How to Make a Tiered Cake
Have you ever wanted to make a tiered cake or a DIY wedding cake? Don't be intimidated! Here are instructions and all my tips and tricks!
Servings: 24 (24+; varies with cake size)
Calories: 745kcal
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 information is based on my most popular 8" / 6" tiered cakes; please note this information is only an estimate and will vary based on cake sizes and flavors.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice (1/16th 8" or 1/8th 6" cake) | Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 38g