AI have a 2 tier cake due today and I am having such difficulty with it. The cake is actually a pretty simple one so I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. It's a 2 tier all buttercream rosettes. I skipped the crumb coat since I will be piping the rosettes on.. So I stacked the cake and as I started piping, I noticed that the cake was not sturdy at all, even with the dowels I placed inside the tiers, and it seemed as though the bottom tier is lop sided.. I've done up to 3 tiers with no problem, however, since it was a fondant cake, I did apply a crumb coat.. Now I wonder, is the crumb coat a crucial part for stacking cakes? Does it hold the tiers together and make them sturdy... For lack of a better word, does it work like cement?

Thank you for taking the time to read this..

maybe a bit it acts like a glue--it would also give the rosettes something to hold on to--but the lack of a crumb coat would not cause the lopsidedness--

i think your doweling might be the issue--your dowel should each be cut to the same exact size -- they should not be clipped off to the height of the top of the tier  -- or what kind of dowel are you using?

and of course you have a board in between the tiers --

I don't think the crumb coat would make a difference in terms of sturdiness - it really only ensures the fondant has something to adhere to and you don't see cake crumbs/ lumps through the fondant.

The most important thing in stacking is the sturdiness of the cake itself and the support. What cake did you use? Some are much sturdier than others (like WASC). Also, If your dowels are EXACTLY even your cake will be lopsided. I have had this happen. Are you using a cardboard cake board in between? This helps too.

Luckily cake decorating is about smoke and mirrors. I have build up the lopsided part on mine by folding over a 6" cake circle and shoving it underneath to give that balance. Then cover up with icing.

Hope that helps!

Terri

meant if youre dowels are NOT exactly even...

AThanks for the replies... The cake is 3 flavors.. Chocolate, red velvet and vanilla.. And yes, I have a cake board under the second tier.. I checked all my dowels and noticed that after the bottom tier set, the dowels inserted were slightly higher than the actual tier.. So I've recut those.. I crumb coated the tiers, let it chill for a bit and re stacked it.. That did the trick... Thank you

Trying to skip some steps to save time or ingredients is definitely not the way to go... Lesson learned..:D

Thanks again!!