Suitable size cake for dowel rods?

[Matthew.Taylor]

OK, My niece has asked for a unicorn cake for her birthday in February. I have a big idea planned for it, but the cake should be about three layers total, and still be rather wide (as I expect alot of her friends will be there). I have to ask though. how many layers would be necessary for the use of dowel rods? I don't expect a three layer cake to need them, but there will be decorations, and I've made enough layer cakes to know that they can be heavy.

[pastrygirl]

3 tiers?  Better safe than sorry!

[JeanneCake]

Do you mean one cake that has three layers of cake in it?  It would probably be anywhere from 4 to 6 inches tall in total.

 

Or three stacked cakes? This would definitely need dowels in the bottom tier (to support the middle) and the middle tier (to support the top).... you can use bubble tea straws or the plastic dowels you can buy in the craft store.

 

ETA: if you are doing a stacked cake, you also want to make sure the cake board (aka cake drum) is strong enough to not flex under the weight of the tiered cake.  Each of the stacked cakes are built on a cardboard round that exactly  matches the size of the round then you tape the bottom tier to the cake drum; etc...

Edited November 13, 2018 by JeanneCake
about the cake drum (log)

[Matthew.Taylor]

I mean one cake with three layers. I just want to make sure I have everything ready by the time February rolls around. This cake is going to take some planning and design to get right. My idea at the moment is this:

 

Two bottom layers, made from vanilla cake, and the third layer will be a cut out of a unicorn head. There will be frosting flowers on each corner of the lower two layers, with green frosting vines connecting all four. I may also purchase some candy molds and make some sugar jewels to put on the side alongside some sun and moon cutouts of fondant.

[pastrygirl]

Oh, then you're probably fine.  As long as your layers of filling are not so generous or soft that they get squished out.  Like a really light mousse and dense heavy pound cake might be a bad combo structurally, but normal butter cake with buttercream or ganache filling should be able to support itself.

[Matthew.Taylor]

Cool. This will be the most....elaborate cake I've ever made, so far (I've been studying on sugar art), and I want to cover all my bases.