0:00
In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to stack a three-tier cake so that it's stable enough to transport and display for several hours
0:10
In part one of this tutorial, I showed you how to prepare your cakes so that the top two tiers are each sitting on a cake board the same size as those cakes
0:19
and the bottom tier is attached to a cake drum. I'll be using buttercream cakes, but the same steps will work for fondant cakes too
0:27
All of your cakes should be chilled in the fridge for at least two hours
0:31
Start with the bottom tier and take the next tier, the one that will sit on top of it
0:36
and separate the cake on its little cakeboard from the large cake board
0:40
by slicing in between the boards with an offset spatula. Before placing this cake on the bottom tier, you need to add supports
0:47
but first you need to know where to put the supports. Lift the cake up on its little cake board and place it on the bottom tier
0:54
adjusting it to centre it, and then trace around it. it with a toothpick or your offset spatula to mark where it will go. This line your drawing will be
1:02
your guide or boundary to place the supports within so that they sit underneath this top cake
1:09
Take the top cake off and put it back into the fridge so that the frosting stays cold and firm
1:14
Now you need some supports I love boba straws because they wide and thick and strong but also easy to cut They need to go within the line you drew and for cakes 8 inches or larger I start with one straw in the middle
1:28
Push it down until you feel it hit the cake board, and then pinch it, level with the top of the cake
1:33
pull it up, and cut where you pinched it. Now it's exactly the same height as the cake
1:39
Use this piece to measure the rest of the straws, cutting them to be the same height
1:43
I'll show you how to calculate how many straw supports you need for each size of cake in a moment
1:50
Poke your first straw back into the first hole and then place the next one halfway between that first straw and the circle you drew around the top cake
1:59
Then place the next one also halfway between the middle straw and that outer line
2:04
Then place the next one at least two inches away and continue with the rest of the straws
2:09
This is an eight inch cake and I can fit five straws if I place them all two inches
2:13
apart from each other. Push the straws down as far as you can, and then you can use the handle of
2:18
your offset spatula to push them in that last little bit. I mentioned in part one of this tutorial
2:24
that you should save the leftovers of every colour of frosting you use, and here's one use for it
2:29
Spread some onto the top of the cake within the circle you drew, to act as glue to attach the next
2:34
tier of cake which will stop it from sliding around when you move the cake Take your next cake out of the fridge and place it still on its cakeboard onto the box bottom tier and press it down to attach it to the frosting you just spread Don worry that the cakeboard is visible we fix that soon If you enjoying this tutorial please click the
2:52
like button and if you want to see more, subscribe to my channel for a new cake decorating tutorial
2:57
every week. Now this cake needs supports so that it can hold up the next cake. Place the next
3:04
cake on top, center it, trace around it, and then put the top cake back in the fridge
3:09
Keeping it cold is important so that the frosting stays firm, even when you touch it as you're stacking it
3:16
My top tier is a 4-inch cake, and for the support straws to be 2 inches apart from each other
3:21
you can only fit 3 or 4 straws into the cake below it, this 6-inch cake
3:26
Follow the same steps to measure and cut and arrange your straw supports
3:31
Spread a little bit of leftover frosting to cover the straws, keeping it within the circle you drew so that the next cake will hide this extra frosting
3:38
Then place the next cake on top, centering it and pushing down to secure it to the frosting you spread on
3:45
The joins between each tier don't look very nice yet. You can see the cakeboards and it looks unfinished
3:51
Easy to fix. Put the cake on a turntable to make this next step easier and pipe around the bottom of each cake to add a border
3:59
which will cover up the visible cakeboard and also add some texture and detail to the cake This is an open star tip and this next one is a round tip I choosing to pipe borders because I want the extra decoration
4:12
and because all of the cakes are different colours. If they're the same colours, you can pipe or spread buttercream around the bottom of each tier
4:19
and then use a cake comb to scrape off the excess, to leave a thin layer flat against the cake
4:25
to disguise the join or seam. Now the cake has a stable support structure inside it
4:30
and it looks stunning on the outside. outside, and it's ready to store, transport or serve. I recommend refrigerating the cake until
4:38
you transport it, and until two to four hours before serving it, depending on the temperature
4:42
of the room where it will be on display. As a fun experiment, I took the supports out of this bottom
4:48
tier and placed the next tier directly on top of it without any supports underneath. I left it at
4:54
room temperature overnight and look what happened. Without the support straws, the top cake
4:58
sinks into the bottom cake and almost topples over, which it probably would have done if I'd
5:03
left it any longer. So keep this example in mind when you're making a tier cake if you question
5:08
whether the support structure is really necessary. I hope this tutorial has been useful. Ask me any
5:14
questions in the comments and visit my cake school on Britishgirlbakes.com to learn hundreds of
5:18
cake decorating techniques and designs. Thanks for watching. Thank you
