How To Tier A Cake? - Coffee House and Pastries

Wyatt Miniard. 0. 8020. Two-Tier Cake Prices. Most bakers will charge anywhere between $4-10 per serving when it comes to two-tier cake pricing. A two-tier cake with an 8-inch base and a 6-inch top, which is the most common size, will serve around 30 people. This will mean the average two-tier cake will cost between $120-$300.

How to assemble a tiered cake?

When inserting the dowels into the largest tier, you should start by putting one in the center of the cake; then place additional dowels a little inside the circumference where the next tier will sit (so the dowels are below the second tier). Once you have your cake layers and all of your supplies, you are ready to assemble a tiered cake.

How do you center a cake tier with dowels?

Insert the dowels into the cake tier, spacing them evenly apart, about 1 inch in from the cake board outline. Push the dowels straight down until each one touches the bottom cake board. Repeat this process with the remaining layers—except the top one—centering them exactly using a palette knife to move it without ruining the icing.

How do you remove the top tier from a cake?

Take a firm spatula (the type used to frost a cake works well for this) and wiggle it underneath the bottom of the top tier. If the tier is on a piece of cardboard, slip the spatula under the cardboard and use it as a base to supper the tier as you lift it. Gently remove the tier and carefully set it to the side.

How many pieces of cake can be cut from one tier?

If the knife starts to get caked with frosting and crumbs, wipe it off between slices. For example, a 16 in (41 cm) round tier can be cut into 3 rings, excluding the core. When finished, you’ll have 94 pieces of cake from that individual tier.

How to assemble a tiered cake?

Make sure to use a bit of frosting underneath your base tier to hold the cake to the cake board!

Mark the center of your layer,and use your next cake circle to outline where the next tier will go – this will help you make sure you place

Cut your dowels to the height of your tier.

How do you stack a tiered cake?

NOTE: If any of your cake tiers are taller than 6 in.,follow ‘Stacking Tall Tiers’ instructions below.

Level,fill and stack cake layers for remaining cake tiers on cake boards with the same diameter as the cake.

Gently imprint bottom cake with the next size cake board being stacked.

Measure height of each stacked cake except the top tier.

How many tiers does your cake have?

You can have one or many tiers (levels) of cake in an individual cake structure. Multiple tiers are usually stacked on top of one another, and usually decrease in size with each upward level. Each and any tier of cake can contain multiple layers of cake and filling.

9 Simple Steps to Assembling a Tiered Cake

Cakes that are stacked, such as wedding cakes, are constructed by stacking different-sized cakes directly on top of one another on the cake stand.
Stacking cakes and cakes with columns or tiers can be quite dramatic and attractive, but they require a sturdy base as well as the proper decorations in order to be successful.
A multi-tiered cake built on an inadequate foundation would most likely result in destroyed embellishments, uneven layers, and, in the worst case scenario, a fully collapsed confection.
No matter how many tiers of cake you are stacking, from two to eight, it is preferable to have a minimum of a 2-inch to a 4-inch difference in the circumference of each tier to get the greatest appearance.

Stabilizing the Stacks

Cakes that are stacked, especially those that are quite tall, must be stabilized to prevent them from toppling, sliding, or even collapsing.
Individual cake boards and dowels in each layer of the cake can be used to secure the cake in one manner or another.
This makes it easier to transfer the cake from the kitchen to the celebration site, since the tiers may be transported separately and then assembled at the event location, reducing the likelihood of unpleasant mishaps occurring during transportation.
Tiers should be layered while the frosting is still wet and soft to avoid breaking the icing later on.
As an alternative, you can wait for at least 2 days after icing the layers before attempting to stack them.
Only when the lowest stages are made of a hard fruit cake or carrot cake is it not required to use complete dowelling in a stacked design.

With a light sponge cake or mousse-filled creation, the top layers would simply sink into the lower levels and the cake would tumble over if the dowels were not used.

Using the Cake Boards

While cake boards are not strictly necessary for building a stacked cake, they do help to stabilize the cake and make placing each tier on the cake much easier.
The cake boards should be purchased or cut so that they are the same size as the cake tier (or else the board will show).
It is also critical to ensure that the board is made of a durable material that will not bend or break easily.
For smaller layers—6 inches or less in height—you can stack two cakes on a single serving board.
Do not attempt to stack more than two layers at a time.
In order to know where to position the dowels beneath the next cake layer, lightly set the next cake board on top of the previous cake layer to create an outline.

This will allow you to know where to place the dowels and ensure that they are truly under the next cake layer.

Using the Dowels

For the cake, it is not difficult to construct a strong foundation out of wooden dowels.
You may use either wood or plastic dowels, depending on what you have on hand or your personal inclination.
As a general guideline, one dowel should be used for every two inches of cake in diameter.
If you are making a 16-inch or 18-inch cake, you will need at least 8 dowels, and if you are making a 10-inch cake, you will need at least 6 dowels.
Plastic dowels are often wider than wood dowels, allowing you to utilize less plastic dowels in your building project as a result.
However, one advantage of using wooden dowels is that you may ″sharpen″ one end of them into a point, which makes it simpler to penetrate the cake and the cake boards when using them.

Using a pencil sharpener or even a sharp paring knife, you may sharpen the dowel to perfection.
Make certain that any cutting or shaping is done away from the cake to avoid the possibility of sawdust or debris contaminating the cake.
Regardless of whether you are using wood or plastic dowels, you should thoroughly wash and dry them before putting them into the cake.
Another tip is to cut all of the dowels for each layer before inserting any of them into the cake; this way, you can ensure that each dowel is cut to the same length on each layer.
It’s also important that they are put straight up and not at an angle.

It may be simpler to insert the dowels into the cake if the cake has been refrigerated before doing so.In order to properly position the dowels for each tier, begin by inserting one dowel in the center of the largest tier and then placing other dowels a little inside the perimeter where the next tier would be placed (so the dowels are below the second tier).

