The Finer Points Of Stacking A Wedding Cake

by Helen
(West Wales)

I have made 6, 8 and 10" fruit cakes for a wedding cake. The bride was unsure of what style she wanted when I made the cakes but has now decided she would like a stacked style. She wants the side edge of the silver board to show with ribbon round the bottom edges of the tiers. What size boards should I use for each tier? I would normally use a board 2" larger but this would then cover most of the surface of the next tier down.


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Also should I pipe a border at the base of each tier and set the ribbon on this or just use the ribbon for a cleaner look?

Would it be better to use a board for the bottom tier that is 3" bigger to make it easier to transport and assemble? She does not know yet whether she will be able to get a cake stand for the whole thing to sit on.

The last question, I’m wondering since the cake will be iced 4 weeks before the wedding and then transported 300 miles 2 weeks later, can the tiers be stacked the night before the wedding or on the day without using any dowels?

Thank you very much.

Answer:

You’re absolutely right that using cake boards that are 2” larger than each tier will cover the tier below it, which will not work for the look you’re going for.

Cake boards are available in odd sizes so you should be able to find a 7” and 9” size for your top two tiers. With the bride wanting part of the silver board to show, this will be your only option to make the cake work.

I think your idea of having a bottom board 3” larger is wise and will work out nicely when transporting the cake.

 

To answer your question about the ribbon, this is really going to be your preference on how you want the cake to look. I’ve seen cakes done both ways and either option looks nice. Perhaps try just the ribbon first, if it looks nice then stick with it. If there are gaps, then you could add the piping.

For your final question, I would not recommend stacking the cake without dowels. Dowels are so easy to use and will give you peace of mind in knowing that the cake is well supported, especially with heavy fruit cake. You can measure and cut the dowels in advance so when you are ready to stack the cake, everything will be set to go. Find out more about how to stack a three tier cake.

I suggest using 4 to 6 dowels for the bottom layers for the best support. Good luck with your cake, I’d love to see pictures of it when it’s all done.

Image credits:
Wedding cake: © Rfoxphoto | dreamstime.com