Stacking Cake Tiers: How to Properly Assemble a Cake

Stacking cake tiers can be one of the most difficult parts of making an elaborate multi-layered cake. If the supports are not placed in the right locations, the entire cake may collapse. Poorly-measured supports are another problem that can give your stacked cake a sloppy appearance. Here are a few tips on how to properly stack cake tiers for a beautiful and delicious finished product.

Stacking cake tiers: Ice each layer separately

To make your cake tiers easy to stack, ice each one on its own board. Make sure the bottom tier of the cake is firmly secured on your cake stand or serving plate. Using several dots of icing can work well as an edible adhesive to keep the cake in place. You can get the thin boards for the other tiers at any cake decorating shop. These are usually gold or silver and covered with foil. They can be cut down to fit the exact shape of each cake tier. If you do not have the actual cake decorating boards, thin plywood or cardboard covered with foil can be a good alternative solution. Just like the bottom tier, each cake layer should be firmly secured onto its board to make it easier to stack the cake tiers.

Stacking cake tiers: Creating the supports

The key to stacking cake tiers is the dowel supports that are placed between each layer. These supports go inside the hollow decorative pillars of the cake, doing the actual work without being visible. Because the weight of each cake tier is borne by the wooden dowels, it is possible to stack a heavier piece of cake on top of a lighter layer. This gives bakers more flexibility in the type of creative designs that can be used. The wooden dowels are available at cake decorating shops or you can simply cut down some dowelling obtained from the hardware store. Dowels made specifically for cakes will have one end that is pointed to make it easier to push through the cake tiers. If you are stacking very light cake tiers, you may be able to use large drinking straws instead of wooden dowels. As a general rule, use three segments of dowelling or straws for each cake tier that will be stacked. You will not need any supports for the top cake tier since no more layers will be stacked upon it.

Stacking cake tiers: Assembling the layers

Cut the length of the dowels so they are the exact height of the cake tiers they will be supporting. Measure each cake individually just in case the cake has settled and made the tiers uneven. If you are using decorative pillars, make sure to allow extra height for them when measuring your dowels. Push your three dowels in the cake tier in a triangular arrangement with the pointed ends facing down. Using a board or thin palette, lift the next tier of cake and stack it on the bottom layer. Repeat the process of dowelling and stacking until you have used all of your cake tiers. Remember that the assembled cake will be heavy, so you may want to wait and stack the cake tiers if you will be transporting the finished product to another location.