Being able to stack a cake can be a great skill for a bridesmaid or any party hostess really! Recently I hosted my sister’s bridal shower and Lindsay Anne of L.A. Birdie Photography came along to capture some of the fun. Bridesmaids, Kim and Sarah, and my aunt did a fantastic job of stacking the cake and covering some of the imperfections in my process. Don’t worry though, the directions below will help you overcome my rookie mistakes.
How to Stack a Tiered Cake
Cake Rounds (sized to your cakes’ diameters) Cake Leveler
Border Materials (icing, ribbon, flowers) Dowel Rods
Marker Saw
1. The first thing you’re going to want to do (after baking the cakes, but prior to icing) is to level the cakes. Taking unflavored floss, a sharp bread knife, or a cake leveler cut horizontally so that the top of the cake is as close as possible to 180 degrees.
2. Place the bottom layer of cake on whatever platter you plan to serve it on. You’ll need to place the following layers onto cake boards, I just used cardboard that I cut into circles. The boards need to be cut exactly to the size of the cake – that way they will not show.
3. Take a dowel rod and press it vertically through the top of the cake. Mark a line where the top of the dowel rod meets the cake.
4. You’ll need to cut each of your four dowel rods just below this line so that they rest only a hair shorter than the top of the cake. The purpose of the dowel rods is to distribute the weight of the cake above it, otherwise you’d end up with a sinking pile of cake and icing.
5. Repeat the dowel placement (as seen in the following images) for each of the layers you plan on using EXCEPT the top layer. We only used two layers so dowels only had to be placed on the bottom layer.
6. You’ll almost inevitably need to create a border to cover where the cakes meet. We used tiny flower buds left over from the centerpieces, but a ribbon with a wax backing or piping on icing works just as well! And don’t forget to to put a pretty topper on your confection creation.
Images by L.A. Birdie Photography
*** We do not encourage you to “DIY” your wedding cake. Some things are better left to the professionals and luckily we have an amazing list of local bakeries for you to use! ***
