Learning proper tiered cake construction is essential for every cake decorator. If you follow these simple instructions you will be making perfectly stacked cakes in no time. If you are making a fondant covered cake, make sure to cover your tiers prior to stacking them.
To construct a tiered cake you will need to following materials:
* Dowels (wooden or plastic)
* 1 Cake drum (leave 2 "extra on each side of your cake) ie For an 8" cake, get a 12 "cake drum
* Cake boards covered in fanci foil
* Buttercream or Royal Icing
* Spatula
The first thing you want to do is measure your dowels. To do this you will need to insert one dowel into your bottom cake tier and mark where the cake top ends. Pull the dowel out and use it to measure the remainder of your dowels. You generally want five or six dowels per tier. Cut all of your dowels with a sharp knife or scissors. If using wood, make sure to get a clean cut to avoid getting wood splinters in your cake. I prefer the plastic dowels. They are much easier to cut and you do not have to worry about the wood splinters. Plastic dowels can even be reused for the most part. Wilton makes excellent plastic dowels and you can find them at your local craft store in the baking aisle.
Now that you have your dowels measured, take your bottom tier and place it on the cake drum using buttercream frosting or royal icing. Take your dowels that you cut and insert them into the cake in a circular pattern. Make sure to space them evenly to disperse the weight of the next tier. Also remember to place the dowels far enough away from the edges of the cake or you will see them.
To stack your top tier, place a dollop of buttercream frosting or royal icing in the center of the bottom tier. Using a spatula on one side and your hand on the other, lift your top tier and place it on top of the bottom tier starting with the side you are lifting with your hand. Slowly lower the top tier with your spatula and then remove the spatula when you lower your cake.
You now have a stacked cake!