How to Stack a Cake

As promised, how to cover a cake in fondant and stack your cake!

Step 1: Roll out your fondant - make sure to use enough powdered sugar on your rolling surface to prevent sticking and aid in easy rolling.  Roll to approximately 1/8" thick and an inch or so wider than you need (cake diameter + twice the height)

Step 2: Use your rolling pin to roll up the fondant - do not fold as you will end up with creases that are likely to crack and split open

Step 3: Use the rolling pin as an aid in unrolling your fondant coil over the top of your previously crumb-coated cake

Step 4: Smooth over the top and begin to smooth down the sides of the fondant over the cake

Always be sure to appease your "little helpers"

Step 5: Once the fondant is smoothed down, use a pizza cutter (or fondant cutter if you prefer) to trim away the excess fondant

Step 6: Insert a few wooden dowels that are the same height as your cake as support for the next tier

Step 7 (not pictured): upper tiers should be on a cake board that has been cut to the same size as the cake diameter and can be held in place on the next tier down with a dab of icing

Step 8: Place upper tier on top of lower tier, add topper.  I did add a few dowels to the top tier to support the weight of the sugar.  If you were not adding a topper (or it is a skewer set up or candles you would not need to add dowels to the top tier)

Note about transporting a cake: I like to stack on site as it diminishes the risk of collapse, especially with the erratic behavior of drivers in the NYC area.  If you need to assemble ahead of time you can avoid putting the dowel in the middle of each tier and instead have one long dowel that will be inserted after stacking through the top into the middle of all tiers.

Happy Anniversary Ernie & Elaine!!!