How to Stack a Two Tier Cake Without Dowels
The whole method on one card: how to stack a two tier cake on cake boards and a ring of straws or skewers, without cake dowels.
Yield: 1 two-tier cake
Equipment
- Cake board the size of the bottom tier
- Cake board the size of the top tier
- Wide bubble tea straws or wooden skewers several, all cut to the same height
- Offset spatula
- Bench scraper
- Piping bag
- Ruler or long skewer for measuring
- Turntable optional
Materials
- 1 bottom cake tier frosted and chilled
- 1 top cake tier frosted and chilled
- buttercream for piping and sealing the seam
Instructions
- Chill both tiers until they feel firm.
- Level the tops, then frost each tier on its own cake board.
- Put a dab of buttercream on the stand and set the bottom tier and its board on top.
- Push one skewer into the bottom tier, mark where the frosting ends, and cut every support to that exact length.
- Push the supports into the bottom tier in an evenly spaced ring, inside the area the top tier will cover. Four is a common number for a 6-inch top tier.
- Pipe a little buttercream over the supports, then lift the top tier by its board, center it and lower it slowly.
- Pipe a thin line of buttercream around the base of the top tier to hide the board, then chill the stacked cake for 20 to 30 minutes before decorating.
Notes
One support in the middle is not enough. Use several, spread evenly.
For a large, heavy or well-traveled cake, real cake dowels are the safer choice.