Have any of you ever used the Bakery Craft pillar and plate system? I have to put a 7 inch cake on pillars. The video shows that there is a notch in the middle of the plate that you impress first on the cake board then slip the cake on to set on the notch. I did pillars many years ago but always secured with icing. If you put icing on the plate with this system the cake would not fit neatly in the little notch. I am afraid to do this without securing with icing. What would you say? I want to use the Bakery Craft system rather than Wilton because Bakery craft has the height of pillars I want to insert in the cake. Thank you for your advice.

It sounds like Bakery Craft has changed their plates since I used them years ago   I remember there was a little point not a natch   I just ignored it and used icing like you said    Guess that doesn’t help you know what to do:)  

I said it wrong. It looks like a point, sharp that you push into the cardboard. Yeah I think just use icing. Thanks!

The point will penate the cake board as you work on the cake and there will not be any difference it will be level 

sO CAN YOU PUT THE CAKE ON THE PLATE FIRST THEN ADD THE PILLARS. yOU WOULD HOLD THE CAKE ON PLATE WHILE SOMEONE ELSE ADDS THE PILLARS UNDERNEATH. THEN PUT ALL INTO BOTTOM CAKE OR WOULD YOU PUT THE PILLARS ON THE PLATE AND PUT THAT INTO THE CAKE THEN ADD THE UPPER CAKE ON TOP?

I always put the pillers in the lower tier, having the upper tier on a cake board which is on a plate then fit that plate onto the pillars   That worked best for me        If it’s a 2 plate/pillar arrangement place the bottom plate on the top of the top tier when you finish decorating it,  when setting up add pillars to that plate then fit the top tier into the pillars     Hope that’s all as clear as mud!! :)

Got it. Thanks so much! It makes sense to have the pillars already in the cake then add the plate with cake on it already. It seems that the weight of the cake would help the pillars snap into place. Do I have it right?

Yes you do :)

Thanks so much!

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Hi, Sandra. Looks like your post didn't come through. Would love to hear from you, your experience.

I just bumped the post so it would be above all the spam which has been uploaded.   Sorry, I have no experience with the system.

SPS is all I use.  I use the "cut to fit" columns because I can't get an exact cake height to save my life.

I place my tiers on regular cake rounds to ice and cover with fondant, making sure I press the SPS on the corresponding cake round to make a little dent or hole underneath the board before I get started before the layers are placed on the board.  That makes it really easy to center the cakes,  because the cake board just seats right onto the little nub. 

I mark the cake with the place (without the legs) and cut out the fondant holes if I'm using it.  Then I mark one column for length and cut four from that one.  I put the SPS together and use my hand as a little hammer to make sure the legs are seated all the way in - don't want the weight of the cake to push part of them down and cause a leaning tier. Since I cut them, I also place my little level on top to make sure I've got them all the way in.

I place the support, legs and all, into the lower tier and press down to make sure it's firm.  I use candy melts to "glue" the cake board to the SPS plate, but you can probably use anything.  Then I place the tier on top of the plate and wiggle it a bit to make sure the hold and the nub match up.  You can feel it drop right in when you're lined up.  The candy melts have a lot of "soft" time after melting, so there's plenty of time to make sure I'm centered.

I've had dowels and straws shift, but I've never had a fail with SPS, even on very tall wedding cakes that I wasn't able to stack on site because of the design.  There are others (Oasis doesn't sell SPS anymore), but they don't have that little nib thingy and I've gotten accustomed to that.  I think the Coast ones can be purchased with holes in the center, though.  Haven't tried them yet.  

Hope that helps a little.

So I don't type well in the morning or evening.  I mark the cake with the plate, not the place and there are way too many "before" phrases.

I should get to work!  

