Hello!

I mostly make cakes for fun at home.  A month ago I tried a two tiered cake.  I used plastic dowels but after a few hours the top started to crush the bottom.  

I have now been asked to make a cake for about 20 people for a birthday party. I am pretty confident with decorating and using fondant, but am afraid of supporting anything I put on top.  I have a few questions.

If I am making a round cake with 2 or 3 layers and want to make a tiny pillow cake on top, what should I use to support it? Any ideas on why my cake sunk the first time? Thank You!!

@vanessa62114 ‍, is it possible that your supports were not completely vertical and the weight of the top cake caused them to tilt?  Perhaps there were not enough supports.  Others here disagree, but I always use dowels based upon the size of the cake that will be resting on them - example: if the tier I want to support is 6", I add six dowels to be base cake.  One dowel for every inch (of diameter) of cake to be supported.  If the tier being supported is not very heavy, I use large straws.  For heavier tiers, I use wooden dowels.

Be sure there is a cake board supporting each tier.  If you set the second tier directly onto the first without a cake board, the whole thing could sink, regardless of the supports.

@SandraSmiley ‍ I did not use a cake board in between! That's probably it! So if I want a pillow cake (a lot smaller than the bottom tier) should I cut the cake board to size? Thank you so much for your reply!

Yep, you need a cake board underneath the second tier.  Edna De La Cruz has a great free video on how she stakes cakes.  It is really helpful.  I think her website is Design Me A Cake.  

Yes cake board and plastic dowels or sturdy straws

although how tiny is the pillow and how big is the bottom cake? You may not need to support if it's just a tiny pillow on top of a one tier cake 

There is a good possibility that your small pillow top tier may not need support, but being the anal-retentive that I am, I would cut a cake board to fit it and add three or four straws for support.

Don't let this experience scare you away from stacking, vanessa62114.  Follow the basics and it really is easy. 

Part of my comment was cut off above.  It said, " @cutiger ‍is correct, Edna de la Cruz has a lot of fabulous tutorials.  Here is he link of her YouTube video on Cake Stacking".

Thanks everyone!  I'm not sure about the size of the cake yet.  I posted another thread asking for recommendations.  Here are my questions if anyone is interested.  Thanks so much for all of the replies to my last question!!!

I am baking a cake for a 5 year old's birthday party.  She likes the cartoon "Shimmer and Shine." The cake is for about 20-25 people.  I would like to make a single tier cake with 3 layers and two different fillings.  I would like to make a vanilla cake and have one of the fillings be a funfetti type of filling.  I may make a small pillow second tier because the characters are genies and in photos sit on a pillow/rug style thing. 

Here are my questions:

1.  For 20-25 people, with 3 layers what size diameter should I use for the cakes to make it enough?

2.  Anyone have recommended fillings that can also be used to crumb coat for underneath fondant?

3.  Anyone have a recommendation for vanilla cake that withstands fondant well?

4. Am I going about this all wrong, and if so what would you recommend?

Thank you so much!!

1.  According to the sizing charts, a 10" x 4" would be the correct size.  At serving size 1-1/2" x 2" x 4", it will serve approximately 28 people.

2.  I always use either buttercream or ganache under fondant.

3.  There is an excellent White Almond Sour Cream recipe on this site that is sturdy enough to carve, but with a delightful texture and flavor.

4.  Don't know why you think you are going about it all wrong.  You will never learn if you don't try.  Most things you need to know, like cake serving charts, can be found on Google or YouTube.