The Biggest Cake Stacking Mistake You May Be Making

Whether it is a towering wedding cake or a smaller but elaborately decorated Lambeth-style confection, a tiered cake is almost always a crowd-pleaser. But how are you supposed to get such a thing to stand up on its own? Luckily, Casey Nunes, Education Content Coordinator at Wilton Sweet Studio, has shared her advice for stacking cakes that will level the playing field — figuratively and literally. According to Nunes, leveling your cakes before you start stacking is the key to a successful layered cake. "Using a cake leveler or even just cutting off the domed tops of your cake with a serrated knife will ensure you have a flat, even surface to work with that results in a cake that isn't lopsided or slanted looking," explained Nunes.

Once familiar with the process of leveling, bakers might consider cutting further into their layered cakes. "If you want to get extra fancy you can 'torte' your cake," said Nunes, which means "evenly dividing your layers in half to insert a filling and end up with extra height and flavor." Whether that filling is a helping of upgraded canned frosting or a fruit filling made from scratch, torting your cake opens up worlds of flavor in addition to the extra height.

Just as putting yourself in the headspace of an architect will help you avoid mistakes when building a gingerbread house, it will also help you successfully stack cakes. Nunes extends this metaphor in her advice for stacking taller cakes. "When stacking a tiered cake, embrace your inner architect and make sure to provide proper support with dowel rods and cake boards to make your cake stable," she explains. While solid dowel rods are well-regarded for their ability to ensure the cake does not collapse under its own weight, extra-large straws like those used to enjoy boba drinks can also get the job done in a pinch.

Supports are especially vital in towering cakes, as the weight of upper tiers becomes increasingly difficult for the bottom-most levels of cake to bear. Yet, Nunes recommends that you use support on any cake with more than one or two tiers. "If you're using three layers or more, you'll want to add a center cake rod to help keep your cake from wobbling," she elaborates. So long as you keep Nunes' advice in mind, you will be stacking cakes like an expert in no time!