On more than one level!

OK--I know this is a question that's probably been asked like 100 times, but.................
What do you use as your support system on 2+ tiered cakes? I'm not talking about the pillared ones--but the ones where one cake is directly on top of the other?

I don't know if my question is making sense, but like my golfball cake--it's leaning...


And I've had a few other cakes lean/dig into the bottom cake...

I'm using the 'dowel' method illustated in the wilton yearbooks, but maybe there's a better way...

BUMP!

Maybe they're not cut all the same or maybe theres not enough of them...I just started using straws because they're so much easier to cut.

ditto to pp. straws are certainly the easiest way to go for smaller cakes (actually, I use them for cakes up to 4 tiers high). Do you have a board under the top cake? Any dowels are intended to hold up a board, not cake without one.

Yes, the ball is on a cardboard plate cut to fit and the plate is resting on dowels...

Well, maybe try chilling the cakes so that they set up a little more and don't lean over with their delicious moistness

Maybe one of your dowels is a titch taller and is causing the lean?

I use boba (bubble) tea straws.

You can ask them, or if you are nearby an asian store. I live near a high asian population so there are about 10 of those stores. Or ebay. If you have problems, PM me and we could arrange to get some to you. (No profit to me)

Lybby....that cake is fantastic...I sure hope ya can save it!
It looks awesome!!!

Do you have a dowel running thru golf ball into other cake? Is there filling in golf ball? Might be slipping. That happened to me when I used a strawberry filling w/o mixing in bc to make stable.
Still love that cake!!

OK, no advise here. Just had to tell you how great your cake looks. The water is wonderful! so real! I hope everything stablized for you. Good Luck!

some online sources for the straws:

http://www.bobateadirect.com/Bag-of-Large-Straws-for-Bubble-Tea-Individually-Wrapped-pr-900.html

http://bobadirect.com/shopping_supplies.html

http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/store/store.php3?item_id=2

http://www.glacelatte.com/Products/bobastraws.html

http://www.lollicupstore.com/06030000p002.html

HTH

did you put a piece of cardboard under the golf ball? If not all the dowels in the world won't hold it up. They will just poke into the cake on top. You have to have something for the dowels to push against in order for whatever is on top to be held up.

I just have to interject here -- I LOVE your cake!! That is just too darned tootin cute!!

Yep, LOVE the cake.... don't have any advice though! I've never done a tiered cake, but a center dowel running through both cakes into the bottom board might work.

hmmmm. wonder if the dowels were cut just a hair too short or if they somehow shifted when the cake was moved (could be because it only has one board under it) The whole cake that is. With a cake that heavy (buttercream n the ball cake) the one cake board under the whole thing is not gonna be strong enough.

Thanks everyone--we didn't put a dowel all the way through the ball and cake, but I'll definately try it next time... it looked fine (slight-slight-slightly tilted) when I left it at her house but she was worried that it would tilt more...we'll see...

But--STRAWS?? I've never heard of that! They really work huh... I will definately have to try that the next time I need to dowel...AWESOME TIP!!

Your cake looks great! I don't know what you mean about the leaning. It looks perfect to me.

One of my first wedding cakes collapsed during the drive to the reception hall. I had supported it with wooden dowels but I guess taking a turn, the cake swayed and the dowels just fell over and the cake followed. It was the very worst experience I've ever had in this business.

After that fiasco, I started using the Wilton hidden pillars (the hollow plastic tubes that look like bathroom tissue rolls ) and now I never have to worry about the support of the upper tiers. The weight is always on the supports and none on the cake itself. The worst part about using these dowels was the added expense. Here in Canada, I had to pay $5.35 for a package of four pillars. For a 3 tier cake, I'd need two packages ($10.70) and a 4 tier, I'd need three packages ($16.05). That a big expense!!

But I solved that problem too!!!! I did a lot of reseach and I found a supplier (in the US - none in Canada) who supplies hollow plastic tubing. It comes in 48" lengths that I can cut to any size (4" being my typical size). I had to buy the minimum of 150 pieces but the bottom line is that I'll save a BUNCH of money in the long run. Instead of costing me $5.35 for 4 pillars, it now costs me sixty-four cents! That's a tremendous difference.

And I now have a supply that will last me for several years so I don't have to worry about availability here because that also was a real nightmare. And the separator plate legs fit down into the tubing so I can easily use them when needed.

Personally, I never again will take a chance of having a cake collapse on me so now I play it safe!

Classy cakes, is that PVC that you use?

No - I wouldn't use PVC because I don't think it's food grade.

These are clear acrylic hollow tubes, food grade. Smooth finish, not rippled. Comes in 48" lengths that I cut off as needed.

Most importantly, not only do I save a BUNCH of money on each wedding cake I do, but my cakes are extremely stable and super safe from collapsing.

Thanks, I didn't think it was, but couldn't picture anything else.

Love your cake!! I bet a center dowel would solve the problem. I use wooden dowel and I always measure and cut each one individually.

I had a cake sink when I didn't wrap the cake board with contact paper. It became too weak and didn't hold up the second teir properly.

I'm LOVING the Boba straw idea....I'm going to try this!