Can I Stack Without Pillars And Rods And Dowells?
Decorating By Shaynamills Updated 20 Jun 2007 , 3:23pm by chaptlps
I'm making a bridal doll cake for a bridal shower this weekend. It's 3 levels (forgive me I do not know the correct technical terms). The bottom is 1- 9 inch cake, the middle is 1- 8 inch cake, and the skirt will be from a 2 quart mixing bowl that is about a 6 inch. My question is can I cut the 9 and the 8 inch cakes in half, fill them, and frost them and then stack them on top of each other as well ast the skirt on top without using any pillars or rods or anything like that? Or should I at least use a round cake board under the skirt so I can lift her off to cut? If so can I still just put it straight on top of the 8 inch? I'm not really sure what rods or dowells are used for or how they work and I don't have any so was hoping it would work without them. The 9 and 8 inch gives the dress a "belle" look. Thanks so much for your help.
Dowels act as support for the cakes so the one sitting on top will not mash/sink into the cake on the bottom. I dowel anything higher than 4".
I would place your skirt on a cake board. How tall are your 8" and 9" cakes? If each cake is 2" high, you can just stack them both on 1 cake board and dower it. If each cake is 4" high, place each cake on its own cake board and dowel both of them. In a pinch and on small cakes, I've used straws as dowels (ones from McDonald's as they are sturdier). Just make sure you have enough of them to support the cakes on top.
Welcome to CC!
Proper construction is essential to any tiered cake-which is what you are making! I ignored some very basic rules and my Easter themed 1st b-day cake ended up destroyed. 
Like miriel said if your 8 and 9in cakes are just 1 layer (whether you torte and fill or not) you can stack them on top of each other since it's like a reg 2 layer cake.
You will then need to measure the height of the 8/9 stacked cake and cut dowels to the height of the cake not the icing. Make sure you cut each one of your dowels the same height. Place in a circle in the area where the doll cake will sit along with one in the middle of that area.
Place your doll cake on a cake board that has been covered with clear contact paper, foil, press n' seal,etc to keep the grease from the frosting from making it soft and therefore weak.
Sprinkle some powdered sugar in the area where the doll cake will sit and this will keep the icing from sticking to the cake board when you take her off for serving!
Good luck and post a pic here when you are done!
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Naw, what is the difference between stacking up your own rounds to make the skirt and making the skirt in that "fancy" pan? About nothing! Its not really a tiered cake as I would consider one... go ahead and just stack em up. Your barbie legs will pin them all together. Oh wait. Damn. I re-read... you aren't making a big doll are you? Just a small one and then she's sitting on a 2 tier cake? If you want those bad boys level, then yes, you'd better board and dowel them. Since its small, you can totally use drinking staws tho.
Thank y'all so much, I'm very confident now, I will use the straw method to support the skirt since they are just 2" and put the doll skirt on a cake board. I love this site and love everyone here willing to help us newbies out. 
Here is a great tutorial for doweling a cake. Same concept works with the straws, if you are going to use those=) HTH some, Jen
http://www.bakedecoratecelebrate.com/techniques/dowelrodconstruction.cfm?cat=8
I just wanted to say thanks to all the encouragement and instructions I recieved to make my doll cake. This was my first stacked cake, first doll cake, first time to make and use BC, I used the Decorator's Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting, yum-o, and first time to decorate any kind of piping. I've baked cakes from scratch for many years, and get rave reviews, just always filled and frosted plain so now I'm trying to go further with my baking, I really want to take the classes at Michaels, just never had, maybe next month I can sign up. This was a lot of fun and I learned a lot and I'm up for more to try. I love this site and it gives me the encouragement I need to proceed. Thank you.
I just wanted to say thanks to all the encouragement and instructions I recieved to make my doll cake. This was my first stacked cake, first doll cake, first time to make and use BC, I used the Decorator's Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting, yum-o, and first time to decorate any kind of piping. I've baked cakes from scratch for many years, and get rave reviews, just always filled and frosted plain so now I'm trying to go further with my baking, I really want to take the classes at Michaels, just never had, maybe next month I can sign up. This was a lot of fun and I learned a lot and I'm up for more to try. I love this site and it gives me the encouragement I need to proceed. Thank you.
You did it!!!!! Yeah! Great job!! She turned out cute! WTG! Did you end up doing the doweling?? Jen
I dowelled using straws from McDonald's, worked great! Thank you.
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