Stacked cakes have kind of become 'my thing', but I've only done them for my clan or for family/neighbors nearby. I never dowel them or anything, just stack one cake right on top of the other. Well, I'm making two cakes for Saturday that will both be a 2 layer 9" round and a 2 layer 6" round stacked on top. Both have to be driven about a 20-30 minute drive. Will they be ok? or should I stick a dowel down the center for support? Also, obviously they don't fit in a cake box, so how do you transport, just out in the open?

Thanks for your advice, I've just never had to go very far with my cakes.

It would be best to use a coverd cardboard circle between the two sizes, AND at least 4 dowels in the lower tier.

I'd stick a center dowell to be safe.
Try to find a moving box or something to put your cake in, make sure it's on the shelf liner both inside the box and out.
If you drive carefully and set them up right they will be fine.

Another option if you are really concerned, transport them separately and stack them onsite.

I usuall y put mine together on site. Do most you not do that?

Welcome to CC!

Here's my 2c-there is no substitution for proper stacked construction. The last thing you want is a beautiful cake that you've worked so hard on to go down the tubes, especially something like a wedding cake.

For this cake if you want to transport stacked:

-Cover a 6in cake circle in foil, clear contact paper, press n seal to protect it.
-Place a dab of bc (this glues the cake to the circle)on the circle and place your 6in cake on top
-Like JoAnnB said-cut at least 4 dowels to the height of the cake (not the icing)
-Sprinkle the center of the 9in cake with powdered sugar to keep the 6in board from sticking to the icing
-stack your cakes
-Sharpen (very sharp) a long dowel cut to the height of the cake, center it and using a hammer with a medium amount of force hammer the dowel thru the two cakes
-Transport like mbelgard said

best of luck with it!

d

I like to stack on-site as well but there have been a couple of case like mbelgard there just isn't time. I transported the stars and moon cake with the bottom 2 tiers stacked, center doweled over 2 hours with no problems. But I drove dh crazy telling him to drive carefully!

Thanks for the tips. I guess I need to go buy some dowels. I'm going to see if someone will ride with me to hold the cake also so it's not bumping around in the car. Unfortunately, stacking on site is not an option, I'm meeting her halfway between our houses because she lives pretty far out.

Thanks again for your help!

You are actually better having the cake sit on non-skid material (you can find it with the shelf liner in wal-mart) on a completely flat spot in the car (no seat though-not level) and by driving slowly and carefully!

I could be wrong but I think you would get less movement on the cakes if they were on a flat surface rather than have someone hold them. People move naturally and they also move to compensate for the bumps.

Buy some shelf liner, the no skid kind and put your cake on it in hte box and then under the box and you won't have to worry about sliding. My cakes started on hilly gravel roads, then bumpy highways, then interstates with road construction and they didn't move an inch in the box or on the floor, that stuff is great.