I am making a wedding cake on June 30th. It is a 16", 12", 8" square. I have only ever stacked smaller cakes, and only two tiers. I am just wondering if there are any secrets or tricks to preparing the cakes (especially the bottom tier) for stacking? Will cake mixes be strong enough? Of course I am using dowel rods. Any thoughts?
mixes work just fine.....remember to cover ur boards (some use foil, i use wax/parchment paper).....and dowels, dowels & more dowels! u can never have enough dowels......and i just recently tried the center dowel method for the 1st time.....i was terrified of it, but it's actually really easy and puts ur mind at ease if u have to deliver the cake fully assembled
good luck! 
Can I ask why you cover your boards? Is it to prevent them from getting soggy or something? I never covered my boards before, but again, I have only stacked small cakes! And I thought I might be the only person in the world that would over dowel a cake, good to know I'm not alone!
Thanks
Yes you can never have enough dowels. I was sure the first time I did a middle dowel that the whole cake would collapse, but it didn't. But you do need to sharpen the end of the dowel a little so it will be sure to go through all cake boards.
Can I ask why you cover your boards? Is it to prevent them from getting soggy or something? I never covered my boards before, but again, I have only stacked small cakes!
yes, so that they don't get soggy - especially for wedding cakes that might sit for hours.....when they go and take the tiers apart to serve, u don't want little pieces of cardboard coming off into the pieces 
I cover my boards for aesthetics reasons... but I will say this... I have learned something this summer in the south... my cakes are sliding on the freezer paper once they reach the humidity... so I have to figure out an alternative. I might go back to contact paper for the summer months since it has a little grip to it.... you never have enough dowels, the thicker the better, just make sure you get a clean break so you don't get wood chips in your cakes 
soak them in some water before cutting, it helps them cut more evenly
I never thought of soaking them in water! What do you guys use to cut your dowels with? I live in Southern Manitoba (Canada) and it is sooo humid here right now! We have a lot of humidity in Manitoba in the summer months (awful for the mmf!), so would foil be best to cover the boards?
I just want to say that I don't know what I would do without CC! It has helped me sooo much!
Make sure that bottom board is sturdy enough..... not just the little cardboard ones you use for a single layer....... I use foam core, or tape three of them( the cardboard) together, then cover with foil....... you can get colors to match your design.......
I would you a piece of ply wood covered in foil & then tape cardboard cake pads to the top for the bottom layer. Then I would place the next two layers on wilton plates and use the wilton hidden pillars to stack. I have used the hidden pillars for years and would not go back to wooden dowels. Easier and you only have 4 cuts to make per layer. They are more expensive $2.99 for 4 but I think it is very worth it!
I have the customer write a seperate check and when they return the plates clean within a week of the event I return the check. If the plates aren't returned then I cash the check & buy replacements[/center]
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%