Assembling a Stacked Cake

Once you have your cake layers and all of your ingredients, you are ready to start putting together your tiered cake design. If you take your time and carefully follow the procedures, keeping in mind the helpful hints, you will almost certainly be successful.

″Glue″ the bottom layer to the cake board with icing
the bottom tier is normally on a thicker cake board or even a plywood foundation that is either the same diameter as the cake or at least 2 inches larger depending on the design
Spread the frosting or icing on the layer in an even layer.
Make certain that the cake is entirely level by placing a level from the hardware store on top of it
and
Dowels should be inserted into the bottom layer.
The bottom layer’s icing or fondant should be softly imprinted with the contour (centered) of the cake board that will be used for the following layer. Removing the cake board and inserting the dowels in accordance with this instruction
Fill the layer with one of the dowels, being sure to go straight down to the cake board (inside the circle you put on your template). Pull the dowel back out after you have scored it at the correct height of the cake’s top using a sharp knife.
Using the initial measurement, cut the rest of the dowels for that tier to the right length
this will save time later on.
Placing the dowels into the cake tiers and spacing them evenly apart, approximately 1 inch in from the cake board outline, is a good idea. Push the dowels straight down until they are all in contact with the bottom of the cake board.
Use a palette knife to move the frosting without destroying it and repeat the process with the remaining layers (except the top one), making sure they are all perfectly centered.
Making use of icing, adhere the top layer to a cake board of the same size as the cake
ice the cake board uniformly and set it on top of the cake
As soon as the cake is fully built, thread a long wooden dowel with a sharpened end through all of the tiers, starting at the top. The pointed end should pierce each cake board and then embed itself into the base cake board. This will prevent any shifting from occurring. If your dowels are not long enough to run through the entire cake, it is recommended that you support the first two levels on the bottom using this approach first, and then repeat the process with the upper two or three tiers.

How to Cut a Tiered Cake: Perfect Portions for All Your Guests

Article to be downloaded article to be downloaded A tiered cake may be sliced into perfectly-sized slices for all of your guests if you have the proper knowledge and equipment.
As an alternative to cutting a cake into triangular wedges, a different technique may be used to divide it into 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) slices, resulting in a single layer of cake being divided into hundreds of pieces.
Although it may appear difficult, with a little patience, you will be able to complete the task of cutting the cake for all types of special events in no time.

1 Unstack the tiers and take out any dowel rods that may have been used.
Move the top tier to the side by gently wiggle-ing a spatula beneath it and out to the side.
Carefully remove any dowel rods from the cake so that they don’t get in the way when you’re cutting it.
In the event that there are dowel rods that you are unable to grasp with your fingers, use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to delicately pull them out.

Cut across the tier at a distance of 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the outside of the tier. Due to the fact that the cake is round, there is no straight edge from which to measure. Choose the side of the cake that is closest to you and take a measurement in from that side. Make a parallel incision across the cake with a serrated knife parallel to your body. This results in a cake strip that is 2 in (5.1 cm) broad, which may then be cut into pieces that are 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. Cutting a tier may appear to be difficult, but it is simple if you take your time. If you use this approach, some of the pieces on either side of the cake will be somewhat smaller than the portions in the center. Use the ring approach if you want each slice of cake to be precisely the same as the others.

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3 Cut the cake strip into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces using a sharp knife. Don’t be concerned if the circular edges are a touch different in form or size from the others
they make excellent portions for those who enjoy a little more icing! After completing this operation, the entire tier will be divided into many pieces of cake measuring 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm). The bulk of the cake pieces will be little rectangular forms. It is planned to have the pieces on the ends be rounded.
To keep your slices looking as beautiful as possible, rinse and dry your knife between each slice. Although you will most likely not need to do this between each cut, doing it every now and again can make a significant impact.

4 Make further divisions of the tier into pieces of similar length and width.
Continue to make parallel slices across the cake, measuring 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the edge and continuing to cut parallel cuts throughout the cake.
Then cut that strip of cake into pieces that are 1 inch (2.5 cm) in width.
Depending on how the dowel rods were installed, some of the components may fall apart and become useless.
Put them to the side and forget about them.

1 Unstack the levels one at a time, removing the dowel rods as you go. Take a firm spatula (such as the sort used to frost a cake) and wriggle it underneath the bottom of the top tier. Lifting the layer while it is supported by a piece of cardboard is made easier by slipping the spatula beneath the cardboard and using it as a foundation to sustain the tier as it is lifted. The tier should be removed with care and neatly placed to the side. Repeat the process on all of the remaining layers. Ensure that any dowel rods are removed so that they do not get in the way of your knife. Some individuals like to remove all of the tiers at once and begin cutting from the largest tier to the smallest, while others prefer to work their way down from the smallest tier to the greatest. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter either way you go about things! However, because this procedure is only effective on circular layers, you will still wind up with a large number of evenly-sized slices of cake for your visitors. It would result in an excessive number of differently proportioned pieces on a square or rectangular tier.

2 A circle 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter should be cut into the outer border of the tier. To make your cut, use a transparent serrated knife with a serrated edge. Making a circular cut across the tier will allow you to maintain the depth consistent throughout. In order to determine how many 2 in (5.1 cm) rings you can obtain out of different-sized tiers, the following is the breakdown: Tiers of 8 in (20 cm) and 10 in (25 cm) in height are separated into a ring and a core, respectively.
Tiers measuring 12 inches (30 cm) and 14 inches (36 cm) can be separated into two rings and a core.
A 16-inch (41-centimeter) layer yields three rings and a core.
A tier of 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter is divided into four rings and a core.

