Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I’m making a four tier wedding cake all cakes are 5″ deep made up of 6 layers, the 12″ is a dummy cake, the 10″ is vanilla sponge covered in butter cream and fondant the 8″ is chocolate cake covered in ganache and fondant and the 6″ a dummy tier. With the 10″ and 8″ should I board and dowel after 3 cake layers for stability, the weather is forecast warm and humid and I have to transport the cake 15 miles.

Thank you both for the advice X

Hi Diane

Yes definitely dowel and board at the three layer point. Not only will this make the structure more stable it will also allow cutting sensible portions three inches tall rather than great big tall ones. That is what Paul recommends in several tutorials where he is demonstrating taller cakes.
Will you be transporting the cakes fully assembled?

Thanks Madeitwithlove, I’ve just found the link on the latest poppy cake. I will take the cake fully stacked to the venue the day before, hopefully this will be ok

Hi Diane,

If your doing a cake 5″ depth, then I would cut each layer of cake 1’inch depth and when the ganache is added and icing it should come to 5 inch. There will then be no need to dowel the cake at 3 layers and make this easier for you. . If you do a six layer cake your find this more complicated , will be more then 5 ” with fillings – and will have to use the double barrel cake method – which will probably turn out taller then the cake dummies your using. Unless of course its part of your design. If your a bit anxious about the traveling with a fully tired stacked cake – you can take them down single – or two plus two and set up at the venue. Hope this helps.

Good luck Diane!

@Jacqui, thank you so much for your input, it will be so helpful when this type of question comes up again. It’s great to have other methods of stacking.