Bubble Tea Straws For Cake Support

How To Make A Tiered Cake

Whether its for a birthday, graduation or a wedding, at some point you will get asked to make a tiered cake and of course, you are shouting yeah me. Then it clicks, oh my goodness I am going to be responsible for someones cake standing in a straight line and in one piece. Before you get too excited, there are a few things you need to know to have a successful well-executed tier cake. Because quite frankly the other side of this means you may end up with a cake that cracks, leans and worst of all crumbles. If you have not had the pleasure of a leaning tower of Pisa you have much to learn my friend .

What Kind Of Cake Is Best

A more dense cake is a great choice, but it doesnt have to be your only choice. You can make a more fluffy cake recipe and still be able to stack it as long as you bake your layers thick enough.

One of my favorite recipes to use to stack a cake is this easy one bowl vanilla cake recipe. It is a little more on the dense side but the flavor is so good and it stacks beautifully! This is the recipe you will find in the recipe card below.

I also have this chocolate cake recipe but it is a little more on the fluffy side. If youre a beginner at stacking two tier cakes, I would say start with the vanilla recipe!

The recipe that I used for this tutorial is my cookie butter cake recipe. Its sturdy enough to be stacked, and SO insanely delicious!

What Special Skills Will I Need To Make This Easy Diy Wedding Cake

BAKING: You should practice in advance using a white cake mix and homemade frosting. I recommend my Dreamy Buttercream but I will also share a simple traditional buttercream recipe below. Well talk about how to doctor a cake mix below, as well.

TIERING: I would start by reading my How to Tier a Cake post. It covers all aspects of cake tiering and structuring, which will be key.

Because the application of this frosting is a simple technique, most anyone can do it. You can practice in advance but these days messy is in, so dont spend too much time fretting over making it perfect.

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How To Stack Cake Tiers Tutorial

Have you tiers ready to stack. I use a fat boba straw for my support. To measure how to cut, insert the straw firmly through the cake.

Supplies: 3 cakes, fat boba straws, scissors, some icing, a spoon.

You can use dowel rods from plastic or wood, straws and other items to support the weight. I like these fat boba straws.

Inset the straw into the cake, it should go all the way through and you should not be able to push it deeper.

Lift the straw slightly so you can cut it even with the top of the fondant, once cut, press the straw firmly into the cake. Continue measuring and cutting straws until the desired number of straws have been reached.

To trim it, lift it slightly and cut at the surface level.

Push down level with the top of the cake.

Inserting a second straw.

Add some buttercream and flatten, this will help hold the next tier in place, Stack the tier in place.

Insert enough straws to support the weight. Next,place some buttercream and spread. Some people like to add a small parchment paper circle to help in dis-assembly, if you do, apply a light coat of buttercream to that.

Stack the next layer on top.

Insert tiers as for the first layer. Once your straws are in place, pipe some buttercream on and spread.

Insert straws to support the to layer.

Add buttercream.

Stack the final layer on top. Add borders to the base of the layers to hide the seams.

Place the top layer.

Using Straws For Cake Supports

There has been a lot of discussion lately about what supports to use inside a stacked or sculpted cakes. Some use the wilton plastic tubes, some use dowels, some use bubble straws, some use a combination of all three or some even use an elaborate set up of specialty stacking systems to each their own.

You can watch my video on how I use straws for cake supports or you can read the rest of this blog post Cake support guide HERE

I am a self-taught decorator so I cant say which is the proper way of doing things but I can say that I have tried everything. I started out with the wilton dowels . Then I tried bubble straws . The ones I could find locally where very thin and bent when I tried to insert them into my chilled cakes I always refrigerate my cakes before delivery so this was an issue

One day while shopping at my local restaurant supply store I saw some straws that looks fatter than drinking straws but not quite as fat as bubble straws. They were called fat straws well-named dont you think? I believe they are milkshake straws. I bought a box of 500 for about $6 and decided to give them a try.

Straw support Guide

I hope this tutorial has helped clear up any qualms you may have had about using straws for supports. It is all I use in my cakes, even my sculpted and super tall cakes. The key is to just use enough, keep them level, make straight cuts and chill your cakes.

Cheap, easy, effective cake supports.