3 Cut the ring into parts that are 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Work your way around the ring with the serrated knife, slicing it into pieces of similar size as you do. Place each piece of cake on a tiny dessert dish to be served later. Pieces of cake measuring 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) are the most common size for all sorts of tiered cakes.

3 Cut the ring into pieces that are 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter or smaller. Slice the ring into equal-sized pieces as you make your way around it with your serrated knife. Make sure each slice of cake is placed on a separate tiny dessert dish. Pieces of cake that are 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) in size are standard for all forms of tiered cakes, including wedding cakes.

3 Cut the ring into pieces measuring 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Work your way around the ring with the serrated knife, slicing it into pieces of similar size as you go. Place each slice of cake on a tiny dessert plate to make a serving. Pieces of cake measuring 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) are standard for all sorts of tiered cakes.

1 Separate the layers of the cake and remove all of the dowel rods from it. With care, separate the top tier from the tier below it with a spatula. Shift it to the side and take away any more levels if necessary. Pull any dowel rods out slowly so that your knife does not accidentally hit them while you are cutting the cake. A single dowel is often placed through each layer of a tier cake to aid in the cake’s structural integrity. Some cakes may have many dowels inserted into the cake to provide additional support.
Removable cake decorations should be removed in order to make cutting the cake more straightforward.

2 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the edge, slice the tier in half. Make an even cut down one side of the tier, using a long serrated knife to do this. It makes no difference whether side of the table you start on. You may anticipate to receive the following number of 2 in (5.1 cm) pieces for each of the following tier sizes: A tier with a height of 8 inches (20 cm) is divided into four pieces. Each segment is divided into eight pieces, resulting in a total of 32 pieces of cake.
A tier with a diameter of 10 inches (25 cm) is divided into five pieces.
Tiers of 12 inches (30 cm) in height split into six pieces
tiers of 14 inches (36 cm) in height divide into seven sections
and tiers of 16 inches (41 cm) in height divide into eight sections.

3 Divide the cut part of cake into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Carefully cut the tier into smaller pieces so that it may be served more easily. It is quite OK if the measurements are not accurate; an estimate will suffice. The similar procedure may be used for rectangular tiers.

4 Separate the tier into 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) parts and repeat the process. Continue to cut 2 in (5.1 cm) deep portions and then splitting those parts into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces as you progress. This method may be used to cut through all of the layers. The technique is quick once you get the hang of it
save the corners for those who want their icing thicker
and

Inquire about something There are 200 characters remaining. Include your email address so that you may be notified when this question has been resolved. Advertisement submissions are welcome. Removal of layers and cutting the cake may be a dirty and crumbly process, so work on the cake in a quiet area if you don’t want others observing you while you work.
Between each slice, wipe the knife down with a moist towel to remove any leftover icing or crumbs.
It’s important to remove all of the dowels from the cake before beginning to cut it.
The top layer is frequently designated for special occasions such as wedding anniversaries. Whether you’re cutting the cake for someone else, make sure to ask if they’d like the top layer to be kept aside for them as well.
Remove the first slice of cake from the pan with an offset spatula, lifting it straight up rather than pushing it out in the direction of you. This should help to keep it looking absolutely stunning.

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Things You’ll Need

Spatula
Serrated knife
Dessert plates

Spatula
Serrated knife
Dessert plates

Spatula
Serrated knife
Dessert plates

About This Article

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How to Tier a Cake

If you’re looking for instructions on how to layer a cake, you’ve come to the correct spot!
Take advantage of this step-by-step instruction, which includes everything you’ll need from A to Z.
(or from bottom tier to top, which is how a cake is constructed).
In this piece, I’ll share some of my favorite tips and tactics for making the tiering processing process a little bit simpler.
Before we get started, have a look at some of the tiered cakes I’ve created in the past, and then I’ll walk you through the process step by step.
a cake with four tiers Tiered wedding cakes, as well as birthday and anniversary cakes, and baby shower cakes, are among the creations I’ve made.

They’re adaptable and entertaining!

Where Did Tiered Cakes Come From, Anyway?

A man who fell in love with his boss’s daughter, according to Reader’s Digest, was the catalyst for the whole thing.
Yes, you read that correctly.
An ambitious baker (apprentice to a London baker) fell head over heals in love and attempted to find out how to completely knock the socks off of his intended when he proposed.
As a result, he set out to construct an extravagant cake that would resemble the spire of St.
Bride’s Church.
Oh, how I adore you!

We wouldn’t have these lovely tiered cakes today if it weren’t for a guy who wanted to impress a lady.
Tiers…or layers, as the case may be?
Let’s have a discussion about it.
The cakes in the photographs above are all referred to as ″tiered,″ but what exactly does that mean?
There has been some misunderstanding over the terms ″layers″ and ″tiers,″ so let us explain.

A cake tier is a piece of a bigger cake that is divided into several sections.Tiers are intended to be built on top of one another.Each tier is made up of a number of different levels.Cakes with many layers Every now and then, I create a basic layer cake, such as the ones depicted below.

9-inch cakes are a favorite of mine.Layered cakes are often made without the use of a cake board in between the layers.Cakes with many levels always work.It will be explained more in a moment.)

Let’s Break it Down

A total of twelve of my (very worn) cake pans in four different sizes may be seen in the photograph above.
Cake layers are represented by the individual pans used in this project: Each tier is represented by a set of three pieces.
According on personal choice and cake style, the amount of cake layers in a tier will vary.
I’ve worked on as little as two projects and as many as four or five at a time.
(Talk about a dessert with several tiers!) In this particular instance, I picked three levels each tier of the pyramid.

Tiers Before Stacking

Recall the stacked pans you saw in the photo above? In any case, this photograph was shot later the same day after the layers of cake had been cooked. This image shows them cooling (literally) in the refrigerator before being stacked or tiered together. The layers in each of the levels are composed of three layers. What You’re Taking a Look At: One twelve-inch round cake is used as the foundation cake, while another ten-inch round cake is used as an apron.
The cake in the picture above is an eight-inch circular cake.
The top tier is a spherical cake about six inches in diameter.

