Hi All!

I am going to attempt another stacked BUTTERCREAM cake soon. I want to do a 10" with and a 6" cake on top. What is the best way I should do to try to center the 6" directly in the middle of the 10" with equal space on the exposed 10" cake?

Any tips are greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

=)

Trial and error...I just get on a chair (Because I am short) and stand above it with my 6 inch tier in hand and eyeball it and drop it on..Not literally.If I need to move it I gently lift and move it.

I make sure the cake is completely chilled before stacking. The BC is more forgiving if its cold versus a freshly iced cake. As for centering.. eye ball it! I use SPS so placing the plate on top marks where your legs are going in. Last... don't think about it too much!! It will stress you out! Just drop it and hope for the best. If its not where you want it just take a icing spatula and reposition it.

Let me ask a another question. Both of the anwers I recvd. mention if it is not evenly centered to re-position it with a spatula. Would I not cause icing damage to both cakes moving the 6" around?


Thank you for the help!

I usually stack 10 and 6 inch, too. After the 10" is iced and crusted, I gently lay an empty 6" cake pan on top. I use my ruler, turning the turntable, to make sure the cake pan is centered. When I have it where I want it, I gently press it into the cake top, making a slight indention. That helps me guide the top tier as I place it in the center.

When the cakes are chilled.. I can lift that top tier for adjusting with very little icing damage. If there is any damage I can usually smooth it back out with a VIVA paper towel or it gets covered by a border.

I don't do buttercream, but when centering fondant cakes, I take an upside down cake pan (a size smaller than the cake I want to stack) and make a mark that way. It's a heck of a lot easier that hovering the real cake overtop trying to "eyeball" it.

I take a 6" plate or cardboard and lay it on top the 10". Take a ruler and make sure you have equal space around the plate and then I take a pin and draw a circle, outlining the plate or cardboard. Then when you go to place the cake, you know exactly where it should go.

HTH!

Jen

I usually mark my cakes the with the actual pan as stated above, but I got this b/c I thought it may make it easier & faster:

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/product.aspx?ShopId=38&CatId=529&SubCatId=154&productId=630394

I haven't used it yet, but I think it'll be worth the $15 that I paid. Of coarse, you would have to have a square one for square tiers.