I am getting ready to make my first wedding cake and I'm having a hard time finding SPS in Canada. What would be the next best system of choice for stacking a cake (16, 12, ? Thanks!

I use stress free cake supports. I love them!

Okay, please bear with the newbie question, but what is SPS? I've seen several people talk about it, but I have no idea what it is.

Thanks fellow CCers.

"S"= single
"P" = plate
"S" = system

This system is one plate that locks onto 4 'legs' that are pushed into the cake for great stability.
The legs look like hollow tubes about 1" wide by 4" long.
As I remember you can also get them 9" long for cakes that are separated rather than stacked.
This system takes the place of using any other kind of doweling.

To original poster:
Next best w/o going into debt for stress free: Wilton plate w/their hidden pillars. It is very similar to SPS but not quite as good. The SPS locks together better and is sturdier

To original poster:
Next best w/o going into debt for stress free: Wilton plate w/their hidden pillars. It is very similar to SPS but not quite as good. The SPS locks together better and is sturdier[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your replies! I really would like to get SPS but it's a challenge getting it into Canada and will cost a lot extra to do so. I was wondering if the Wilton set would be recommended so I'll take a look at that. Thanks!

Where can I get an SPS system? It defintely sounds better than using dowel rods.

just wanted to say that oasis supply dot com has sps...and are the cheapest around and I just emailed them and they do ship internationally......and I've ordered several times from them and my stuff always comes quickly and in perfect shape, never had a problem!!

You can order the sps thru L&M Bakery in Toronto. They don't stock it but they can order and ship it to you. From what I've heard it's not too badly priced. I haven't ordered from there yet but I have stopped in and they are very helpful and nice. If you can't find the info online pm me and I'll track it down for you.

HTH

I use the Wilton plate & pillars also....I never thought of putting a hole in the center of each plate... . ....I don't travel with my cakes stacked but it sounds like a safe and stable way to transport.

terrylee, I didn't always drill holes either until a couple years ago I was at a family wedding in which I made the cake. The waitress was trying to pick up the 4 tiered cake and carry it into the kitchen to cut it. In doing so, needless to say the cake was HEAVY, the top 2 tiers started sliding and almost ended up on the floor. Luckily I saw what she was trying to do and ran over and stabilized them before they hit the floor.

Since that day, I decided to use the center dowel for added support. I still don't stack until I get to the venue, I travel with the bottom tier already on the foam board and onto the dowel, but I stack the others at the venue. Only because, I always deliver alone and I can't carry a big tiered cake without the worry of dropping it. They're just too heavy and bulky to carry alone.

dkelly27 - I'm usually alone too......Thanks for the great tip. I like the thought of extra security at the venue....you just never know what the cater or cutter is going to do, do you......!

Wow! Thanks for all of the ideas and suggestions. I will still try to get the SPS system (I've been asked to do my first wedding cake and I don't want to risk anything!!) but if not I'll look closer at the Wilton and foam board.

dkelly27: A quick question: Do you use buttercream to "cement" the Wilton plastic plate onto the foam board? Or do you use something more solid? I'm also having a hard time visualizing sliding an iced cake over a dowel. Does it slide down on its own by gravity or do you push it down (which I'm assuming could only be done with a fondant cake?). Could you explain this a bit more? Thanks!!

Hi cherrycakes, sorry to just be getting back to you now on this.

Yes, you can use some icing to "cement" the bottom plate to the foam board if you'd like. I use the plastic plates without legs for just this one, so it will be flush to the foam board.

So to assemble this is what I do.......place the first plastic plate with the predrilled hole, down on the foam board, hammer the dowel in place.

Line up the hole in the bottom tier (remember you've predrilled a hole in the cake boards) the weight of the cake pushes the dowel through.
Next, put in the 4 wilton pillars, slide down the next wilton plate attaching it to the pillars.
Than, the next tier and so on until you're done stacking.

You may have seen this technique on some of the cake challenges on the Food Network.......although they use a much thicker dowel than I do.
HTH

True story -

A MOB came to pick up the 3 tier wedding cake. She looked totally terrified when it came time to pick it up and take it to her car. I told her not to worry.

Then I put my hand under one side of the board and lifted up, putting the cake at about a 20 degree angle and just held it there while she watched.

"See, it's not going anywhere."

And that is the beauty of SPS.

I think I may have tracked down a distributor in Canada (L & M in Toronto) so I'll call them next week. I am totally convinced that I don't even want one cake disaster so I will do whatever I can to get SPS! Thanks for all of your advice!