AI do cupcakes only but that changed recently when I scored some very inexpensive never been used vintage 4 tier cake pans. Whenever I try something new, I use boxed cake mix. So how many will I need for a 6", 8", 10", & 12" double layers? I'm actually going to practice with only the first two tiers at first. Will 2 boxes be enough for that? Thank you!

Also any advice you can give on doing my first 2 tier cake would be appreciated :-).

Check out this site. It will tell you how many cups of batter to use per cake pan. An average cake mix is 4 to 5 1/2 cups of batter. I bake from scratch, so I know when I do a 6 inch tier, I still have batter left over. An 8 inch tier will take my entire batch. 

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-party-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm

wilton has a great chart for that--look across the top where it says cups of batter, the 4th column--

http://www.wilton.com/wedding/wedding-cakes/wedding-cake-data.cfm

and for advice? go for it!   

AThank you K8 & MF!!!! I'm way too excited! I was thinking of doing all buttercream roses or the kind with the rhinestone band & roses. Something simple for my first :-).

ALol thanks!!! I really hope so. I decided to cover in white fondant which I've done before & decorate with cascading fondant butterflies. Do I need to put a dowel minus the cake board through both tiers or dowels & cake board in each tier? That's the only part that's confusing me. Thanks!!!!

You want to dowel each tier - not the layers…I think that's what you were asking. 

After your cakes are covered in fondant, have the 12" cake sitting on the cake base…drum…stand…whatever you are putting it on. Take an 10 inch cake circle and place it on top of the 12 inch cake and score around it lightly with a knife so you know where your 10 inch cake will sit. Dowel that circle very well! 

Do the same with all tiers using the cardboard circles as a guide to where to place your dowels.

After the cake is stacked and doweled, you can put a center dowel all the way through the entire cake and through the cake base. It's not necessary, but you can do it. 

A

If you only used dowels and no cake board, your cake would collapse. The cakes rest on the board. The board rests on the dowels. All the weight is transferred into the dowels and down to the cake base. :) 

AThat makes much more sense. I don't understand how others make cakes without dowels & cake boards.

You don't need to measure batter - it's soooooo messy :(

Each 10" round and 8" square will use one cake mix batter for each layer.

A 12" round and 10" sq uses 1 1/2 each layer

8" round *and* 6 in round uses one batter

OR three 6" rounds use one mix batter.

a 14" round and 12" sq use 2 cake mixes.

I hope that the following links will help you, they are great for anyone, specially beginners! The first link is from a very special CC member, this is my way to always remember him . He was a very wonderful person.My thanks always to RYLAN.

http://cakecentral.com/t/654103/hundreds-of-tutorials-in-here

http://www.designmeacake.com/tutorials.html

AThank

A

..........You don't need to measure batter - it's soooooo messy :(

Each 10" round and 8" square will use one cake mix batter for each layer.

A 12" round and 10" sq uses 1 1/2 each layer

8" round *and* 6 in round uses one batter

OR three 6" rounds use one mix batter.

a 14" round and 12" sq use 2 cake mixes.........

Just want to clarify somthing about this post so no one misunderstands this:

One 10x2R OR one 8x2S pan will use the batter of one cake mix.

One 12x2R OR one  10x2S needs 1 1/2 mixes

One 8x2R *and* one 6"R uses 1 mix.

Three 6x2R use one mix

One 14x2R OR one 12x2S needs 2 mixes

One 16x2R OR 14x2S uses 3 mixes

It took me a long time to figure this out  when I had my bakeries:)

A