Elizabeth Marek

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Do You Prefer Bubble Tea Straws Cardboard Or Wooden Dowels

Updated 1 Nov 2017 , 5:48pmby CupCake.Goddess

I’ve always used wooden dowels to support my cakes but now I’m looking for more options. I keep hearing about the bubble tea straws and how good they are. Also, I watched one of Edna De La Cruz’s videos on how to properly stacked tiered cakes and she used cardboard dowels. I haven’t seen any cardboard dowels yet I’m wondering what you use?

I don’t use SPS as I bake on a very small scale. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

I’ve used both and have now grown to love the thick straws because they are just so much easier to cut. Wood was frustrating, even thick poly dowels were annoying . But the straws are super fast and very strong. Once I read in Rose Berenbaum’s book that she used big straws I thought, if it’s good for Rose, it’s good for me! )

Wide bore straws are stronger and more stable than wooden dowels or small bore poly dowels. It’s the physics of the hollow column–more contact area and the cake plug. And, of course, they’re very cheap and really easy to cut.

I’ve used both wooden dowels and large straws. I prefer the straws for the stacked tiers, but I still use a 1/2″ wooden dowel or PVC pipe for a central support anchored into the cake board.

I use the large straws for support and have not had any issues yet!

Different Types Of A Tiered Cake

There are basically 2 types of tiered cakes. One with pillars and the other without pillars. And then there is another type which is a combination of direct stacking and stacking with pillars.

This is a tiered cake without pillars.

And this is a tiered cake with pillars:

Here is a cake that is a combination of both the types above. The third tier is stacked directly on the 4th tier, similarly, the first tier is stacked on the second tier. The second and third tier, on the other hand, are stacked using pillars.

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How To Make Tiered Cake

The most important thing is proper support system within each layer. I like to use bubble tea straws between each tier and a wooden dowel pierced through the center of the entire cake structure. This prevents each layer from crushing the one below it with its weight. Make sure you cut the straws to the exact height of the cake layer they are within. Also, cut the dowel rod to the same height as the entire cake structure so that you dont see it stick out the top.

How To Have Smooth Cake Edges

To create REALLY smooth edges, I am gonna tell you a trick I learned while working in a cake decorating shop.

Fill a food safe, clean water bottle with clean water and lightly spray your just frosted cakes. YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT.

Spray your cake with water and then take the bench scraper and lightly go over all the bumps and edges. Then watch them disappear. Do this on the turntable one cake at a time, spinning as you go.

Go ahead Ill wait.

Repeat with both cakes!

OK so now we have two beautiful cakes. 1 8 inch cake with 3 layers and 1 6 inch cake with either 2 or 3 layers.

LETS GET THIS STACKING STARTED!!

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How To Make My Easy Diy Wedding Cake:

First, start by baking your cakes.

• Grease and flour your pans.
• Prepare the mixes no more than two at a time
• Bake according to the recipe on the box, substituting four egg whites for the three whole eggs in each recipe. I substitute milk for half of the water. And dont forget to add the extracts! Some people prefer to use milk instead of water in the mixes. I always use water and vegetable oil. If youre adding dry pudding mix this is the time to put it in.
• Fill the pans halfway, no fuller.
• Bake the smaller cakes first. I can usually fit the three 6 pans in my oven with a couple of the 9 pans at the same time.
• If your oven temperature isnt consistent, you might need to swap out the pans on the bottom and top rack at the halfway point in the baking.
• Cakes will be fully baked when they pull away from the sides and spring back to the touch.
• When your cakes are fully baked, cool them to room temperature, turning out onto wire racks.

Fill The Cake With Buttercream:

You can either use a piping bag, or you can just use your offset spatula to spread an even layer of buttercream over the cake layer. If you are using piping bag- pipe a border of buttercream around the cake 1/4 inch in and then fill from there.

If you are using the spatula, start by placing down about 1/4 -1/3 cup of buttercream in the center, and work your way out. Stop 1/4 inch from the border.

Once you have an even layer of frosting, take another cake layer and flip itover so that the bottom is now the top. Place it down over the layer of buttercream. Yes, the cut side should be the side on top of the buttercream.

Doing that ensures you have more of a flat top!

Repeat the process of filling with buttercream and laying the last layer just like you did before with the bottom of the cake flipped over.

