I'm making (made?) my first tiered cake for my graduation party tomorrow, and, despite a few fondant rips, it doesn't look bad (especially because I had never worked with MMF before). I'm getting to the transportation stage and could use a little advice. My cake is a two layer 8" bottom and a two layer 7" on top (I was going for a certain look with those numbers, which is why it wasn't 8" and 6"). Both layers are covered in MMF, and I used Wilton's plastic dowels on the bottom layer.

My question, after all of that, is when can I stack it? I'm going to put it in a box and take it just a couple streets over in my subdivision sometime Saturday (tomorrow) morning since the party is at 3 p.m. The only reason I don't want to stack it Saturday before I go is because I'm rolling balls of fondant to put on the bottom of each layer. Theoretically, I could get up a few hours early to do it, but I'm afraid that'll make me super tired for my party. I was thinking about stacking it around 9 or 10 p.m. tonight (Friday) and adding the decoration around the bottom. Would that be reasonable?

Sort of a side question: I'm using wires on my cake with coffee stirrers to hold them. I saw something about piping chocolate into the stirrer to keep the wire still, but that didn't go so well for me. Would I be okay with just leaving the stirrer alone and putting the wire in the stirrer without anything else?

Thanks!

Oh yeah you can do it tonight. I usually put wire in and use bc frosting once I put everything in and set. If the straw isn't full with wires or frosting the wires will move on you. That is just up to you.

You know, I thought of just about everything else to fill wires with - chocolate, RI, melted fondant, melted gumpaste - but I never thought of the easiest thing: BC! Thanks. =]

That takes a lot off of my shoulders, being able to stack it tonight I mean. -heaves sign of relief-

Would 9 be pushing it, or could I do it even earlier, like say...6?

You can stack anytime you like. There isn't a time limit on how long a stack cake will hold....the yellow and red cake in my photos had been stacked for a week when those photos were taken. (no one ate the cake...it was suppose to be for a wedding cake..wedding was cancelled due to a death...so I just decorated the cake for a cake to add to my portfoilo.....just wanted to clarify that no one ate a cake that old.. )Anyway, I'm just saying that you can go ahead and stack the cake NOW if you want. If the cake is stacked properly it will hold indefinetely. No time limit on that.

Be sure to post pictures of your cake and good luck with everything.

A week?? Well, if a cake can hold up that long (though absolutely unfortunate that the wedding was cancelled because of a death), I feel better doing mine now.

I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I can. =]