Hi! So I have my first huge wedding cake this weekend and am getting a little nervous for it. I live in a medium sized town, but my only places to buy cake supplies is at Michael's or Joanns. I'm wishing I bought an SPS system before today.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions.

1. Would you recommend traveling with my cake stacked or stacking it there?
2. I am planning on using plastic or cardboard dowels, any tips? I've been watching on YouTube for tips.
3. This is a 16", 12", 8" square cake and I can't find cake boards 16". I'm thinking of just finding a piece of cardboard that is that size and covering it with foil. Would that work, or do you have any other ideas?
4. When you stack, do you leave the layers on their cake boards or take them off? The last one I did I left them on, but I wasn't around to cut the cake, so I don't know how it went. This is a friend, so I will be there and will be the one taking it apart and cutting it.
5. Finally, this is the first time I'm using fresh flowers on it. I read somewhere about putting the stems in straws for a cheap way to keep everything clean. Does this work or do you have a better idea?

Thank you so much! I didn't realize I had so many questions!

For the boards, buy a sheet of foam core board (the one that's like foam sandwiched between 2 posterboard). Cut it to the size you need and cover it. I like using Glad's Press N Seal. You should be able to get that at the grocery store in the office supply section or at a hobby store where all their poster boards are.

For the future consider using SPS, it's a plate and pillar system so no dowels. It's really easy to use and makes it a lot easier to stack in advance. I can't usually lift heavy cakes so I generally stack on site. I stacked the bottom two tiers of my last big cake and almost dropped it just getting it into my car.

Do you just include the cost of the SPS in your quote for the cake, or do you get it back after the occasion?

I include it in the cost of the cake. For a 3 tier cake it's usually less than $10. That's worth every penny. You can order it at oasis cake supply. I order a bunch so I have it on hand. It takes a little getting used to. You either have to bake your cakes to 4 inches or purchase a small desktop saw to cut them to fit. The saws are around $30 but again totally worth it

I want to re-state, you need a very very sturdy board to put your entire cake on. You must have either a cake drum or plywood covered in something. A "piece or two" of cardboard will not cut it. Your board must be very strong and be able to handle the weight otherwise the board will buckle and collapse your cake at the worst, or keep cracking your buttercream and make your tiers lean at best. The size of cake you say you are making, depending on what you make, can be around 50 pounds when done!

If you are making a 16" square cake, you need at least an 18" square cake drum. If you do not have time to order one from Global Sugar or one of the other cake websites, then you need to get to the hardware store ASAP and get nice sturdy plywood and cover it in dessert foil.

Are you sure a 16" cake will fit in your home oven? Most home ovens will not fit a cake that size. It probably also will not fit in your fridge.

You can use drinking straws for your dowels. That's what I use, and I think they are way better then wood dowels. You can buy a box at a restaurant supply or just grab a handfull from Jack in the Box or something.

Good luck!

Jen

Thank you. I'll check Oasis out.

SPS 10" mini Hack Saw:
https://www.bakerycrafts.com/ItemSearchResults.aspx?SrchStr=saw

(IIRC, it's $4.00)

Thank you so much! This helps a lot! I'm thinking I'll stack the first two tiers and do the top one there. My mom is the one who will be driving (my car isn't bit enough), so it might make her more comfortable. Since I'm so new, I'm still figuring out a lot of things! I will definitely be buying an SPS system when I have a little more extra money.

I use a commercial kitchen with large convection ovens, so the 16" will fit with no problem. Thank goodness for that!

I use bubble tea straws for support and they are fantastic. You can purchase them from Amazon or eBay and they're very cheap and so easy to snip with scissors.

Do not...repeat...do NOT go cheap on your dowels or support structure!! This cake will be a lot bigger and heavier than you think it will. I had a caketastrophe wedding cake this summer and even though I used what I thought was good support...it was not good enough for a hot summer day and a sharp turn. My sizes were 12", 10" and 6" and the cake was so heavy and cumbersome I needed my daughter to help me. If you can deliver a cold cake then do it because it will transport better. I could not fit my cake back into my side-by-side fridge after I had stacked it so it was almost room temp when we left.

I would at least use plastic dowels not bubble straws on a wedding cake this size...particularly if you have it stacked before transporting. If you can get an SPS system I would do this without hesitation.
Since this is your first wedding cake I will just tell you that it will take a lot longer than you think it will as well as be heavier.

Do as much as you can sooner than you originally planned. Trust me. I don't know what your design is, but hopefully it will be simple so you don't have too much to worry about on that front. And take a repair kit with you with icing bags and tips and whatever else you may need should something occur in transporting or stacking if you do it at the site. Put your cake on a big piece of rubber mesh drawer liner to stop sliding and make sure everything is on a flat surface in the car. If you wrap your drum or board in a foil or whatever, remember to run a pretty ribbon around the sides to hide any edges that don't look so nice. Plus it's a nice detail. Good luck! And drive carefully!

For the boards, buy a sheet of foam core board (the one that's like foam sandwiched between 2 posterboard). Cut it to the size you need and cover it. I like using Glad's Press N Seal. You should be able to get that at the grocery store in the office supply section or at a hobby store where all their poster boards are.












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Please!! take the advice others have posted and use a *very sturdy* piece of wood rather than foamcore for the base of the cake.