Want to see the Finished Product?

You’ll notice that I make a lot of cakes with buttercream frosting. Fondant is nice, but I’m a buttercream person through and through!

It’s Time to Break it Down

Throughout this section, I’ll go through the recommended practices for stacking layers and building tiers.
I recently completed a six-layered, two-tiered cake for a friend’s birthday.
This provided the ideal occasion for me to demonstrate to you, step-by-step, how I bake, stack, and stage my cakes.
When I was creating this specific cake, it was for a friend who requested a very little cake (8-inch-round bottom layer and 5-inch-round top tier).

The pans I chose:

A few tools are required for the process of tiering a cake, but they are readily available.
Bubble Tea straws, an offset spatula (also known as an angled spatula), a cake board (cake round) with a hole punched out, wooden dowels, a cake leveler, a turntable, and a cake base/drum were some of the items I utilized.
My first step was to bake my cakes.
In this particular situation, I need them to be in contrasting hues.
When you see the finished result, I swear it will all make sense!

Baking the Cakes

As we’ve already established, I frequently begin projects with a boxed mix, and this project was no exception.
However, as you can see in the photographs below, I divided my (white cake) mixture into three bowls and colored each one separately.
Enjoy!
I made the cakes and let them to cool completely before proceeding.
Never deal with cakes that are still warm!
Chilling them prior to stacking them is a good rule of thumb to follow.

Level Your Cakes

This is the first and most critical action to take.
Before stacking and filling your layer cakes, make sure they are all the same height.
I use a Wilton cake leveler to do this.
A long serrated knife can be substituted if you don’t have one on hand.
It happened in this specific situation because a couple of my 8′′ rounds (the teal and purple) were very thin layers, so there wasn’t much wiggle space when it came to leveling the whole thing.
I did the best I could, and you’ll see in a subsequent shot how I was able to correct the situation.

Build from the Bottom Up

I started with my 8-inch circles for the bottom layer of my structure.
Large cakes are always placed at the bottom.
The following tier (a 6-inch cake) is significantly smaller.
I piled and filled the layers of the bottom cake, then placed the entire thing on a strong cake drum to finish it off.
(A drum differs from a cake board in that it is round.) It’s thicker and can support a greater amount of weight).
You might be asking, ″What size cake drum should I use?″ or something similar.

It’s actually not that complicated.
Cake bases should be bigger in diameter than the cake that will be placed on top of them.
It is recommended to use a 12′′ drum for a 10′′ cake as a general rule of thumb (and so on).
Here are the first two photographs that will demonstrate how I corrected the ″not quite level″ problem.
I used my Dreamy Buttercream to ice the purple cake, and then I piped a ring of strong icing around the edge.

It will act as a gap filler and will help to keep the sprinkles in place.You may also use my Easy Cheesecake Mousse to fill the center of your cake.It’s a fantastic filler for a variety of dishes.

The Bottom Tier is Coming Together

It’s as simple as counting to three! (In my case, the colors purple, teal, and white!) Did you notice how the top/white cake was flipped upside-down while you were eating it? How to achieve a flawlessly level and smooth top surface on each tier: here is how it’s done!

But…

There are two things that need to be completed before I can move on.
I still have to add the supports (the bubble tea straws) and then the crumb coat to finish it off.
The weight of the top layers is supported by the lower tiers.
Every cake must have a solid base to stand on!
(Some people like to use wooden dowels or ordinary plastic straws, but these bubble straws are my personal favorites!) Begin by estimating how many straws you’ll want for the occasion.
That is determined by the size of the cake above it.

When I’m supporting a little cake (such as a 5′′ or 6′′ round), I place three bubble tea straws beneath it to keep it from falling over.
(You can image how many I’d need for a massive bottom layer of a wedding cake.) (Please excuse the fact that I am working on a baking project in the background!) I was in the middle of making a 5-layer rectangle cake!)

About that Crumb Coat…

A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that acts as a barrier to keep crumbs from falling out.
Scraping away the extra icing from the edges and top of the cake was accomplished using a bench scraper.
(You don’t want to put too much in there!) After this coat has been applied, the bottom tier is placed in the refrigerator to cool and firm up.
Please keep in mind that I often use room temperature frosting for this method.
If the temperature is too low, it might harden on you.

Now it’s Time to Tackle the Top Tier

To be honest, I basically went through the motions of assembling and filling all three layers again, but you’ll see that I’m creating this tier on a board that is slightly larger in diameter than the cake it’s supporting.
The hole in the centre of the board, as you may recall, is there for a reason.
(These boards are sometimes referred to as ″cake circles″ by certain individuals.) The hole in the middle will prove to be quite essential in the coming moments!) When the top tier had been crumb coated, it was placed in the refrigerator.

Putting it All Together

The use of food coloring to decorate a cake is entertaining! I piped on some frosting, scraped it down with a bench scraper, and then used a little offset spatula (icing spatula) to add texture to the top of the cake. Following that, I repeated the technique on the other two levels before trimming off the extra board from the smaller cake. (You don’t want it to become visible.)

Stacking

When you first begin stacking your levels, the result will be a jumble of colors. It is likely that there will be a chasm between the two layers. Extra frosting will be used to cover up the gaps. Tips: Putting the frosting in a piping bag makes it much easier to pipe the icing.

It’s Time to Add the Center Dowel

The middle of the dowel is always ran down the center, top to bottom. This will ensure that the cake does not topple over during transportation. (Remember the hole in the cake board that had been knocked out? You needed a hole for this, after all.) Using a sharp knife, trim the dowel so that it is just below the surface of the cake’s top. Using icing, make a patch.

