I did my first BC wedding cake and had a heck of a time stacking the tiers without making a mess. Is it better to use crusting BC for this or to stack the cake first than ice it at one time when you get to the hall. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you
After you get your supports cut to the right length, insert them into the cake about 3/4 of the way down. Sit the cake on top of the supports and let the weight of the cake push them down the rest of the way. This will keep you from getting your fingers in the icing.
I've never tried to ice the cake after it was stacked. I guess the main problem with that is there will be no icing on the tops of the stacked cakes.
Speaking of dowels.....I have substituted McDonalds straws....they are much easier to cut to size. They are very sturdy and have never had a problem. Remember MUST be McDonalds!!!!!!
Some helpful member (sorry- I can't remember who) offered this link for bubble tea straws:
http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/store/store.php3?item_id=2
They're fat and sturdy and perfect for stacked cakes- not to mention cheap!
Amber
They're fat and sturdy and perfect for stacked cakes- not to mention cheap!
Wow Amber-Thanks for that info. I think I will have to try them out. Have you ever used them? Maybe I can quit ordering a large diet with 20 straws!!! 
Julie
I actually tried them a couple of days ago for the first time. They worked great! I was wondering how you were getting all those McD's straws....
Amber
ps- where in Mich are you? I'm south of kalamazoo
i refrigerate my cakes for a few hours after i ice them, so the icing is hard.. then i stack... i never had a smudge when i stack them
I am south of Detroit. How many tiers did you stack using those straws?
Julie
3 tiers...well I guess I only stacked 2 of them! It was a 10,8,6" cakeand I used 6 straws to support the 8 inch (5 in a circle and 1 in the middle) and 4 straws for the 6". I let this cake sit out at room temp for 8 hours- all part of my test- and everything held up just fine. I even moved it from one counter to another.
Amber
[/QUOTE]Put a sheet of parchment paper under the cakeboard to prevent icing from sticking to the cake board and making a mess when cutting the cakes.
We use to put shredded coconut under teh cake board to prevent it from sticking, never thought about parchment paper....
This is probably a stupid question....but how do you know what length to cut the dowels? How do you measure them?
I push mine in - score it with a finger nail then cut it to size. To cut use NEW pet nail clippers, pruning sheers or a small saw.
Cakes that are cold transfer well while stacking. You can also use pizza paddles to transfer the cakes and then there are no fingers underneath. You can set one edge down and cleanly pull the paddle out. This was a god send to me! Just a note on the straws. I have always used straws but never from McDonalds. As long as they are not the flexible bendy type you are ok and, obviously, the thicker the better. I have stacked up to six fondant covered tiers with over 15 pounds of chocolate ornamentation (outrageously heavy) and it was just fine. I transport most of my cakes already assembled. Never any slippage. The whole engineering behind them and why they work is kinda fascinating.
All the ideas sound great but do you do the same thing when it is a wedding cake? I like to bring the cake tiers to the hall and stack it there, instead of finishing the cake at home and taking the chance of it falling over while I'm driving. There are so crazy drivers out there......like me
This is probably a stupid question....but how do you know what length to cut the dowels? How do you measure them?
Here is a link to an article on Cakecentral regarding stacked cakes. HTH!
http://www.cakecentral.com/article23-Teired-Stacked-Cake-Construction.html
I push mine in - score it with a finger nail then cut it to size. To cut use NEW pet nail clippers, pruning sheers or a small saw.
Here is a link to an article on Cakecentral regarding stacked cakes. HTH!
http://www.cakecentral.com/article23-Teired-Stacked-Cake-Construction.html
They y'all for all your help, I really appreciate it!
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