Can Someone Explain Duff's Stacking Method?
Decorating By lisap Updated 17 May 2007 , 6:58pm by imartsy
I noticed on this past week's Ace of Cakes show that Duff was attaching dowels to the bottom of his top tier. Then he flipped the top tier over and that pushed the dowels down into the tier below it. Can someone explain this method to me? Is he using some special kind of support system or just regular dowels and separator plates? This would only work with a fondant covered cake, right? Thanks so much. I rewound it and watched it three or four times but I couldn't figure out what he was doing.
omg I am so glad you asked! I was wondering the same thing, but as I was kind of distracted at the time I only saw bits and pieces of what was going on, so I figured I missed something.
But when I saw that girl scrambling with the door to get it open and the cake through, I knew it must be confidently secured. 
I kept thinking she was gonna squoosh it. 
I believe that instead of wooden pillars he uses something similar to Wiltons hidden pillar...
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E3119F0-475A-BAC0-5772682F766C019C&fid=63EB9DA7-475A-BAC0-522158B536D3E04A
They are pre-attached to the seperator plate and then pushed into the cake. This isn't a method that's for only fondant cakes, because this was the only way we supported buttercream cakes at a bakery I worked at. It's not different from using dowels though, and I find it more annoying, because wood is a lot easier to cut then the plastic things. Just my opinion, hope that helps.
Ami
Can't help you with the dowels. I must have missed that part. But, I did wonder why that girl didn't first get someone to hold the door open for her...especially since she was so worried about dropping the cake.
I held my breath till she got through the door! I kept having visions of feet slipping out from under her -cake flying through the air and landing on her head. I could've saved myself the anxiety by ffwding because I had it recorded..but where's the fun in that!! 
I'd like to know the answer to the doweling/support question too.
What about the episode last week (1st one of the new season, yay!
), that showed him w/ a bottom cake tier full of green straws? Then he had a problem with cracking, and said, "I cut one (or some) of the straws too short."
So straws? What kind? Hmmmmm...
What about the episode last week (1st one of the new season, yay!
), that showed him w/ a bottom cake tier full of green straws? Then he had a problem with cracking, and said, "I cut one (or some) of the straws too short." So straws? What kind? Hmmmmm...
I would have to go back but I don't think they were straws. He used the hollow dowels a lot.
I just remember him saying, "I cut ..... of the straws to short." I perked up when I heard the word 'straw'. Also I saw the one cake where they were green and hollow (like a straw). I haven't seen plastic cake dowels in any color other than white.
Hope that helps. I would love to know how he supports his cakes. They always look rock solid!
I used straws and dowels in my cake and there not just for fondant cakes....The straws are just plastic drinking straws put into the cake around the middle and cut to the same height of the cake....there to give the cake alittle more support...Ive seen the way he puts the dowels in and it just adds more support cause his cakes are really heavy....I just use a dowel down the middle of the cake.(buy them at home depot) Havent lost a cake yet and I deliver to 2 other business over 45 minutes away
I've never heard of the tea or the straws!
Are these the right ones, and is this a good price?
Shipping is under $4, so it would be $5 something shipped to Texas.
http://www.bobateadirect.com/Bag-of-Fat-Bubble-Tea-Straws-pr-418.html
I too would like the know the plate/dowel system he uses, I was going to email.....
I use plastic drinking straws for all my cakes....most of the time the green ones from Starbucks, but I did use Bubble Tea straws in my 4 tier Mardi Gras cake - they were awesome, gotta get some more.
new one on me first time I'v heard of them.
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