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Make Your Cake Layers In Advance

People always seem to get creeped out when they think about freezing cake layers, or baking layers several days in advance. I think people imagine dry, crumbly, freezer-burned cake and get scared.

We ate our wedding cake on Sunday, and I baked the cake layers on Tuesday. I would have liked to have made them further in advance , but I didnt have a chance to make them any earlier.

Properly sealed cake layers are anything but dry! In fact, frozen cake layers actually taste better, and are more moist in my opinion.

I wrap and freeze my cake layers when theyre still a tiny bit warm, so the steam gets locked in with the cake layer.

The result is an incredibly delicious and moist cake layer. The key to making cake layers in advance is properly wrapping them, to lock in all the good stuff and protect them from your freezer.

There are different ways you can wrap your cake layers, and they all work well. This blog post walks through the best ways to freeze cake layers, and all my tips on making cakes in advance.

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Notes On The Tools You Need:

Cake boards- Using two different size boards when frosting and filling is helpful because it will allow you to lift the cake up and move around. Also it will catch any frosting that falls so the turntable doesnt get messy.

You want to have one that is 2 inches larger than your cake, so in this case a 10 and one that is the same size as your cake, an 8- for the bottom cake.

As well as an 8 cake board and a 6 cake board for the smaller cake.

So lets recap, you need:

• 1, 10 cake board
• 2, 8 cake boards
• 1, 6 cake board

If you are planning this for a fancy party or want the cake to be presented on something nicer than a cake board then you can buy one of these cake drums and use it to act as your 10 cake board.

A cake drum is different than a cake board.

A cake drum is thicker, nicer, and more sturdy, and is usually what cakes are presented on for parties and things if not on a cake stand.

A cake board is just a round piece of cardboard that is not as sturdy as a drum. So if you are making this to deliver or for somebody, I suggest making it on a cake drum.

What To Do If You Mess Up

First of all its ok!! The most common place people mess up is the gap between the top and bottom tiers.

This is a super simple fix. You can pipe a border or design around the meeting point, or add another decoration like flowers, sprinkles, or cookie crumbs.

Also know that we are our worst critics, so something that may seem horrible to us may not even register to someone who sees the cake for the first time.

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How I Made My Own Wedding Cake

Its been about two weeks since our wedding, and I couldnt be happier that I made my own wedding cake. However, this isnt the right decision for everyone. Theres a lot you should think about before you .

In retrospect, I couldnt imagine it any other way. Id been daydreaming about our wedding cake since we got engaged. In my mind, I pictured something simple, elegant, and decorated with fresh flowers.

I wanted a manageable design that wouldnt add additional stress to my life the week of my wedding. But I also wanted to be proud of our cake when we cut into it in front of our friends and family.

Somehow I managed to make our cake ahead of time, deliver it to the venue the morning of our wedding, and had the time of my life on our wedding day.

I want to share the process I went through while making our wedding cake, and share my tipsjust in case youre as crazy as me, and plan to do the same thing.

Making The Tall Cake:

Dont forget, if youd rather watch the video rather than read all the steps, just scroll on down close to the bottom of the post to catch the video.

First you want to make sure youve leveled your cake layers. You definitely want them to be as level as possible, to prevent any accidents or them moving around on you later.

Take your large foam core cake base and cover it with fanci foil, or whatever your favorite method of covering a cake board is. If you want to see more options and all my cake board tips, you can see those here: Tips for Cake Boards

Now, set your cake base on your turn table and add some melted white candy melts to the middle. This will help you attach the bottom cake board, so it doesnt move around.

Now you want to add a cake board to the cake base. You need to make sure the cake board is the same size as your cake layers. I used 6 inch cake layers and a 6 inch cake board here. Make sure to let it set up a bit, so its good and sturdy. You can even pop it in the fridge for a few minutes if you want.

I like to go ahead and add just a bit of the melted candy melts to that board so the bottom layer of cake is stuck well onto the board. Some people like to use buttercream for this, but that just hasnt worked well for me.

Then go ahead and add the first cake layer.

Add buttercream and your other cake layers until you get the bottom tier as tall as you need it.

Once its mostly level, take that cake board off the top and add some buttercream.

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