Hey guys,

I have never stacked a cake higher than 4 tiers and I have been commissioned to create a 6 tier cake and I am SUPER nervous. Is there a trick to doubly make sure my cake doesn't lean and/or crash down? I would like to run a 3/4" metal pipe through all the layers...any other suggestions? Thanks Guys!!

Hmmm, I think the best thing would be to use the cake safe or SPS. I have done a 5 tier (almost 4 feet tall) pure cake using a combination of wooden dowels and bubble tea straws with success.

Good luck.

I would say to go with SPS also.

I have never used it but I have never done a cake larger than 4 tiers. I use bubble tea straws and a center dowel, but if I was to do a cake that large for a paying customer I would want the added peace of mind and use SPS.

SPS all the way!

I've transported a 6 layer down uneven country roads, not a single layer budged even a fraction of an inch. The only thing you'll have to worry about is someone to help you lift/carry the cake .

Good luck!

Before you decide to stack the whole thing for delivery, make sure (a) that you can pick it up! (b) that it fits in your delivery vehicle.

Stacking a 6 tier isn't any different than stacking a 3 tier. Your dowels might be a little bigger (for a 6 tier, I'll use the wilton hollow plastic dowels ... 5 in the bottom tier; 4 in the next tier; and wooden dowels in all remaining tiers), but the method is the same.

I, personally, prefer to assemble such a large cake on-site.

I only did this once (minie and mickey wedding in my pic) I did use sps and stacked the first four tiers (like Indydebi said this is what I could lift) and the put the rest of the tiers at the wedding and finished the borders. Everything went just fine for me. Hope it goes well for you too.

I notice the OP never said she was traveling with it stacked. Are you just concerned with the stacking of it???

No need to worry about leaning or crashing as long as you

1.) make sure all of your dowels are cut perfectly straight and even with EACHOTHER, not the top of the cake's icing

2.) make sure the table you're setting the cake on is level

3.) you use a decent stacking system (whether it's SPS, or hollow dowels and cake circles, etc. it doesn't have to be expensive, just make sure the dowels are sturdy and can't tilt or your whole cake will CRASH (ask me how I know this?)

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much...oh and yes, I was hoping to travel with it assembled but I am not sure if it will fit my my 4-runner

ACan some one tell me what SPS MEAN?

Asingle plate system -- it's like setting a miniature table into each tier as the bones that the cake is stacked upon --

chef leah has the instructions on page 15 on a giant thread entitled 'sps instructions' just do a search for it -- search box is up in these top right corner unless you're on a phone

AYep. SPS. You'll love it. Ive done MANY 6 tiers and a couple of 7 tiers with it.