How to Assemble a Three-Tier Stack Wedding Cake

Creating a three-tier wedding cake

A three-tier stacked wedding cake may look like a confectionary feat accomplished only by highly trained hands, but it's feasible to put one together yourself. After adding the base frosting to three cakes, dedicate about 20 to 30 minutes to stacking the three layers before decorating. Putting together the cake at the location of the reception is the safest bet, but careful transportation also allows the task to be completed elsewhere one day prior to the big event.

Things You'll Need

• Frosted cake tiers
• Cake dowels
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Frosting

Instructions

1. Measure a square on top of the base cake that matches the size of the second-tier cake. Mark the four corners. Insert four dowels into the base cake at the marked corners and make a pencil mark on the dowels slightly above the level of the cake's surface. Remove the dowels and cut at the marks with sharp scissors.

2. Insert the four cut dowels into the marks on the top of the base cake to form the four corners of a square.

3. Measure a triangle on top of the second-tier cake that is the size of the topmost cake layer, and mark the triangle corners. Insert three dowels equal distances apart into the marks on the top of the second-tier cake and make a pencil mark on the dowels slightly above the level of the cake's surface. Remove the dowels and cut at the marks with scissors.

4. Insert the three cut dowels into the marks on the second-tier cake to form the three corners of a triangle.

5. Place the second cake tier on top of base cake, resting on the four dowels. Place the third cake tier on top of second layer, resting on the three dowels.

6. Insert a dowel into the middle of the top layer and push all the way through to the base of the three cake tiers. Make a pencil mark on the dowel slightly above the level of the cake's surface. Remove the dowel and cut at the pencil mark with scissors.

7. Insert the dowel in the middle of the top wedding cake layer for stability, pushing it through until it reaches the bottom cake base. Cover the end of the dowel with frosting.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're transporting the cake after assembly, make sure the bottom-most layer is on a base that will make moving of the cake possible.

• Sharpen the tip of the last dowel to make pushing it through the three cake layers easier.

References

• Epicurious
• The Wedding Cake Decorator's Bible; Alan Dunn; 2009