I have a 12,10,8,6 square cake....
So far I used 8 in the 12
6 in the 10
Do I need any in the 8 to support the 6??
What's the best way to determine how many to use??
Some people use the same number of dowels as the layer they are supporting. So if an 10 is going on top of your 12, use 10. If a 6 is going on top of your 8 use 8. I think this might be overkill, but I guess its better to be safe than sorry. I definately think you should support that 6". I personally would use 4 or 5. If you're transporting, you need the center dowel drive through them all.
I use 4 regardless of the size. I also use plastic plates between each tier so 4 dowels holds a plate just fine. So yes....even for my 16" cake, I use 4 dowels.
Caution on using too many (i.e. 12 dowels in a 12" cake is overkill). I've told this story before, but I cut a cake for a bride ... she had gotten the cake from another decorator. 10-15 dowels in a 12" square cake turned that cake into swiss cheese ... it crumbled all over the freakin' place when it was cut.
If you do not normally stay and cut the cake, then you are probably not aware of the after effects of too many dowels. As one who has cut hundreds of cakes in her lifetime, I'm here to tell you that too many dowels messes up a cake.
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