Hi, I'm new but very enthusiastic.  I am working on fondant cakes and have been making about two fondant cakes a month for the last 6 months.  I am into tiers now but I can't figure out when you put the bottom trim or decoration on the tiered layers.  If my 8" is the 2nd tier on an 8" cake board either I wind up with some cake board showing through my trim, or I trim the cake board and when I put my tier on the bottom layer, I'm wondering what I attach my tier bottom trim to???   Does that make sense?  (Same goes for 3rd tier)

ANormally you would place an 8" cake on an 8" board and crumbcoat/ice flush with the board. Your fondant should then go over that icing (or ganache) and cover the edge of the board so it cannot be seen. Or maybe I'm not understanding the problem...!

Yes, I understand completely what you are saying, but if I am putting a trim on a flush edge, say it's sugar pearls, what do I attach them too?

AIf there is a risk of your bottom edge trim breaking or getting ruined when moving and stacking tiers, I would apply it when the cakes are stacked.

ASorry, I read too quickly! You would attach them to the very bottom/side of the cake...

Thank you so much!!  One other question, say it is a colored fondant border, would you still apply it after stacking?

I am afraid of discoloring the underlying tier if I apply after stacking, but when I apply a fondant trim prior to stacking, I have had times that I've damaged it when attaching...

AI would personally, yes, unless for some reason I cannot stack the cake before transporting it and I have to stack it at the destination. For the most part, I cover all my cakes, stack, then do final decorating. But whatever makes you happy! I think everyone has different ways of doing things.

AColours usually only run if you have excess water (or whatever you are using as glue), or if you don't handle the coloured piece carefully enough. Somewhere there is a video of someone stacking cakes causing minimal damage using a spatula, which is helpful if you prefer to fully decorate before stacking, but I can't remember whose it is. Maybe if you google?

Okay so maybe that's the reason I keep decorating each tier before stacking, because I am having to stack it at the end user's house.  It has to be completely ready except for stacking (but I could do the bottom trim at the site)....  No huge snafoo's so far but I've read about enough of them to scare the airbubbles outta me!

Thank you so much for your help and suggestions!!!  Greatly appreciated!

You should definitely try to decorate after the cake is stacked. It's much easier to make sure the borders all meet the tier below it. If you're putting a pearl border on it you could use buttercream too, that way it might have a little more give than royal icing  if the cake moves when you pick it up.

No wonder I was struggling!  I kept wondering what everybody else did!  Thank you