I am making an 8in. square cake. It will be about 8-9 inches tall and slightly tapered at the bottom (maybe 1 1/2 - 2 inches). Do you think I need to add dowel rods? I am putting buttercream over it and gumpaste flowers on top. Thanks in advance!!!

Yep, make it actually 2 cakes iced as one with dowels and cardboard in between.

You will need more than dowels for a cake that tall. My rule of thumb is for every 4" of cake vertically you need a board to support the above layers, then you have the dowels under the board to support above.

thank you for your feedback. I am kinda confused. So I should a layer of cake icing cake and then cardboard (like a cakeboard?) then dowel that, and then put the top layer over the cardboard? Thanks!!!

yep, just like its 2 separate cakes then ice the whole thing together.

thank you so much for your advice. I would have done it all as one. I think you saved me a cake disaster! Thanks!!!

1 more question. If I make this technically as 2 seperate cakes, how do I serve it? Do I cut at the top until I reach the cardboard and then somehow disassemble it? There will be 2 different cake flavors, so if I did it that way, the top will be different from the bottom. Thanks!!!

1 more question. If I make this technically as 2 seperate cakes, how do I serve it? Do I cut at the top until I reach the cardboard and then somehow disassemble it? There will be 2 different cake flavors, so if I did it that way, the top will be different from the bottom. Thanks!!!