Assembling & stabilizing tiered cakes: Supplies and instruction overview
1. Use cake circles:
On the bottom of each tier of your cake, you need a cake circle – these are most common cardboard, but can be made of plastic as well. It just needs to be sturdy enough to not bend easily! You can measure and cut your own, but it's inexpensive and much easier to buy them.
I've had the best luck using a circle for my base tier that’s an inch or two larger than the cake base (e.g. for a 10” cake layer, use a 12” cake circle, etc.) This makes it easier to pick the cake up to move it to its final serving location, whether you're stacking your tiers before or after you transport the cake.
For your middle/top tiers, I use cake circles that are the same size or just a tiny bit bigger than my cake tier. One trick I often use is to use my cake circle as an icing guide! I trim my layers so they’re just slightly smaller than my circle, and use the circle as a guide for my bench scraper so the frosting goes on smoothly and the cake tier stays perfectly round!
Some sources say not to stack more than two cake layers on one board/cake circle. I’ve had no problems stacking three layers, but if your tier will be more than 6” tall you should probably use another cake circle in the middle of the tier.
2. Use support dowels:
For most of my cakes, I use bubble tea or coffee straws as support dowels! They’re lighter, cheaper, and MUCH easier to cut than wood dowels - and the bright colors make them easy to find when it's time to remove them.
The only time I've used a wood dowel was when my favorite long plastic dowels were out of stock. I needed a long central dowel for a 3-tiered cake that had to be assembled before transport. I actually bought a marshmallow roasting stick, and used a small saw to cut it to the right length. It worked fine, but it was a pain and I don't recommend it. :/
One rule of thumb is to use one dowel for every 2-3 inches of cake. (E.g. 10-inch cake would need 4 or 5 support dowels). I like to put one in the center of the cake to make stacking evenly easier.
3. Additional supplies -
(these are the basics I use for every cake, tiered or not - well-assembled tiers will give you the best end result!)
- (Obviously, cake layers / frostings of your choice)
- Cake leveler – uneven layers make uneven cakes. :/ This cake leveler from Wilton is inexpensive and has been my go-to for 4+ years as I write this. 🙂
- A Cake turntable, will be your best friend in getting your frosting smooth and even on your cake tiers. I also use a large offset spatula, and a bench scraper/pastry cutter as a cake comb.
- I recommend using a long central dowel only if your cake is more than two tiers or more than 12 inches for ease of stacking and additional stability.
Optional:
- I often use a kitchen ruler to help center and space my dowels
- Small 2-directional level – you can often find these for under $10, and it will ensure your tiers are level AND that your central dowel is straight!
Okay! Quick step-by-step guide/checklist for assembling a tiered cake!
1. Stack and frost your cake layers - I like to use a bit of frosting underneath my tiers to hold the cake layers to the cake circles. Apply your crumb coats, and then spread the cake tiers with frosting and smooth.
2. Mark the center of your first/base tier, and roughly outline where the next tier will go – this will help you make sure you place your support dowels where they won’t be visible!
3. Cut your dowels to the height of the tier they'll be supporting. Mark where your support dowels will go, making sure to place them at least ¼” inside your marked circle. Evenly space and then insert the dowels into your base tier, making sure to push them straight down.
4. Center your middle dowel- this is where the ruler can come in handy, and the vertical level can make sure it's straight. Center your next tier on top of your dowel and slide it straight down, making sure to center it on your base tier.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 until your cake is stacked!
Don't forget to pin for later!
How to Make a Tiered Cake
Equipment
- Cake circles - one for each tier of your cake! I always use Wilton's pre-center-punched 10-inch, 8-inch, and 6-inch circles, or you can even buy a variety pack like this one if you don't need a large pack of each circle size.
- Cake dowels or large plastic straws For most of my cakes, I use bubble tea or coffee straws as support dowels! They’re lighter, cheaper, and MUCH easier to cut than wood dowels - and the bright colors make them easy to find when it's time to remove them. (One rule of thumb is to use one dowel for every 2-3 inches of cake. (E.g. 10-inch cake would need 4 or 5 support dowels). I like to put one in the center of the cake to make stacking evenly easier.)
- Cake leveler Uneven layers make uneven tiers and lopsided cakes. :/ This cake leveler from Wilton is inexpensive and has been my go-to for 4+ years as I write this.
- Cake turntable A turntable will be your best friend in getting your frosting smooth and even on your cake tiers! I also use a large offset spatula, and a bench scraper/pastry cutter as a cake comb.
- Long central cake dowel - I recommend using a long central dowel only if your cake is more than two tiers or more than 12 inches for ease of stacking and additional stability. For 8" / 6" tiered cakes I just use one longer straw in the center.
- 2-directional level (Optional, but you can often find these for under $10, and it will ensure your tiers are level AND that your central dowel is straight!)
Ingredients
- 2-3+ Cake tiers - sizes / flavors of your choice! (My most commonly-requested tiered cakes are 8-inch + 6-inch tiers)
- Decorations of your choice!
Instructions
Assembling cake tiers
- I've had the best luck using a cake board or cake circle for my base tier that’s an inch or two larger than the cake base tier (e.g. I use a 12-inch circle for a 10” cake tier). This makes it easier to pick the cake up to move it to its final serving location.
- For your middle/top tiers, I use cake circles that are the same size or just a tiny bit bigger than my cake tier. One trick I often use is to use my cake circle as an icing guide! I trim my layers so they’re just slightly smaller than my circle, and use the circle as a guide for my bench scraper so the frosting goes on smoothly and the cake tier stays perfectly round.
- One more note - some sources say not to stack more than two cake layers on one board/cake circle. I’ve personally had no problems stacking three layers, but if your tier will be more than 6” tall you should probably use another cake circle in the middle of the tier.
- Make sure to use a bit of frosting underneath your base tier to hold the cake to the cake board! Layer your cake layers with frosting / fillings of your choice. Apply your crumb coat, and chill. Finally, apply your final frosting layers and smooth. Repeat with additional tiers.
Okay! Steps to assemble a tiered cake!
- Once your tiers are frosted on cake circles, you're ready to assemble your cake! (I find it the easiest to frost my tiers individually and then stack them. You can stack first and then frost if you want; adjust the directions below accordingly.)
- Use a ruler to mark the center of your base tier, and where your next tier will go - this will help you make sure you place your support dowels where they won’t be visible! Make sure to place dowels at least ¼ inch inside the circle where your next tier will go.
- Cut support dowels to the height of your tier (again, one dowel per 2-3 inches of cake; 4-5 for an 8" tier). Evenly space and then insert the dowels into your base tier, making sure to push them straight down.
- Center your middle dowel- this is where the ruler can come in handy, and the vertical level can make sure it's straight. Center your next tier on top of your dowel and slide it straight down, making sure to center it on your base tier.
- Repeat the above steps until your cake is stacked!
Decorating
- This part is completely up to you! If you're looking for a simple cake style that's been popular for years, texturing your buttercream with an offset spatula works beautifully!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Wondering how to cut a tiered cake?
Don't worry about it - it's actually super simple! Here's a quick YouTube video I posted on what I find to be the easiest way to cut a tiered cake!
Did you make a tiered cake, have a question, or find something on this page helpful?
Let me know how it went - or find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo! You can also leave a comment at the bottom of the page!
If you're looking for cake or frosting recipes, you can find all of my favorite recipes here!
Some tiered cake recipes you may love...
(Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)
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