If I had to make a 6" cake on top of a 10" cake how do I stack them and put a dowel trew them without damaginf the butter cream? Or do I stack and then frost?

frost, then cut dowels, then put dowels in until they are about an inch out of the icing, put the top cake "in place" and let it push the dowels the rest of the way down. No problemo....

There might be a better way, but that's how I do it.

I frost and then stack and then add details. When I do a six inch on my eight inch, I don't do any supporting. The six inch is always ok. Any bigger and I would support it. But if you do want to support it, frost your bottom layer, let crust, and smooth, then put in your straws, dowels, whatever; and put your six inch cake (already frosted, smoothed, etc.) on top. I just frost and smooth both cakes and then flop the 6 inch directly on the other cake. I've never had a problem.

I have started putting my tiers in the fridge (after they're frosted) to harden the BC a bit before stacking. That way if my hand slips it doesn't do major damage to the frosting. It has taken alot of stress out of it for me.

I use straws, usually, for my supports for each layer and a long wooden dowel thru the center to stabilize the layers.

I just want to make sure I am doing mine right. you are stacking them with cake board under 6 inch or 8 inch right? I have been using dowels but just bought bubble straws because I was so sick of cutting dowels. I was going to ask today how do you do bubble straws through cake boards. But you guys didn't mention so do you not use them under 2nd and third tiers.
Wondering now if I have been doing it wrong all along?

mandze - if it's a 6 inch, I don't use a board or dowels (most of the time), but yes, if I wanted to support it, you would put the straws in and then put the cake with board on top of that. I've never done a center dowel because it scares me to have to get through the board, but no, you'd have to use a real dowel, not a straw.

An electric pencil sharpener (just for dowels) works great! Just cut the dowel to the height you will need, and then get a real sharp tip on one end. It will go thru your boards without any problems.

I thought I read about one lady who used thin MDF or Luwan boards instead of cardboard, but each one had a large hole in the middle (like a donut) so she didn't have to worry about spearing anything. As long as you are pretty much in the center, you should be able to put an unsharpened dowel thru without a problem.

I might not have explained that post clearly, but what I meant was that if you put your dowels all the way into the cake, you will probably get your fingers in the icing when you place the top cake on. If you put the dowels in your cake, but don't push them all the way down, (ie let them stick up just enought that you can get you fingers under) you shouldn't have that problem. When you put your 6" cake on the dowels, you can get your fingers out of the way, and the cake will slowly push the dowels the rest of the way down. (don't leave them sticking up 2-3 inches, that could go bad, but just 1/4 to 3/4" up and you shouldn't have a problem...and I read this idea on here and have never done it any other way!)

And I did a cake that I didn't dowel as it was a 6" cake on top, I got some "wrinkles" in my frosting on the side. HTH!

love the pencil sharpener idea but I bought the bubble straws so I am going to try them.

I think the pencil sharpener for the dowel thing is just for the center dowel. I always stick a center dowel in if the cake is going to be traveling. (i.e. it's not a cake for my immediate family that we're going to eat at the same house it was baked at)

I want to try those straws though. Sounds like a good idea.

My biggest problem has been getting things centered and straight. I just can't seem to stack a straight cake. I don't know what it is. I'm hoping to get that Agbay leveler one day to cut my cakes and make sure they're all the same height..... I just can't seem to do it right w/ a knife or something b/c I always have that problem.

Oh great thank-you everybody, good idea's. I will be trying this on sat and I will let you know how it goes. Are these just regular drinking straws or the really large ones?

Regular straws are what I use, unless I doing multiple heavy layers. There are straws that are called bubble tea straws that are wider/stronger. They are available from Asian markets and I've found them on-line too.

Regular straws are what I use, unless I doing multiple heavy layers. There are straws that are called bubble tea straws that are wider/stronger. They are available from Asian markets and I've found them on-line too.

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-254181-bubble.html+tea+straw

am making a simliar sized cake. first time stacking. how would you ge the top cake off without taking the icing off the bottom layer.

I use one of 2 options:
1. Cut your supports just slightly taller than you need them.
2. Place a sheet of parchment paper (cut the exact size as the cardboard of your tier) directly on top of the cake and place your cake directly on top of it.