Help! Stacking Cakes...

Decorating By WhitePeony Updated 16 Apr 2014 , 11:29pm by WhitePeony

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WhitePeony Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 12:33am
post #1 of 8

Hello everybody,

 

This is my first post so please excuse any ignorance.

 

I'm confused about something so simple that I'm surprised that I'm having to ask this question but I've searched on this forum as well as the web and still here I am confused.

 

I'm embarking on my first 2 tiered stacked cake which will be covered in fondant and I want the end product to be placed on a 12mm fondant covered cake drum which will be 2 inches bigger than the cake.

I don't want to decorate my bottom tier directly on the fondant covered board so here is where I'm confused:

 

Do I decorate my bottom tier on 3mm card board or on another 12mm cake drum?

 

Simple huh? I know. It's just I've been watching a lot of video tutorials and the boards used in these tutorials look too thick to be 3mm cake boards but then it gets me thinking if they reallyuse two cake drums.

 

I hope someone can put me out of my misery.

7 replies
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leah_s Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 1:10am
post #2 of 8

You can either put your tier on the cake drum and decorate it there (that's what I do) or decorate it on a cardboard round and transfer the tier and round to the cake drum.  Just be sure to use something strong like royal or chocolate to stick the cardboard onto the cake drum.  It's your preference/what you get used to.

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JackiSto Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 6:35pm
post #3 of 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by leah_s 
 

You can either put your tier on the cake drum and decorate it there (that's what I do) or decorate it on a cardboard round and transfer the tier and round to the cake drum.  Just be sure to use something strong like royal or chocolate to stick the cardboard onto the cake drum.  It's your preference/what you get used to.

 

2ND THIS. I more often than not decorate on an unwaxed cakeboard and stick the cake board to the drum with candy melts (plain buttercream isn't sticky enough to reassure me... This obviously applies to servers as well... nobody wants a cake stuck to their nice silver platter.

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Cakespirations Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 6:39pm
post #4 of 8

I always decorate on a board then put that onto my fondant covered board at the very end. I am notorious for scarring a cake board after making it when I try to decorate on it.

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howsweet Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 7:11pm
post #5 of 8

I decorate the fully stacked cake on the drum. Too easy to mess the cake up transferring it.

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WhitePeony Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 7:48pm
post #6 of 8

Aokay, so for those of you who decorate directly on the drum, is the drum the same size as the base cake or bigger?

Hence, if it's bigger what menthod do you use to ganache or buttercream you cake?

The reason I ask the second question is because so many people use the 2 board icing technique which rsquires two boards the same size as the cake.

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leah_s Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 8:31pm
post #7 of 8

My cake drum is generally 4" bigger than the tier.  I just put the icing on the tier with a bench scraper.

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WhitePeony Posted 16 Apr 2014 , 11:29pm
post #8 of 8

Aokay, I'll try tge different ways and see which one I take to. Thank you all for your replies.

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