Decorate the Cake

After that, there was nothing left to do but finish the decorating! The completed product will make it clear why the inner cakes were painted in the same colors as the outside cakes: purple, teal, and white.

And there You Have it, Folks!

There was nothing more left to do but decorate at this point. The completed product will make it clear why the inner cakes were painted in the same colors as the outside cakes: purple, teal, and white, as shown above.

Storing a Tiered Cake

Due to the fact that I use butter and cream cheese in my icing, I always place my decorated cakes in the refrigerator to stiffen up before transporting them to a venue.
Depending on the height of your refrigerator shelves and the amount of available space, storing a tiered cake might be difficult.
I’m fortunate enough to have a second refrigerator in my garage that I use just for cakes.
I still have to separate and arrange the layers of the cake before (or after) delivery, even when I use the cake layering technique.
(See the photograph below.) Please keep in mind that my three- and four-tiered wedding cakes are always assembled on-site.
Even if you are unable to box your cakes, make absolutely certain that there is nothing in the refrigerator that has an overpowering stench.

Move onions and other strong-smelling things to a safe distance, preferably in a drawer.

Transporting a Tiered Cake

I went into more detail about this in my piece on How to Make an Easy DIY Wedding Cake, but here’s the gist of it: It is likely that you will need to carry the cake in parts, with the final assembly taking place on location due to the sheer weight of the cake.
The bottom of the cake (typically the lowest two layers) can be tiered ahead of time, but the top couple of tiers are constructed when I get at the event.
Of course, you’ll be tempted to stack the entire cake in your kitchen, but lifting a four-tiered cake is a difficult task.
It’s not as simple as it appears!
In addition, believe me when I tell that cake can tumble even when it has been carefully doweled.
Inquire as to how I know this.

Want to See More?

Check out my trifles, y’all, if you enjoy stacking stuff.
I make a wonderful Cookie Butter Trifle, and my Mint Oreo Trifle was a Christmas hit, with customers swooning over the flavors!
The DIY Cupcake Trifles party I held was inspired by my love of trifles.
Look no farther than my Pretty in Pink Ombre Cake for examples of other tiered cakes I’ve created.
(Plus points if you can figure out whether this one is stacked or tiered…) My German Chocolate Cake is another tiered cake that I just prepared that was a lot of fun.
And then there’s my Italian Cream Cake, which is my all-time favorite tiered cake and the one that makes me sigh.

Consider making my Caramel Banana Cake or my Apple Spice Skillet Cake if you’re not into the whole ″tiering″ thing and prefer something more straightforward.
Both of these cakes are delicious!
I also have a slew of cupcake recipes that don’t require tiering, such as my Cookie Butter Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, and Butter Pecan Cupcakes, among others.
Thank you so much for dropping by, everyone!
I hope you gained a lot of knowledge!

Let me know when you’ve finished assembling your first tiered cake!I can’t wait to see the photographs.

Materials

THE INGREDIENTS: 6 distinct slices of cake (three of one size and three of another)
icing
and any decorations of your choice
DOWELS, bubble tea straws, cake drums, and cake boards are examples of non-edible items.

Tools

cake leveler
offset spatula
bench scraper

Instructions

Cakes should be baked and leveled.
Place a layer of the bigger cake on the drum
repeat with the second layer.
Only the top of the cake should be frosted.
Make a ring of frosting around the edge of the cake to keep the filling in place.
To assemble, use sprinkles or a filling of your choosing.
Place another cake (of the same size) on top of the first.
Repeat the frosting, ring, and filling steps.
Turn the top cake upside-down and place it on top of the other two.
Bubble tea straws can be used to support the cake that will be placed above this one. Cut them so that they are flush with the top of the cake.
Using a crumbs coat, chill the dish.

Repeat the procedure with the smaller cake, placing it on a cake board that is slightly wider in diameter than the smaller cake.
For Wilton boards, a punch-out hole in the centre is advised for easy removal of the board.
If the cake appears to be on the verge of falling over while you are decorating, you may choose to add one or two bubble tea straws.
(Occasionally, the smaller cakes will be a touch unsteady.) Refrigerate the cake’s top.
It is now necessary to stack the two layers.
Using a sharp knife, trim away any extra board from the top cake and place it on top of the bottom cake.

Icing should be used to fill up the space between the two cakes.
Place a dowel down the center of the cake, from top to bottom, and repeat the process.
Remove any extra frosting just below the surface of the cake and fill any holes with more icing.
Decorate the top of your cake!
Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake Tiers: A Guide on How Many Cake Tiers to Get

Tiered cakes are stunning table centerpieces, resembling sculptures made of pastry and frosting.
In the movies, the typical layer wedding cake is usually at least three levels high, and occasionally as many as five or six tiers high.
The practice of tiered wedding cakes stems from an ancient nuptial ceremony in which the bride and groom are challenged to kiss over the highest cake that their baker can create for their wedding.
If they are able to smooch without knocking the cake over, their marriage will be blessed with good fortune….
We don’t kiss over the cakes anymore, but we do like a nice show now and then.
The issue is, how much cake should you eat on your birthday?

How many layers of cake is plenty for your guests, and how many levels is too many for leftovers?
How many levels can you afford to cover with your budget?
How many layers do you definitely have to have for your wedding reception to be complete?
Don’t forget that you may have only one tier as well!
The focus of today’s article is a comprehensive guidance on how many cake layers to order.

Cake Tiers and Serving Sizes

The 12-inch cake layer serves 40-60 people
the 10-inch cake layer serves 30-40 people
the 8-inch cake layer serves 20-25 people
and the 6-inch cake layer serves 10 people.

