How Do You Stack A Royal Iced Rich Fruit Wedding Cake?

by J
(West Midlands)

I have been asked to make a wedding cake that is stacked on top of each other. I've only ever made one wedding cake before and with that one I used a cake stand to present it. What is involved in stacking a wedding cake made with Royal icing? Do you use boards that are the same size as the tiers or is it cake on top of cake!? When do the tiers get placed on the top?

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Answer:

It's not as scary as you think! So don't worry too much.

You're right in that you use a cake board between each layer and this is usually the same size as the cake itself. At the bottom of your three tiers would be a good solid piece of plywood to support the weight of the cake and for easy carrying.

Another reader recently asked about are assembling a three-tier wedding cake and there are simple instructions on how to this available in her answer. You can ice the cake and then stack it immediately, or wait until the icing has dried and then stack it. Some people prefer to ice and stack immediately as it's easy to cover up any blemishes. If you do wait though, allow a couple of days for the icing to dry completely otherwise you may risk it cracking.

 

You can ice and stack a Royal iced fruit cake up a week or so before the wedding.

Some general tips to help:

- Place the cakes on the boards BEFORE adding the marzipan and the icing. This is so you cover the board as well which will make your cake look more professional
- Ensure each of the tiers is the same depth. If necessary cut your tiers to the same depth.
- Ensure that each of the tiers is level by using a spirit measure – you don’t want your cake lopsided!
- If you're using just dowels and no pillars, then cover the tops of the dowels with a little icing. Once the icing dries, it will act like a glue and help the tier stick to the one below. This is also safer for transit.
- Also use a little icing on the base of the cake to help it stick to the plywood or metal base.
- Add a ribbon at the base of each tier to hide any joins. Always add the ribbon (or other form of decoration) even if it's the same colour as the cake.

We'd love to see a picture of the result, so please keep in touch!