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How do you stack a cake without scraping the lower tier?

post #1 of 13
6/27/05 at 8:06pm
Thread Starter 
If the cake board is the exact size of the cake, how can I position it on the lower tier without messing up the icing on both? Too bad you can't just aim and drop it on. Any magic tricks out there?
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"When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees." Kenneth Kaunda
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post #2 of 13
6/27/05 at 8:15pm
Hey, it's not so hard to do!

I lay a cake board on top of the cake to make indentions. I put the dowel rods inside the indentions. The cake board I use under the cakes is always 1 in. smaller then the cake. I ease it down on the bottom cake & then let go! It is like dropping it. You just get the cake as close to the bottom cake as you can & let it go. I sometimes have to fix the icing where the two cakes come together. It's only a little mess. Usually the border will cover it up! I hope that helps~
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post #3 of 13
6/27/05 at 8:17pm
Thread Starter 
Hey, I like the idea of using cake boards 1 inch smaller - then there's no way they'll peek out. You don't use two cake boards, do you? I wasn't sure if that's what you were saying.
"When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees." Kenneth Kaunda
i.e. Don't give up!
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"When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees." Kenneth Kaunda
i.e. Don't give up!
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post #4 of 13
6/27/05 at 8:19pm
This question reminds me of an old joke:

How do you pet a porcupine? Very carefully!

Basically I think that a lot of the "pro" decorators do exactly that, aim and drop! I have a few videos and three of the decorators do something like that, they just kinda plop the cake layer down on top of the other one! Scares me! They do use a large spatula or scoop of some sort to pick up the cake, and then slide it off onto the cake, if that makes sense. There is a post somewhere the last day or so about someone who uses one of those large round spatulas for this! Janice
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post #5 of 13
6/27/05 at 8:41pm
APcakes,

I use 2 cake boards on 10" cakes & above. Don't forget to wrap your board w/ tinfoil or saran wrap. The BCI will soak into the boards & that could cause your cakes to be unlevel.

The reason I cut the boards 1" smaller is so they don't peek out & so they will be more onto the bottom cake. I've seen cakes that haven't been that way & they look bad.

If I can help you with anything else just let me know~

Stacking cakes is not hard!!
"Learn from a turtle... it only makes progress when it sticks it's neck out"
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post #6 of 13
6/27/05 at 8:56pm
I always seem to get one of my fingers in the way! I have a cake coming up that has no border and it's BC. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it stacked!
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post #7 of 13
6/27/05 at 10:38pm
Ohhhh, no border, no ribbon? Talk the bride into doing something!! It will take more effort to get it right w/ no border no nothing. Good Luck Kristy!
"Learn from a turtle... it only makes progress when it sticks it's neck out"
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"Learn from a turtle... it only makes progress when it sticks it's neck out"
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post #8 of 13
6/27/05 at 11:29pm
I did one recently ( in the gallery under finished at last! or something like that lol..) where I had no bottom borders...UGH...It had a little fuschia ribbon but it was a couple of inches above the seam between tiers...but thank god it was RBC I was able to keep smoothing it and sorta tuck it under each tier!
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To do what you truly love is to never work!
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post #9 of 13
6/27/05 at 11:50pm
I read somewhere on here that when yor ready to place the tier just pull up your dowel rods about an inch and set the cak on it. the pressure from the cake will set the rods back in place and this will give you time to move your fingers.
i tried it and works great for me....
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I didn't choose cake decorating.......cake decorating chose me!
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post #10 of 13
6/28/05 at 1:09am
I had to call my aunt and ask her what she does. She uses cake boards too, and then she will smooth another "layer" of frosting around the lower edge if have to...she said if or when she does "mess" up the lower tier its usually around the cake board and what she does is add another layer of BC around the cake board area and if done right you cant even tell you had to....it will also kind of hide the board!
thats about as much as I can do to help you.
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post #11 of 13
6/28/05 at 1:16am
That is almost the same advice i would have given. I get as close as I can then kinda drop it and get the hands out in the same motion. I also do my cake boards an inch or so smaller than the cake on it. and I put some conf. sugar under it first and sometimes a piece of waxed paper over the sugar. You sometimes lose a little icing , but not too bad. I feel better about my cake staying put than I would if I elevated it much from the lower tier.
To do what you truly love is to never work!
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To do what you truly love is to never work!
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post #12 of 13
6/28/05 at 5:51am
Haha, I guess whatever works! I prefer the board to be the same size or a bit larger. A bit larger, you can handle it easier and you can cover the board edge with the border. I think for first timers, this is a good idea. The same size and you can see where the cake and board end to lift the cake off for serving time. Obviously a bit smaller works for some of you, but I would think that it would be easier to mess up the cake when you go to remove to serve. I find it easy to slide a spatula underneath the board to lift it slightly to get a grip on it to dismantle.
But like I said, whatever works!
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post #13 of 13
6/28/05 at 11:14am
Oh, I would love to use a board a little larger and YES it would be easier, and I might do it that way if I know the customer wants borders. But to make sure the boards dont show I prefer them smaller also...its good practice for non bordered cakes to go ahead and get the seams perfect. icon_smile.gif but like ya say...whatever works!
To do what you truly love is to never work!
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To do what you truly love is to never work!
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