Ok...can't Find Bubble Tea Straw In My Area But
Decorating By mslesuer Updated 6 Mar 2010 , 12:13am by CakeMommyTX
You know I was at AC moore a few weeks ago and saw in the (BLECK) wilton stuff some big long plastic dowels that literally looked like white bubble tea straws. I believe there were like 4 or 6 in a pack for a couple dollars and they were around 12" long each! They seemed like tubing almost and were an opaque white. I think they were meant to be used as dowels but seemed like they'd be MUCH easier to cut than regular plastic ones because it was a thinner plastic.
I would be afraid of the plastic drinking straws not because they wouldn't be strong but because they're virtually the same size as the regular wooden dowels and the last time I used those I had a DISASTER! All because one of the wooden dowels got shifted askew and that's all it took to ruin a whole cake!
Any place that sells smoothies has the slightly bigger straws. Most places will give you a few. They're not at big as bubble tea, but bigger than standard straws.
I've used the Wilton ones khalstead mentioned - they're good too, but a bit harder to cut than snipping the straws.
Is there not an Asian food market anywhere in your area?
That's where I get mine, a pkg of 50 for 79cents.
DO NOT USES LOLLY POP STICKS!! For one there so tiny you would need a billion of them to be in good and then you would ruin the cake because it would be impossible to slice without it falling apart. For two and most importantly they are paper. If they stay in the cake for any length of time they will absorb the moisture and grease and become weak. I would use wooden dowels or the plastic ones from Wilton. I dont like either but in a pinch they are ok.
DO NOT USES LOLLY POP STICKS!! For one there so tiny you would need a billion of them to be in good and then you would ruin the cake because it would be impossible to slice without it falling apart. For two and most importantly they are paper. If they stay in the cake for any length of time they will absorb the moisture and grease and become weak. I would use wooden dowels or the plastic ones from Wilton. I dont like either but in a pinch they are ok.
I agree with this..Even the wilton ones I find them too thin, but in a bind I would use. I prefer thicker ones.
Edna 
DO NOT USES LOLLY POP STICKS!! For one there so tiny you would need a billion of them to be in good and then you would ruin the cake because it would be impossible to slice without it falling apart. For two and most importantly they are paper. If they stay in the cake for any length of time they will absorb the moisture and grease and become weak. I would use wooden dowels or the plastic ones from Wilton. I dont like either but in a pinch they are ok.
Toba Garrett uses lollipop sticks and if she has used them for years I doubt there'd be any problem.
Do you have a convenience store that sells slurpies close to you? I have found some places where the straws are really big in diameter - I'm sure the guys behind the counter look at my daughter really funny when she has 10 straws stuck in her drink!!
One of the really good reasons to use the Wilton plastic dowels or bubble tea straws is that the strongest type of support (in physics and engineering) is the hollow cylinder.
When you use a solid cylinder (wooden dowel, lollipop stick--and in moist cakes, these are a disaster waiting to happen because they DO absorb moisture and become weak, slip & slide easily, and are so thin that many are needed, thus destabilizing more cake), you run a huge risk of that support sliding due to horizontal sheer. Even if only ONE slides a little bit sideways, you can have a huge problem.
Hollow cylinders just don't slide easily. As long as they're cut evenly, they'll hold up very well under pressure.
Another consideration is that with wider dowels, you use fewer. The more holes you poke in the cake, the more you degrade the structure of the cake. With doweling, fewer wider dowels are better than lots of skinny ones.
For really large cakes of 3 tiers+, my preference is Wilton white plastic hidden dowels. For smaller cakes, I've used bubble tea straws and have been happy with the results.
HTH
Rae
One of the really good reasons to use the Wilton plastic dowels or bubble tea straws is that the strongest type of support (in physics and engineering) is the hollow cylinder.
When you use a solid cylinder (wooden dowel, lollipop stick--and in moist cakes, these are a disaster waiting to happen because they DO absorb moisture and become weak, slip & slide easily, and are so thin that many are needed, thus destabilizing more cake), you run a huge risk of that support sliding due to horizontal sheer. Even if only ONE slides a little bit sideways, you can have a huge problem.
Hollow cylinders just don't slide easily. As long as they're cut evenly, they'll hold up very well under pressure.
Another consideration is that with wider dowels, you use fewer. The more holes you poke in the cake, the more you degrade the structure of the cake. With doweling, fewer wider dowels are better than lots of skinny ones.
For really large cakes of 3 tiers+, my preference is Wilton white plastic hidden dowels. For smaller cakes, I've used bubble tea straws and have been happy with the results.
HTH
Rae
Where can I get wilton's white plastic hidden dowels??? I wasn't too thrilled using boba straws on a 5 tier cake. Thanks.
You can find them at most cake decorating stores, WalMart, Michael's, Joann, Hobby Lobby, ACMoore, online at Amazon.com and at Wilton.com.
Rae
i've even used a small diametered pvc piping you can find that the home depot. clean of course then cut to size. more supportive than straws, sticks, or wodden dowels. Probably more expensive int he long run if tou used them for every cake, but since you sound like this is a special occasion it would be worth it. Get eh pvc cutters as welll, they are amazing and will save you time and frustration when you try to saw a dowel.
With the Wilton plastic dowels (or bubble tea straws), I use 1 per 2 inches of cake being supported.
With a 12/8/6, I'd put 4 in the 12" to support the 8" and 3 in the 8" to support the 6".
With wooden dowels, I use 1 dowel per 1 inch of cake supported, so in this case, 8 in the 12" and 6 in the 8".
HTH
Rae
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