Help With Alot ..tiered Cake..how? Size Appropriate? Please!
Decorating By sliceofheaven Updated 3 Feb 2007 , 11:21pm by kjt
okay..question for the veterans is... do you need to have a cake round for the top tier of a two tiered cake? if not..how do you assemble it? come to think of it..how do you assemble it WITH a cake round? the cake is 6" on top, 9" on bottom. It needs to feed about 20-25..mostly 4 yr olds...is the size large enough? vanilla cream layers filled with strawberries & pastry cream will be one tier, devil's food filled w/ choc. BC will be other tier. DOES IT MATTER WHAT TIER SHOULD BE THE BASE?? (according to cake density, etc) I've downloaded tiered/stacked constuction..and I'm still a little confused by the directions. I did the ol' ....sure, I can do THAT for you! ( Even though I'm quite through with classes yet). After all, it's not a wedding cake...just a small ...cake...WITH TWO TIERS!!!!!!!!! 
But I just know with the lifesaving advice of the wise ones @ CC....I can do it!! thanks bunches! P.s.s.s...is the size ratio 6" & 9" for the tiers okay? I can change that if necessary..I just need room on the sides for details.(unicorns, flowers, etc) 
The reheasal dinner cake in my pictures is 6 and 9 inch tiers. The 6 inch was on a carboard cake round. I put 3 wooden dowels under it. I also sharpened a dowel rod and drove it through both tiers into the cake board below to help prevent any slipping. You should have more than enough cake for that many kids.
You'll do fine!
If both cakes are 2 layer cakes then you'll have plenty of cake (enough for 30-45 people) depending on how big you cut the pieces. To stack them i would put a cake board under the 6" just to be safe, especially if it has to be transported. Just ice your 9" cake and insert your dowel rods to support the 6" cake. Then ice your 6" cake on the cake board then set it on top of the 9" with the dowels in it. Smooth any areas you mess up when you put one cake on top of the other. Put a large dowel thru both cakes so when it is transported there won't be any shifting. Then decorate the cake however you like. I hope this makes sense!! Sometimes things sound great in your head then you read them and go...WHAT???
The reheasal dinner cake in my pictures is 6 and 9 inch tiers. The 6 inch was on a carboard cake round. I put 3 wooden dowels under it. I also sharpened a dowel rod and drove it through both tiers into the cake board below to help prevent any slipping. You should have more than enough cake for that many kids.
You'll do fine!
I agreee with everything in this statement from JidieF. You'll have plenty of cake for your little ones, don't worry. The ratio is nice; I will use 6"-9"-12" for a smaller wedding cake and it is nicely balanced, so I would not change a thing on your sizes.
As for which tier should be what flavor, it isn't really going to matter a lot; unless you know the kids are more into the chocolate cake vs. the white cake, in which case I would make the chocolate be the 9" because you'll get more servings out of it.
As to technique, place your 6" tier on a cardboard that is 6", ice the cake as you normally would. Ice your 9" tier (sitting on whatever base you are using). Measure some 1/4" wooden dowels, or straight drinking straws, or bamboo skewers so they are all the same height and EXACTLY as tall as the highest part of your 9" cake (hopefully the cake is completely level). Lightly mark where your 6" cake is going to sit, and place 3-4 of the dowels you have cut equally spaced around the inner perimeter of that 6" pre-marked circle. This will hold the weight of the top tier.
Gently set the 6" cake on top of the 9" cake over the dowels. Now take one last dowel that is almost the height of both cakes put together (if your cake stands 8" tall, cut a dowel about 7" long). Sharpen one end to a point. Slowly and carefully insert this sharpened dowel through the center of the top tier, through the cardboard, and all the way into the bottom tier. This will keep the top tier from shifting. Hide the hole with a little icing or a decoration. Now you can decorate, move and play with your cake until you are satisfied with it.
If this doesn't help, let us know; we'll be happy to talk you through the whole process! 
Happy Baking,
Odessa
Let me just say.....bless you ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this website full of caring, wonderful, amazing people! thanks so much for the advice and encouragement.......you've all really helped! 
Welcome to CC
This link will help
http://www.cakecentral.com/article49-Building-The-Cake-Combination-Pillar--Stacked-Construction.html
Just omit the bottom cake in the picture since you are doing the tier set-up .
Ditto sliceofheaven!!!!! When you get the dowel to the cardboard it just goes through w/out squishing Or do you make a hole in the center of the cardboard BEFORE assembly?
Thanks Jodie!!! I'm so looking forward to trying this!!!!
I just noticed your from Collinsville! My Gramma grew up there and still has relatives there and my Grampa is buried there. Maybe I sneak over and observe a master!!! 
Ditto sliceofheaven!!!!! When you get the dowel to the cardboard it just goes through w/out squishing Or do you make a hole in the center of the cardboard BEFORE assembly?
