Hi cakers,

I'm doing my first tiered cake this weekend! I'm pretty excited, but also a little nervous.

So, about cake boards or cake circles. I've seen in a few videos that some people cut their own, but it never says much about this. What do you veterans do? Do you buy them, or make your own? If you make your own, do you wrap them in waxed paper or seran wrap or something? I haven't looked yet, but I would guess that the cake boards are expensive for just cardboard, and I confess to being a total cheapskate.

Also, I plan to drive with this cake so I will be staking it through the middle. Can I do this with any thickness of cake board or do I need a certain type?

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your help!
Maren

My answer was not a choice in your poll - which is: BOTH

It just depends on the situation!

My answer is both as well.I buy my boards in bulk on a pallet.I buy them from a company which sells honeycombed cardboard.My hubby then cuts them by table saw to the standard sizes of my cake boxes which are 18 1/2 x 13 1/2 and 18x22.They are about 3/8 inch thick and can hold any weight.

I buy my boards and then cut them, if necessary, and cover them. Remember when you are choosing what you want to cover the boards with that you need something that is a. food safe, and b. won't tear when the cake is cut. There is FanciFoil, which is made by Wilton, that looks really pretty and is specially made for cake boards. You do not want to use Saran Wrap (or any plastic wrap), aluminum foil, or waxed paper. You want to use a product that won't distract from the beauty of your cake. It's sad to see a gorgeous cake sat atop an ugly or uncovered board. There are lots of discussions on here regarding cake boards. Personally, I use FanciFoil most of the time. I ran out recently and found that freezer paper makes a great substitute in a pinch.

My hubby cut out our last one from MDF (medium density fiberboard) and it was PERFECT! We needed it to be 20" round and didn't want to pay for a drum and I didn't trust a drum with the weight of the cake anyway so the MDF board was just what we needed. Now, I just need to get him back out to his shop to cut a bunch more! Oh, and we covered in with fanci foil.

I use foam core and cut them myself. I buy the sheets of it at Michaels usually on sale 2 for $3. the pre-made cardboard circles just don't hold up to the moisture like foam core does. They also make some that is 1/2 thick and great for the base and i just cover in fanci foil.

I have made my own and purchased some too.

I have done both but with the price of drums in my area I am finding it cheaper to buy a large sheet of MDF and having DH cut it down for what I need.

Unless I can find a better deal on buying them I think Im gonna keep on making them.

I have also discovered the my local dollar store carries large sheets of foam core and when I can get in there I usually pick up a case of it

Hope this helps

I use foam core and cut my own. The base board is covered with fondant, with a ribbon glued around the edge, and the boards for the tiers are covered with press and seal wrap. there's no problem with driving a dowel down the middle...just get out your hammer

I make my own out of plywood, cover them in fondant to match or coordinate with the cake design and edge in ribbon. I like plywood because it is very rigid and doesnt buckle or bow when you lift a heavy cake.

You can always pre-punch the center hole so you don't have to sweat it.

I buy mine... time is money and I don't have the time to be cutting cake boards. I bought them back when I used cardboard, and I buy them now even though I use all masonite.