I was just wondering what the best way to ice a stacked cake is when each layer is a different colour. Do you ice both cakes before putting it together and hope you don't do too much damage moving the top layer or do you put it together and then ice the whole thing?

you would ice each cake seperately...then stack them together. If you are transporting them somewhere else, you can take them in separate boxes and then assemble it once you get there instead.

ice seperately then place together.

There is a neat tip about stacking the cakes....leave the dowels up a ways (about an inch or so) in the bottom cake - then you can set the top cake on top and it will sink down to where it is supposed to be on the bottom layer without any fingers in the icing! NO mess!

Awesome tip Quadcrew!! I'll definitely use that one to avoid the dreaded finger dents!

Be careful if you are doing this with the heavy big layers - they will sink those dowels pretty quickly! (just get the fingers out quick!) The small layers it looks like it is in slow motion moving the dowels down.

Thanks alot everyone, this really helps, but how do you pick up the cake to put it on the dowels without wrecking the icing?

Perry - the dowels are like the straws you would use.....but instead of inserting them all the way into the cake - leave the top inch or so sticking out of the top of the cake, set the next layer on those dowels ~ they then sink into the cake without you having to mess the top of the cake up with your fingers while trying to place that next layer on. Go to the next layer and do the same thing....insert the dowels into the cake leaving an inch or so exposed on the top of the cake, set the layer on that and it will sink once again. I LOVE this method. You have to measure the height of the side of each layer (of course) so you know how long to cut the dowel (or straw) After you have all of your layers stacked, you can then put your sharpened dowel down through all the layers. (I assembe on site, and didn't do the long sharpened center dowel) I hope that explains it a little better for you.

Tha cakes are on either a cake board or on a plastic cake divider plate - I have picked up both with no problems. If for some reason you do mess it up, make sure you have your extra icing and a small spatula to do repairs with.