The number of cake servings produced by the size of each tier (cake layer) of your cake is calculated as follows: In most cases, a 12″ wedding cake will feed 40-60 guests.
The 10″ cake placed on top of it feeds 30-40 people, while the 8″ cake placed on top of that serves 20-25 guests.
As a result, a conventional three-tier cake with tiers of 12, 10, and 8 inches in height serves around 100 people.
Narrower cakes will be smaller, more cheap, and will serve fewer people than their wider counterparts.
As long as the pillar cake tiers are supported by structural elements, they can all be the same height.
You can also request alternative sizes from the bakery, such as a 9-inch cake, depending on the establishment.

Choosing Your Tiered Cake Cost

Make a decision on your cake budget and make a strategy to stick to it.
When it comes to layer cakes, this may be a surprisingly difficult task to do.
Extra layers are one of the most effective ways to increase the cost of your cake.
Why?
All that additional cake to make, stack, and decorate is a lot of extra work!
Every tier requires more time to decorate, more support to construct, and a greater amount of cake mass to finish.

A tall tiered cake might stack your costs on top of your tiers of cake, but there are a plethora of strategies you can use to make your cake tall and gorgeous without charging an astronomical fee for the privilege.

The Cake of Your Dreams

How many tiers do you think your cake should have in order to feel ″just right″?
For many, a wedding reception meal would be incomplete without an exquisite tiered cake serving as the focus of the dinner event.
A thinner cake on platform tiers may be an option if you require a towering cake with many cake layers but only have a modest guest list.
A cascading pattern on a two-tiered cake may be appropriate if you want to focus on the surface decorations of the cake instead.
Do you like a cascading bouquet of flowers or many layers of miniature sceneries iced in a variety of colors?
Your cake concept will also assist you in determining the number of layers to order.

Tiered Cake Tricks

If your guest list or your budget don’t quite match up with your idea for a spectacular multi-tiered cake, what options do you have? We are aware of the traps! It is possible to make your cake taller and more attractive without adding a lot of extra cake in three different methods.

Dummy Cake Tiers

We adore mock cake tiers, sometimes known as tiers on cake boards, since they transform a modestly sized cake into a lavishly presented celebrity-sized cake. Whenever you want a huge tiered cake for a wedding or special occasion but don’t need all of it, fake tiers allow you to have your vision fulfilled on only the size of cake you require to make your celebration a success.

Cake Platforms

With the use of platforms or cake dowels, you can elevate your tires off of one another and give your cake height without adding more layers of cake.
These platformed layers give your cake a light and airy effect, and they allow you to add a new decoration to the top of each raised cake if you like.
Platforms help to elevate your cake while also providing you with extra area to wrap flowers, set up a candy display, hang garlands, and add cascading decorations.

Empty Platform Tiers

Cake platforms can also be used to construct tiers that are completely empty.
These provide you with more room between your layers of cake for flower arrangements, sceneries, and other creative embellishments.
Empty tiers are ideal when you want to add height and elegance to your cake without having to use five or six actual layers of cake.
Sunflower Baking Company would be happy to create a tiered cake for your wedding or other special event.
Please contact us for more information.
We’ll assist you in determining the number of servings and pricing, as well as creating the miniature or towering tiered cake of your dreams.

Make contact with us right away to discuss your cake design.

Well, it’s confession time.

Once upon a time, I decided to bake a two-tiered cake for a special occasion.’Well, how difficult can it be?’ says my ill-informed head.Placing the smaller one on top of the larger one is recommended.

We’ve learnt our lesson!
It’s possible that my top tier sank a few centimeters into my base tier – and it tilted quite a bit in the process!
It was simply a testing cake, something I prepared for fun, and my coworkers didn’t seem to mind that it was a little uneven when I took it into the office.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I had dressed it up with Cadbury Easter eggs for decoration.But – you know what the one thing I took away from that experience was?Failures are inevitable in the learning process, but you do not have to make every error yourself!One modest cardboard cake circle and a couple of drinking straws would have been enough to avert the whole catastrophe!Seriously, allow those who have learnt the hard way to guide you in the right direction!

So, in order to prevent a cake-tastrophe similar to mine, I’ve included instructions on how to dowel and stack a tiered cake.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, it follows that a video must be worth an order of magnitude more than that.
See the video below for a fast explanation of doweling and stacking a three-tiered cake (10 inches high, 8 inches wide, and 6 inches deep)!
The following is another another video instruction that I found to be useful.

Okay, let’s start with the fundamentals!Tiered or stacked cake forms – which are frequently used for weddings or other special occasions – are created by stacking successively smaller cake tiers on top of one another.A tiered cake allows you to have several flavor options in one cake while still making enough for a big number of people!The tiers of some cakes are even separated by accessories such as columns, which gives the cake a more dramatic appearance.

Tiered cakes are beautiful, but without a strong foundation, they can either partially collapse as mine did, resulting in an uneven cake, or they can collapse completely, resulting in the cake being destroyed completely.One clarification on terminology – because it was a source of confusion for me for a time – layers and tiers are not the same thing!Take a look at the image below.Stabilizing your layer cake consists of the following steps: When it comes to supporting the layers of your cake, the most often utilized approach is to place a cake board at the bottom of each tier and dowels in the middle of each tier.The dowels provide structure to the top tier of the cake, and the board provides support to the bottom tier.

When I made my bottom tier out of a dense vanilla cake, almost like pound cake, I was able to get away without doweling the base tier.
Although you may be able to get away without utilizing support tiers if your foundation layers are really dense, I still advocate using support dowels just to be on the safer side.
A cake circle should be placed at the bottom of each layer of your cake.
Cake circles are most commonly constructed of cardboard, but they can also be made of plastic or other materials.
Just make sure it’s strong enough to resist bending!
Purchase pre-cut circles or make your own to suit each tier of the cake so that they do not show on the outside of the cake.

