make sense. My kids woke up extra early thismorning and I am still a little groggy.

Here is a link to help you assemble a tiered cake:

http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/holiday/wedding/cake/assembly