I am doing my first wedding cake this weekend and what I need to know is do I have to use pillars when using the plates or can you stack without pillars. It is a 3 tiered cake covered in fondant.
Thanks in advance.

Joy

Are you doing a stacked cake (cake touching cake ... no space between the tiers)? Or are you doing a pillared cake (space between the tiers ... the tiers are "held up" by pillars).

Sorry, but I'm confused by your question ... just need it clarified.

EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about making your 1st tiered cake:
(Has illustrated cake construction methods with clear and accurate directions and so much more.)

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-5958955-.html

Link to revised Wilton cake making & decorating help:

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/

Illustrated directions for cutting neat slices of tiered cake by indydebi:
(So much easier than the Wilton method.)

http://cateritsimple.com/_wsn/page10.html

HTH

I;msorry for the confusion. I am doing a stacked cake on cake. But I dont want to use dowells or cake circles. I would like to use the plates but I need to know if I can use just the plates or if I need the pillars also. I will be constructing the cake at the sight.
Thanks again. You guys are wonderful!!!!!!

Joy

You're still confusing me. A stacked cake-on-cake doesn't use pillars.
Here's a stacked cake that doesn't use pillars: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1232880

Here's a pillared cake: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=365443

YOu need to use dowels with both of them.

I don't use plates with a stacked cake, but I did for years and years, so you can do those either way.

If you stack a wedding cake just on plates with no support you are asking for trouble!! Dowels are as necessary to a stacked construction cake as the foundation to a building is. I hope you reconsider. If you aren't sure as to how to go about this just ask, any number of us on here can help you with this.

Jibbies

If you want to use the plastic plates, you can use the wilton hidden pillars or you can invest in the SPS system that a lot of people on here use. I have used the wilton hidden pillars. Essentially they are a plastic tube that acts as a dowel, but the feet of the plate fit into the top of the tube. The wedding cake in my pics with the red rose cascade was done this way and I transported it stacked with no problem.

Thanks to all of you. I think I am going to try the hidden pillars. All of you are great!!!!!!

joy