Because you’ll only be building the cake at the location where it will be served, I recommend choosing a cake circle that is an inch or two bigger in diameter than your cake (for example, for a 10″ cake layer, use a 12″ cake circle, etc.) for the base tier.
Making it easy to pick up the cake and carry it to its ultimate serving position is a plus.
In order to create the middle and top tiers, I utilize cake circles that are the same size or slightly larger than the cake layer I am using.
Use your cake circle as an icing guide, is a technique that I frequently employ!
Using a bench scraper, I carefully cut my layers to be just slightly smaller than my circle, ensuring that the frosting is applied evenly and that the cake tier remains flawlessly round.

According to some authorities, you should not stack more than two cake layers on a single board or cake circle.
Stacking three layers has never been an issue for me, however you might consider using another cake circle in the middle if your tier will be more than 6″ tall.
Using support dowels in your project: I utilize bubble tea or coffee straws as support dowels for the majority of my cakes.

They are much lighter, less expensive, and MUCH simpler to cut than wood dowels.
When I need a huge center dowel for a tiered cake that is higher than my straws, I almost exclusively use wood dowels.
I actually purchased a long straight wood marshmallow roasting stick and cut it to the appropriate length using a little saw.
I also recommend honing one end to a point, since this will make it easier to stack the layers when they are stacked.
Using a tiny paring knife or a pencil sharpener, sharpen the dowel until it is razor-sharp.
(Be sure to do this away from the cake.) One rule of thumb is to use one dowel for every 2-3 inches of cake, or one dowel for 3-4 inches of cake.

How to Make Tiered Cakes

It is possible that this content contains affiliate links.Please take the time to read my privacy statement and disclosure.Are you ready to elevate your cake to a whole new level, figuratively speaking?

I’m referring to the process of creating tiered cakes.
You know, the ones that are layered one on top of another, raising the height of the cake and creating multiple layers inside it.
Tiered cakes give the cake that extra wow factor, making it a little more fun and memorable for the occasion.

I understand that there are many beautiful one-layer cakes out there; yet, a multi-tiered cake appears to garner more attention due to its ‘heightened presence.’ Another reason for desiring a larger cake is, of course, to be able to serve a larger number of people.Creating a one-tier cake to serve 300 people will take up a significant amount of table space when compared to creating a five-tier cake.When making a stacked cake, the most important thing to remember is that support is essential.It is necessary to provide adequate support in order to ensure that the cake layer that has been layered does not sink into the layer underneath it.This lesson will demonstrate how to stack a cake with the use of dowels as support.

Dowels are available in a variety of shapes and sizes that may be used to support a cake.
The kind of dowels seen in the photo below are the ones that I use the majority of the time.
I make use of a variety of materials, including wood, hollow plastic, plastic straws, and even skewers.
Other cake designers have employed a variety of support methods, including bubble tea straws, thicker wooden dowels, and other similar items.

All of these dowels must be suitable for use in the kitchen.Wooden and plastic dowels are the types of dowels that I commonly use, especially when making big cakes or desserts with at least three layers.These two materials are extremely durable and will withstand the test of time.Sharp shears or a small saw can be used to cut the wooden dowels into the desired length.

Cut the hollow plastic dowels using a serrated knife or a heavy-duty utility knife to make them more manageable.Because plastic dowels are larger than wooden dowels, the serving portions would (only very slightly) be affected by this change.Having said that, I prefer to use plastic dowels these days since they are easier to cut than wooden dowels, which I find to be more convenient.To cut the dowels in a safe manner, place a cutting board below them.I’ve also used plastic drinking straws and wooden skewers to decorate smaller cakes (those with no more than two layers).

These are very convenient to use since they are simple to cut.
What I do is cut the straws and skewers to the same height as the cake and use them as decorations.
In order to provide additional stability, I insert the skewers into the straws after they have been placed in the cake.
So let’s get started with the cake stacking.

Stacked Tiered Cakes Construction

In this lesson, we will demonstrate how to construct a three-tiered cake out of hollow plastic dowels.The cake sizes are as follows, starting at the bottom: 12″, 9″, and 6″.Of course, you may employ a variety of cake sizes depending on the cake’s specific requirements.

Because a multi-tiered cake will be heavy, it will require a robust foundation to be placed on top of.
When I make the base, I often use a cake drum that is 1/2″ thick.
Another alternative would be to use a masonite board that has been carved into a shape and then covered with aluminum foil for the cake.

Check that anything you pick is both food-safe and robust enough to handle the weight of the cake before using it.Place the largest cake on the cake drum and fill and frost it as you normally would.Place the container in the refrigerator until it is cooled.It is simpler to work with a cold cake and a firm icing rather than a soft frosting when the cake is cooled.I normally just make educated guesses about where the cake will be placed on top.

For greater precision, use another cardboard cake circle or pan that is the same size as the next tier to be placed on top of the first.
Place it in the center of the cake or wherever the cake is going to be placed on the plate.
Using a toothpick or a knife, lightly sketch the contour of the shape.
Insert a plastic dowel into the cake, just inside the lines that have been drawn.

Make a mark on the cake with your thumb, remove the dowel, mark with a pen, and cut the cake into pieces.Make use of that dowel as a guide for cutting the rest of the dowels in half.I used four plastic dowels for this project.If I were to use wooden dowels, I would insert approximately 6 of them.

Place the second tier (9″ cake) on top of a cardboard cake circle that is the same size as the first tier (9″ cake).Fill with ice, then cool.Make the same adjustments for the smaller cake (6″) that will be placed on top.To finish the 9-inch cake, repeat the dowelling procedure as before.Carefully pick up the cake with one hand and use a metal spatula to guide the cake into the center of the first tier before putting the second tier on top of it.

