I am doing a four tier wedding cake this weekend and have two questions if anyone can help.

1. Should I use cardboard cake circles under each tier or would it be better to use something stronger like foam core circles?

2. Do I decorate each tier before I stack (its just white fondant circles on a white b/c iced cake), or is it better to stack and then decorate each tier? I've done stacked cakes before (up to three tiers) but never really paid attention to what order I did things!

Thanks!

1. Depends on how heavy the cake is, so I will say double the cardboard.
2. Decorate before stacking as this gets almost everything done and you can go to bed. Or drink.

Unless you have a design that flows from one tier to the next, it is much easier to decorate each before stacking.

I have started using SPS, so I use one cardboard that then goes onto a plastic plate. This is a great system.

LOL minicuppie...I whole heartedly agree. After spending WAY too much time on a hot/humid day trying to get buttercream wedding cake smooth I could have used a whole bottle of wine! LOL!

And, yup, press and seal would be a great way of putting the cardboard together so the rounds don't slide but I also use the SPS method and it's cardboard and then the plastic seperator plate. For wedding cakes it just makes me feel more secure. I just bake the price of the SPS into the cake so I don't have to worry about the pieces being returned. Now, mind you, I ask every single time and about 30% of the time I'll get the pieces back but that so rarely happens I'd rather not worry about it.

I've only done 2 3-tiered cakes and used single circle. I decorated each separate and then stacked. Knowing myself, I'd touch and damage one of the other tiers while decorating antoher!

I'm going to try sps sometime soon. I just haven't had a chance to try it out yet and would rather not experiment on someone's wedding cake! I need to first figure out how to get my cakes to be 4 inches tall and then I will give it a go.

Don't remember who, but they had a great idea:

Bake your layers in a 3" pan, so they end up a bit taller than 2". Put a cardboard circle in the bottom of a same-size 2" pan, then the layer. Trim even with the top of the pan. the layer will turn out perfect size for a two-layer 4" tier once filled and iced.

I did this for my grad cake, except I forgot the cardboard! Each tier was just a bit over 4". I put a bit of powdered sugar on top of each tier before inserting the SPS for the next tier, then the weight of the layer pushed it down so it was touching the bottom as it should. Everything worked great, and I had the most level layers I think I have had so far!

Guys I have a question...what is SPS?