how to build a stacked cake

A stacked cake is a design where cakes are positioned directly on top of each other, as opposed to using pillars/dowels for support. For any multi tiered cake, whether wedding or celebration, this is a very popular design.

What size boards should I use?

If your cake is fruit you would normally use a drum board 3” larger, because the cake will ‘grow’ when marzipaned and iced.

For a sponge which is usually iced only, a board 2” larger is normally sufficient.  This may however vary if your side or base decoration requires boards of a different size.

If cakes are stacked a drum board is used at the base and usually each tier stacked on top of the base cake sits on a thinner board (3mm double thick) the same size as the cake so that it is hidden when iced.

Choose a suitable size when making novelty wedding cakes, as there may be protruding 'bits' or inscriptions on the board which will require extra board space. There are many shapes of boards for this type of cake.

Stacking your cake

Ice all the cakes and check they are level. (A small spirit level is useful for this purpose). Check that they have a neat finish around the base. Leave to set. The base cake is usually placed on the base board, with all subsequent cakes on a thin board the same size as the cake.

Insert dowel rods, ensuring they are positioned within the diameter of the cake above, but far enough apart to give adequate support.  After placing the dowel into the iced cake, mark with a cake pen level with the surface of the cake, and remove. Cut the dowels ensuring they are all level, and replace into cake.

Place cake (usually centrally, but may be offset) onto base cake, fixing with royal icing.Continue stacking in this way for multiple tiers.

What box should I use to transport the cake?

We stock a range of stacked cake boxes; these are heavy duty boxes that are 16” high to allow for your tiered cake plus any extra decoration (depending on how many tiers you have)

A 4 tier cake could perhaps be partly stacked i.e. 2 tiers and 2 tiers, for stability.  If all 3 or 4 tiers are stacked, you could place a central dowel down through the cakes to secure, or failing that, fix each tier with royal icing.

The main problem for carrying can be the weight of all the tiers together.  A good idea is to place the whole cake inside its stacked box, and then into a baker's tray with a handle at each end. This makes it more stable for two people to carry the cake.