Repeat the procedure with the smaller cake.
Decorate the cake whatever you like.
Finally, to keep all of the cakes together and ensure that they don’t slide off the cake stand, take a large wooden dowel that is somewhat shorter than the cake.
Sharpen one end of the dowel and, using a hammer, slowly push it through all of the layers of the cake until it reaches the drum of the cake.
Buttercream should be used to fill up the hole on the top.
A three-tiered cake has now been successfully created.

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How to Stack a Wedding Cake

We are frequently asked how we maintain all of the layers in place on our spectacular wedding cakes, and this is one of the most frequently requested questions we receive. It’s possible that you’re thinking that this is a time-consuming procedure, but we’re here to let you in on a little secret. It’s actually extremely simple to do it this way. That is, after you are aware of the straightforward yet critical measures! Your wedding cake is stacked after the layers have been cooked and occasionally frosted (depending on your style of cake), but before we apply our elaborate and colorful embellishments to the top of your cake. Each layer of a wedding cake is distinguished by the way in which they are stacked exactly on top of one another, and this is a method that we employ throughout our complete line of wedding cakes. Still have questions about how we do it? Please don’t be concerned
we’ve put up a helpful step by step video guide to teach you how to stack a wedding cake from start to finish. Before we begin stacking our wedding cake, we will require the following items: a cake drum
cake boards for each of our top tiers
wooden cake dowels
a cake decorating pen
a serrated knife
a spatula
a scraper
and a cake decorating pen.

After we have frosted our cakes, we always refrigerate them before stacking them to ensure that the icing is solid and the cakes are easy to manipulate.This makes the procedure of cake stacking as simple as possible.First, let’s take a step back and prepare our tiers for stacking once the cakes have been allowed to cool after they have been baked.

Placing the bottom tier of the cake on the cake drum is the first step.
Top tip: Cake drums are typically one inch thick, and they are used to offer additional support for your wedding cake.
Step 2.The remaining cake tiers should be placed on cake boards that are the same size as the cake tiers, for example, an 8″ cake should be placed on an 8″ board, and so on.

Okay, now it’s time to frost our tiers!Step 3.Using a spatula to do this will guarantee that the finished product is smooth.Step 4: Chill the layers in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.Step 5.

Chilling the layers should take around 30 minutes, enabling the icing to firm up a little more.
In the meantime, you can start boiling some water.
Our stacking will begin after the tiers have cooled down to room temperature.
To make the bottom layer, start with one of the wooden cake dowels in the center of it and then equally arrange the rest in a circular manner around it, starting with the top tier.

The dowels will always be within 1-2 inches of the outer border of the tier, which is a good rule of thumb.7th step: Take your cake decorating pen and draw the points on the cake where each dowel reaches the top.Step 8.Remove the dowels and score them with a serrated knife so that they snap cleanly together once they are removed.Step 9: Re-insert the dowels into the lowest tier of your structure.

The dowels should not be placed higher than the top of your tier, as a general rule.If this occurs, your top levels will not be uniformly distributed.To finish off the bottom tier, pipe some buttercream on top.Carefully lift your next tier and carefully set it on top of the bottom tier, using the spatula to provide more support if necessary.After this point, we will begin to repeat the procedure of inserting the wooden cake dowels, which will take us to step 11.

Commence by placing one dowel into the center of your layer and pressing down until you feel it hit the cake board, like you did before..
This procedure should be repeated in a circle around the central dowel.
Top tip: As you build up each of the top layers, you will use less and fewer dowels.
Step 12.Using your cake decorating pen, make a mark on each of the dowels where they meet the top of this layer, then carefully remove them to trim them to size and re-insert them so that the surface of the tier is clean.
Let’s pretend for the purpose of argument that we are building a four-tiered cake and that we are now going to stack our top layer; however, depending on how tall our wedding cake is, we could possibly continue with this technique.
Step 13: This is the last step!

All that remains is for us to pick up our top tier and gently place it on top of the lower levels, once again using the spatula to provide more support as needed.
Afterwards, pipe buttercream down the base of each layer, smoothing up any obvious gaps with a scraper as necessary.
Tips for a better result: If a cake requires more support, such as when it is made with heavy fruit, a center dowel can be put across the length of all of the tiers.
That’s all there is to it!
With all of the mechanics concealed behind the scenes, you can have a wedding cake piled in no time.

What a brilliant idea!

How to assemble a tiered cake?

How do you center a cake tier with dowels?

How do you remove the top tier from a cake?

How many pieces of cake can be cut from one tier?

How to assemble a tiered cake?

How do you stack a tiered cake?

How many tiers does your cake have?

9 Simple Steps to Assembling a Tiered Cake

Stabilizing the Stacks

Using the Cake Boards

Using the Dowels

Assembling a Stacked Cake

How to Cut a Tiered Cake: Perfect Portions for All Your Guests

Things You’ll Need

About This Article

How to Tier a Cake

Where Did Tiered Cakes Come From, Anyway?

Let’s Break it Down

Tiers Before Stacking

Want to see the Finished Product?

It’s Time to Break it Down

The pans I chose:

Baking the Cakes

Level Your Cakes

Build from the Bottom Up

The Bottom Tier is Coming Together

But…

About that Crumb Coat…

Now it’s Time to Tackle the Top Tier

Putting it All Together

Stacking

It’s Time to Add the Center Dowel

Decorate the Cake

And there You Have it, Folks!

Storing a Tiered Cake

Transporting a Tiered Cake

Want to See More?

Materials

Tools

Instructions

Cake Tiers: A Guide on How Many Cake Tiers to Get

Cake Tiers and Serving Sizes

Choosing Your Tiered Cake Cost

The Cake of Your Dreams

Tiered Cake Tricks

Dummy Cake Tiers

Cake Platforms

Empty Platform Tiers

Well, it’s confession time.

How to Make Tiered Cakes

Stacked Tiered Cakes Construction

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How to Stack a Wedding Cake

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