I want to make a small, single tier wedding cake, but I'd like the tier to be quite tall (8"?). I've read that you're supposed to put boards 1/2 way up. If this is so, then, when the cake is being cut do you only cut 1/2 way down to the first board? Once the "top layer" has been cut, do you remove the board and then cut the bottom 1/2? Doesn't this mean that the bottom 1/2 of the cake won't have any icing on the top? Can someone explain please.

Thanks

Yes, you only serve one cake at a time.

You fill and ice 2 x8" cakes just like you normally would, only the board on one of your cakes (the top one) needs to be 1/4 smaller then the completed iced cake (otherwise the cardboard will show). Then you are going to dowel one cake and put the other cake on top of it. Then pipe around the seam and smooth. Up to you if you want to add a center dowel.

Good luck!

Thank you for your response FromScratchSF, but I don't understand your comment about piping around the cake board. I'm attaching a picture of what I'd like to do. The finished cake looks like one single tier.. http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1785382.

....And, how would I do it if I covered it in fondant?

Here's a great tutorial for a double barrel (very tall) cake complete with pics and fondant instructions. I stumbled upon it just a couple of days ago!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciously_decadent/sets/72157621850372685/detail/

You want to pipe around the board that's between the 2 cakes, so you don't see the seam of where the 2 cakes meet.

The pink 1-yr old duck cake in my photos is a double stacked cake, although I didn't cover it like the tutorial. Instead I cut fondant the height and circumference of the whole cake. Then I took my rolling pin ( no handles) and rolled the fondant up, with the bottom edge flush with the bottom of the rolling pin. Got my cake ready to cover, set the rolling pin up against the cake and unrolled the fondant around the cake. Then I cut out a round top for the top of the cake.

Yes there was a seam in the back, and one along the top edge, but I filled it in pretty good. This technique worked well for me.