Hello, I need your help! I have my first 5 tier order coming up this weekend and for some reason I never thought much about how the support system might vary from my usual 2-4 tier cakes. I have 2 main questions: 

1: the cake will be 12”, 10” (1/2 barrel), 8”, 6” (1.5 barrel), 4”, and all fordsnt covered with minimal decoration. I usually use bubble tea straws for my tiered cakes, but I am concerned that won’t hold up on the bottom tier. Should I get the thick plastic Wilton supports for the bottom tier?

2: the 6” cake will be a 1.5 barrel (6 layers of cake, filled and stacked to approx 7” tall) and will have a 4” cake on top. Do I need a cake board and supports half way through the 6”?

Thanks in advance!

yes i would use heftier supports in the bottom tiers and yes i'd use a board in the middle of any tier 7" tall -- this thing is going to be very very tall and narrow -- and what does "10” (1/2 barrel)" mean? a double tier? if so you need a board in the middle of that too 

Ok thanks! The 1/2 barrel meant two layers of cake (approximately 2.5 inches tall). I am not sure if the correct terminology haha!

oh oh oh of course -- makes perfect sense -- sort of -- hahahaha -- 

but if you make the 6" tier six inches tall instead of seven inches tall you could probably eliminate the board in the middle -- but you'll know what to do when you get there -- kwim?

for a tottering cake like this might be -- i put a dowel through the top several tiers and let it stick out on top for delivery purposes -- but usually only if you are not stacking on site -- so as you deliver you have a handle -- literally -- on things -- then you can remove it on site and patch up the little hole in the top -- helps reduce the anxiety -- and i would probably do this for the top two tiers anyway -- even if you stack them on site

We were thinking of delivering it with the bottom 3 tiers stacked and the the top two as individuals. Then stacking the top two on site. Think we will still need a dowel? I usually dowel my 3 tiers and up, the the bottom 3 will be wide so I was debating not doing it.

i always played it safe myself -- i err on the side of doweling 

My only cake his all - it was 46" tall - was almost exactly the same configuration as your's.  I did transport it with the tiers in individual boxes and stacked it at the venue.  It had lots of supports in each tier, but no central dowel and no issues.

beautiful, sandra -- i love the pearls on the monogram and how you balanced it with the two little dooeys

sweet tooth az -- your second tier from the bottom is a half that tall though -- and your second from the top tier is a shade shorter -- by a quarter -- so yours will be about 38 inches tall give or take -- also  when you eliminate about three inches for the three platforms in between the bottom three tiers on sandra's -- about 35 inches eliminating the plateau too --

there must be a duplicate post of this somewhere -- it thought i had lost a post but there it is up there #4 ha!

Thanks, Kate!

For your question about supporting a cake this size, I have reat success with the Bakery Crafts SPS separator plates combined with the Wilton hollow cut to fit dowels. The dowels securely lock into the plates, I have transported 4 tier cakes fully assembled with zero issues! No center dowels needed. A tiny peg on top of each plate prevents the cake cardboards from sliding around. I do wash and reuse the plates, which range from $2-5 each for sizes I use the most. Each plate takes four dowels. Been using this system for many years and it hasn't let me down yet! 

Lady Ateco came out with something similar, I haven't tried it yet,it doesn't look as sturdy to me. Hope you find what works best for you. 

For your question about supporting a cake this size, I have reat success with the Bakery Crafts SPS separator plates combined with the Wilton hollow cut to fit dowels. The dowels securely lock into the plates, I have transported 4 tier cakes fully assembled with zero issues! No center dowels needed. A tiny peg on top of each plate prevents the cake cardboards from sliding around. I do wash and reuse the plates, which range from $2-5 each for sizes I use the most. Each plate takes four dowels. Been using this system for many years and it hasn't let me down yet! 

Lady Ateco came out with something similar, I haven't tried it yet,it doesn't look as sturdy to me. Hope you find what works best for you. 

awesome idea, cakeitgood!

That’s a gorgeous cake Sandra! 

I have thought about using the SPS system but I the majority of the cakes I make are 2 tiers or less, so I haven’t felt the need. I should have looked into it earlier for this cake though. 

We ended up using th Wilton support rods in ththe bottom, and then transporting the bottom 3 stacked, and the top two separately and it worked out perfectly! Thanks for all the tips! 

so pretty!! gold sparkles and butterflies flitting and giant  pretty pink roses -- lovely

This is a stunning cake, Sweet_tooth_az!  Beautiful colors and roses and the ruffles on the bottom tier are so pretty!  Happy it worked out perfectly for you!

Thanks for the sweet compliment!

Oh how beautiful!   How wonderful you got the help you needed to produce such a beauty :)  And it does prove even though not loved by many, Wilton stuff is still important/useable in this sweet world.

and wilton is the one who got this all started

Thanks! I don’t have any cake supply shops in my city (that I know of anyways) do I am always thankful to be able to Wilton stuff last minute! 

wilton is cool -- they have their issue but their yearbooks is how/where i learned in the first place

I honestly don't like to eat Wilton fondant (what a surprise, I don't like to eat ANY fondant), but I love their gel colors and cutters and flower tools and on and on and on.  I think Wilton rocks!