Hello there,
So, I'm baking a small wedding cake for 50-60 people.
The couple opter for a small but tall cake. So it's two tiers, one with 9" , with 4 layers of cake, and the other with 6" and also 4 layers for cake. Since it's so tall, I was thinking of dividing, for the slicing part, everything in 4 cakes. 2 of 9" with two layers, and 2 of 6" with two layers. Everyone gets the same size slice, same quantity os filling. It works.
However I have my doubts of the actual stacking. Should I put the dowels through the 4 layers of cake (on the 9", since the 6" will only have the center dowel), or should I still treat them as individual cakes and have 4 dowels going through 2 layers, then have a cake board, as if I was stacking a different size cake, and then again another 4 dowels through the remaining 9" layers. Sounds confusing I know.
Which do you think is safer? The couple didn't want to pay for transport so they are taking the cake stacked themselves (something I would never do myself. I always assemble on the spot).
Also. There's no such thing as SPS in Portugal where I live. We have wooden dowels, wilton stacking system and PME's plastic hollow pillars https://www.amazon.co.uk/PME-12-5-Inch-Plastic-Hollow-Pillars/dp/B00GB3HL2K
So, any advice? Stack both 9" cakes as if they are independent cakes (cake board and all), stack them together but with the cake board as well (tricky getting the holes places right though...) or just stack the 4 layers, 7 inch high, cakes together as one (seems scary...).
Unfortunately I find your description a bit hard to understand :( (I'm sure it's just me) However, all/most cakes that are tall need to be put together about the same way as any other..... that is each two layer w/filling that ends up about 4" to 5" tall needs to go on a cake board the same size as the cake. Dowels, either wooden ones or plastic drink straws, (possibly the PME but they look too thick disturbing too much cake), go in the bottom 4" tall cake w/the next 4" tall cake place on a cake board on top of that. Each of those 9"x4" rounds need 5 straws. This is then iced as one cake. The 6" rounds are treated the same way w/just 3 dowels in the bottom 6"x4"round - none in the top. You really don't need a center dowel.....it really gives a false sense of security. If you really feel th e need for it, all you do is sharpen one end & hammer it through all the layers....no need for getting holes placed right.
Hi @kakeladi , thank you for your reply. Yeah, I know it was confusing. I was confused as well.
I ended up assembling the cake before your reply but did it fairly similar to what you described. My main doubt/question was whether I should put a cake board between the 4 layers of the 9" (making it two 2 layers cakes) or not. I decided to do so because it would facilitate the deassembling and cutting of slices (as everyone would then get a slice of cake with 2 layers, filling and frosting. Made sense to me).
However I put the dowels through the 4 layers of cake (7 inch high dowels). None of the 6" except for the center dowel. I almost died putting the center dowel as it got stuck somewhere along the way and I had to wiggle it (cringe, tears and doom surrounding me) to make it pass. I seriously have to remember to make larger center holes next time.... It had a sharp edge and tried with all my strenght but the cake boards here are so sturdy (not cardboard), I couldn't get it through.
I have one question. If you don't put a center dowel, how to you prevent the different size cakes from sliding off from each other. It's the only thing keeping them together, no?
Ps: I have no idea why I wrote SPS instead of PME.. haha sorry
..............If you don't put a center dowel, how to you prevent the different size cakes from sliding off from each other. It's the only thing keeping them together, no?............
I worked mainly in American buttercream and almost always had the cake finished the day before delivery. When you are ready to add the tiers together put a dollop of icing on the bottom tier to hold it, then the border work also helps when it sets up.
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