It should go right through, but sometimes I will twist the dowel, as if I'm screwing it in ... that generally helps without a lot of jiggling. I would never put a hole in my board first -- afraid I'd never get the dowel to line up with it. LOL
There are times when I use a small hammer to pound the sharpened dowel through, but that can cause a lot of stress to the cakes you're working with if you're not careful. The "screw-in" method works well for me.
HTH,
Odessa
How thick is the large dowel you use to stablize the layers? Is it the same thickness just longer? And you only use one in the center right? Thanks!
This site is a lifesaver!
It depends. For a 2-tier, 6" & 9" cake, I would just use a 1/4" dowel. If more tiers, heavier cakes, etc., I might use two dowels or a 3/8" or 1/2" dowel. It is all going to depend on how sturdy you need your cake and how you want to go about making that cake sturdy.
I have developed a "feel" for what dowels to use when i put a cake together, but you will develop that same sense eventually. Just don't be afraid of tackling tier cakes and you'll get it!
HTH,
Odessa
Ditto sliceofheaven!!!!! When you get the dowel to the cardboard it just goes through w/out squishing Or do you make a hole in the center of the cardboard BEFORE assembly?
It should go right through, but sometimes I will twist the dowel, as if I'm screwing it in ... that generally helps without a lot of jiggling.
There are times when I use a small hammer to pound the sharpened dowel through, but that can cause a lot of stress to the cakes you're working with if you're not careful. The "screw-in" method works well for me.
HTH,
Odessa
Okay, I've read and re-read this center dowel thing, and am terrified 
that I will just ruin a cake! Will the cake board not bend? The dowel goes right thru-oh my 
We are talking about the cardboard cake boards, I know, but do y'all not stack/tape several of these together for strength-(as Earlene Moore suggests)and then cover them with freezer paper? I feel like I need some serious hand-holding on this topic 
Thanks to you all-I learn so much from this site every day...however my housework is suffering badly 
Kathy
Ditto sliceofheaven!!!!! When you get the dowel to the cardboard it just goes through w/out squishing Or do you make a hole in the center of the cardboard BEFORE assembly?
It should go right through, but sometimes I will twist the dowel, as if I'm screwing it in ... that generally helps without a lot of jiggling.
There are times when I use a small hammer to pound the sharpened dowel through, but that can cause a lot of stress to the cakes you're working with if you're not careful. The "screw-in" method works well for me.
HTH,
Odessa
Okay, I've read and re-read this center dowel thing, and am terrified
that I will just ruin a cake! Will the cake board not bend? The dowel goes right thru-oh my We are talking about the cardboard cake boards, I know, but do y'all not stack/tape several of these together for strength-(as Earlene Moore suggests)and then cover them with freezer paper? I feel like I need some serious hand-holding on this topic Thanks to you all-I learn so much from this site every day...however my housework is suffering badly
Kathy
Kathy, don't panic. We're here to help you!
(putting on superhero cape and mask, flying in through kitchen window as the "Here I am to save the day!" theme music from Mighty Mouse plays in the background )
Your bottom-most tier will, ideally, be on a sturdy base (masonite, plastic, metal, whatever your sturdy base is made of). I always make sure that this base is covered (since mine are usually a masonite/wood product). My cake does NOT sit directly on this base, though, it sits on a cardboard base cut to match the shape and size of the bottom tier. There have been times when I use 2 or 3 boards taped together and covered in foil for this, but not generally.
Now, each subsequent tier above that is sitting on a SINGLE cardboard for strength and to keep each tier from collapsing into the tiers below. When I mention that hammering or pounding a sharpened dowl through the cardboard can "stress" a cake, I mean more along the type of thing that, if there are plenty of decorations on a cake, they may be slightly prone to falling off if there is too much jiggling/vibration from the hammering. That is why I prefer the "screwing/twisting" method of putting the sharpened dowel through.
Now, I can see your face . You're thinking, "Why might the sharpened dowl have trouble getting through only one layer of cardboard?" aren't you, now? Well, you have no control over which part of the courrogation your dowel is going to go through. You may have somehow selected a thick part of the cardboard (not intentionally, mind you) to push through, and that's okay ... in fact, I like it better when the cardboard seems to really "grab" the sharpened dowel tightly. It says to me that my dowel is very secure and gives me more piece of mind that my tiered cake is not going to fall over.
Now, does this help to explain what we're talking about and allay any fears you may have? Please don't be afraid to try this ... you're going to be successful because we're all behind you?
Hang in there, it's worth it!
Happy Baking,
Odessa
Kathy, don't panic. We're here to help you!
(putting on superhero cape and mask, flying in through kitchen window as the "Here I am to save the day!" theme music from Mighty Mouse plays in the background )
Oh My Gosh-you are too funny!
Okay, I think I can, I think I can...
Thanks for all this info -I'm sure I'll have more questions, and I really appreciate your (and everyone here at CC) being so available, and willing to share knowledge. I can't believe you did your first BIG cake at age 14 , that's really something!
Kathy
Ps I love the Might Mouse song!!!
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