Thank you lark6290! So kakelady says she puts the cake on the SPS plate before putting this plate is on the pillars, she puts the pillars in then the cake plate with the cake on it, but you are saying to put the pillars and plate on the lower cake then add the the cake. I can see that if the cake is going to sit flush on top of the lower tier. But I want one tier to be elevated about 6 inches above its lower tier, so the pillars would be showing (6" above the cake). I am afraid about putting the top cake on the system. That is my worry. I will have 3 tiers. I will put an 8 inch directly on top on a 10 inch, then I want the top 7 inch tier to set higher up, as I said,  about 6" above the 8" tier. There is where I have the question: to fit the pillars into its plate before pushing them into the cake, then slide the cake on or put just the pillars in then put the plate on with the heavy cake on the plate. And the cake will be heavy as it will be cover with 1/2" in ganache all around then fondant.

Thank you for your response. Let me know if I am not making myself clear.

I think I understand.  I had a cake with gumpaste roses in between each tier, so there was a 4" space or so between the tiers.  Is that what you mean?

I still did it my  normal way.  Put the system together first, press into the cake and then glue the cake board to the plastic plate with candy melts.  Traveled with it all assembled (5 tiers total,) except the top tier which I added at the venue.  If the venue were farther away, I would have broken it down further before travel, I think, but it didn't budge.

But this is just what works for me.  I can also see the logic in the other method and I think either way would give you the same results.  It's a good sturdy system.

Thank you. I understand.

the sps systems I worked with needed to have pillars attached to plates before placing the cakes on there -- because they needed a little oomph before being squarely landed -- otherwise you run the risk of it not being level -- and that's the joy of sps -- solid foundation -- that's been my experience --

and yes those little dooeys to prick the cardboard circles are more insurance --

best to you

Oh thanks for your response. I will put pillars on plate and into bottom cake then slide cake onto assembled system. I can see how the other way would work if you were really experienced but for me, I'd better make sure they snap in place first before putting cake on.

As you are finding out what works for one of us does not necessarily work for others :(   

You 'quote me':............ kakelady says she puts the cake on the SPS plate before putting this plate is on the pillars, she puts the pillars in then the cake plate with the cake on it, but you are saying to put the pillars and plate on the lower cake then add the the cake......

Yes I much prefere to place the pillars into a cake - especially if they are elevating the next tier - placing that tier to be elevated on a cake board/round then onto the plate that will be fitted into the pillars.  Other times I use a 2 plate/pillar system - using straws as supports which are placed in the cake under the lower plate.  That plate is placed on the cake w/dabs of icing and the prongs facing up.  Next follow the steps stated above for the elevated tier.  It's then a simple matter of inserting the prongs into the pillars.   Try doing that with a 3 tier cake on a plate going over a flowing fountain!!        Here I used push-in pillars w/one plate:  https://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/2158953/red-and-white-wedding-tiers      https://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/1330216/hearts-aflutter                                                                             Over the fountain 2 plates w/pillar system:  https://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/2158953/red-and-white-wedding-tiers                                                  I almost lost the whole set-up putting this one together!  It was sooooo heavy:       https://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/1357611/7-tiers-with-stairs

Thank you kakeladi. I absolutely love your fountain tiered cake! It's absolutely beautiful and my gosh so huge. How did you ever do that! I appreciate hearing your method because it makes sense to put a heavy cake down into the pillars, surely it would snap into place. I am leary of sliding a relatively heavy cake onto the top of an elevated plate. And the way it will be decorated I would have to kind of slide it. I am afraid the open pillars even with the plate will be flimsy. I am going to do a 2- tier practice cake for a friend's birthday before I do the 3 tier wedding cake. I need to gets my hands on the pillar and plate system and then decide how I want to handle it. Thanks so much for sharing your method. It makes sense to me, having handled cakes all my life, but even then, I don't have all your experience. I am thinking I could have someone kind of hold the pillar-plate system while I slide the cake on. I go back and forth because I can't imagine that the cake on the plate, being heavy, wouldn't snap into place when you put it on the pillars.

Again, thanks so much for sharing. Your expertise is very valuable to me.