Stacking Different Color Buttercream Cakes
Decorating By curiegas Updated 28 Sep 2009 , 12:23am by curiegas
I have a cake to make next weekend. The first tier is all black buttercream, 2nd tier is black and white, and the 3rd tier is all white.
I will be using the plastic Wilton dowels. How can I stack them without messing up the icing? My main concern is stacking the 2nd tier since the first tier will be all black. I usually use my hand and a spatula to put the second tier on. But I end up with some icing on my hand, spatula or both.
Does anyone have any tips on how I can do this?
Thanks,
Cecilia
I use the hand/spatula method with no mishaps. I have some step by step photos that I can send you, if you PM me your email.
If you use a crusting buttercream and allow it to crust, this helps reduce the mishaps. when pulling hte spatula out, give it an ever so slight "lift" so the spatula isn't really gliding along in the icing of the bottom tier.
PM me the email..... the pics are in a word doc and I can't upload word docs on CC.
I have a cake to make next weekend. The first tier is all black buttercream, 2nd tier is black and white, and the 3rd tier is all white.
I will be using the plastic Wilton dowels. How can I stack them without messing up the icing? My main concern is stacking the 2nd tier since the first tier will be all black. I usually use my hand and a spatula to put the second tier on. But I end up with some icing on my hand, spatula or both.
Does anyone have any tips on how I can do this?
Thanks,
Cecilia
The way I currently stack cakes is by creating a 1/2 inch thick foam core base with a 3/8 inch dowel glued in, cut to height and sharpened. My cakes are iced on a same sized foam core circle that has a 3/8 inch center hole.
When ready to stack [cakes are well chilled at the point of course] I just slide the tier down over the center dowel. When it gets down to about an inch or so, I let go and it just sinks down into place.
THAT SAID.....
I used to use another method that might work for you. Can you buy the Wilton Hidden Pillars [the hollow 6 inch long tube pillars] in you area?
I used to ice my cakes on a same sized cardboard and place on same sized [or one side smaller] separator plate with a couple pieces of double sided tape to hold it in place.
After the base was iced, I would mark the location of the hidden pillars with a separator plate the same size as the next tier. I would then measure the height of the base tier and cut 4 of those hidden pillars to the same height. I would push them into the tier almost all the way, then pull them back up about half way. I repeated this process on the second tier as well.
When ready to stack, you just sit the upper tier into the hidden pillars and let go....the weight of the cake will cause them to sink back into the place until the tier is situated. Repeat with the third tier.
I used this method for years with no problem.....I just go to the point that I no longer wanted to deal with return items....though you could just charge for the plates and pillars.
Sometimes I would add a few dowels for extra support in the base tier if it was a particularly large cake....but it isn't necessary.
I have a picture of what I am talking about in my Web Shots album. Here the link...take a look and let me know if you have any more questions....
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1077723629047057112LWnyMN
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