How to Make a TIERED CAKE

Name: How to Make a TIERED CAKE | Open Video
Uploaded: 2026-08-19T19:58:38+00:00
Duration: 12 min 50 s

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If tiered cakes terrify you, this tutorial will change that. I'll show you exactly how to stack
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and decorate a tiered cake so it stays straight, stable, and stress-free to transport. First,
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choose the size of your cake. Make sure each cake is at least 2 inches smaller than the tier
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underneath so that you can clearly see each layer once they're stacked. I'm using 8 inch,
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6 inch, and 4 inch cakes. For your base, use a thick, sturdy cake board, ideally a cake drum.
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It should be about 4 inches wider than your bottom tier, which gives you space for decorations around
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the cake and also somewhere to hold on when you lift or move it. You'll also need cake boards
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for the upper tiers, and these should be exactly the same size as the cakes they'll support. I'll
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call these "invisible cake boards" because they'll be completely hidden underneath the cakes later.
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Cardboard cake boards are strong enough to support the weight of cakes, but they're also easy to cut
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down to size if you need to trim them. They should have a greaseroof lining so they don't
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absorb moisture from the cake. For this tiny 4 inch cake, I don't have a matching board, so I'm
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making one by tracing around the pan onto a larger cake board and cutting it out. For each cake,
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spread a bit of buttercream onto the cakeboard and press your first cake layer onto it to attach
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it securely. For the bottom tier, assemble the cake directly on your cake drum. Spread on your
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filling - I'm using buttercream - and continue layering your cake. As you stack each layer, make
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sure it's directly on top of the layer underneath so that the cake stays straight instead of leaning
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to one side. For the upper tiers, assemble those on the invisible cake boards that are exactly
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the same size as each cake. Attach the first cake layer with a bit of buttercream to act like glue,
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holding it in place while you build the cake. These invisible cakeboards are really important
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because they'll support the weight of each cake, once you've created your supports. Without these
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boards, the top tiers would sink down into the bottom cake. Continue layering your cakes and
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fillings and if any filling bulges out around the sides, flatten it with your offset spatula
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or angled palette knife. That will make frosting the cakes much easier later. If your cake layers
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have domed tops, trim those off first so that every cake layer is level. Flat layers make a
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much sturdier tier cake. At the end of this step, you should have your bottom tier assembled on the
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cake drum and each upper tier assembled on its own invisible cake board. Now, chill all of the cakes
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in the fridge or freezer for 15 to 30 minutes. Eventually, instead of three separate cakes,
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you'll stack these to go from this... to this. But there are a few steps first so that the upper
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tiers don't sink down into the tiers underneath. If you skip these next steps and just stack your
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cakes as they are, this is what can happen. Once the cakes are chilled, it's time to frost them,
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starting with a crumb coat. This is a very thin layer of buttercream that traps any crumbs coming
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off the cake, so they don't end up mixed into your final coat of frosting. It's much easier
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to frost cakes when they're cold because they're less crumbly and less wobbly, so they won't slide
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around or start to lean as you spread and smooth the frosting. Here's a quick peek at what happens
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when you don't chill a cake before frosting: millions of crumbs come off, the cake won't stay
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still, and the cake layers shift, so the cake starts to lean. Nightmare! For the upper tiers
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on their invisible cake boards, place each cake onto a larger cake board underneath. That larger
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cake board gives your cake scraper somewhere to rest when you smooth the frosting. To stop
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the cake sliding around, use tape or a non-slip mat like this drawer liner between the boards.
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Smaller cakes are especially lightweight, so they tend to move around more while you frost them. So,
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while you're spreading the buttercream, you might need to gently hold the cake in place. But once
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you move on to smoothing with a cake scraper, there's much less pressure against the cake, so
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it's more likely to stay still. Larger cakes, like this tall 6-in tier, are heavier, so, combined
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with the non-slip mat or the tape underneath the cake board, their weight helps keep them stable
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while you spread and scrape the frosting. This crumb coat doesn't need to look neat or smooth. It
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just needs to completely cover the cake so that no cake is exposed. What you do want to pay attention
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to is any buttercream sticking up above the top edge of the cake or bulging out around the sides.
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Those bumps will show through your final coat of frosting later, so smooth those down now. The
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crumb coat always looks slightly alarming before the final coat goes on but don't worry because
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this is all going to be covered up soon. Once all of the cakes are crumb coated, chill them again
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in the fridge or freezer for 15 to 30 minutes to set the frosting before adding your final coat.
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When this crumb coat is cold and firm, that's also the best time to trim any invisible cake boards
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if needed, because you won't damage the frosting if you do it now. Next, cover each cake with a
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final coat of frosting. For this cake, I'm adding texture using a textured cake comb.
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The easiest way to level the top edge of a cake is to use your offset spatula or straight-edged
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cake comb to swipe sideways across the top edge, which is what I'm doing here. But for tier cakes,
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I actually prefer another method that creates really sharp top edges, which instantly make
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the cake look much more professional. I'll show you that technique in a second. For now,
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pop the cakes back into the fridge, and let me show you three tricks for really smooth frosting.
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The first trick is to perfect the consistency of your buttercream. When you stir it, if you see
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lots of holes or air bubbles like this, and if it feels stiff and difficult to stir, it's too
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thick. Stiff buttercream is much harder to spread smoothly onto a cake. To fix it, scoop out about
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a third of the buttercream and microwave it for 10 seconds. Then pour it back into the main bowl and
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stir everything together. That melts out the air bubbles and the transformation is really dramatic.
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Now the texture is smooth and creamy buttercream that's much easier to stir and to use for frosting
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a cake. Look at the difference between this cake - I've used the microwave hack for this buttercream
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so it's silky smooth - and this cake, which I frosted before using the microwave hack. Look at
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all those little air pockets in the frosting. The next trick is for fixing tiny shallow
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imperfections and air bubbles after frosting the cake. Warm up your cake comb using a hair dryer,
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a blowtorch or hot water. You want the comb to be warm, not hot. Now, scrape around the cake and the
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warmth will smooth out those little imperfections, leaving really smooth frosting behind. This next
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trick is for getting extra sharp top edges. Put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes or the
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freezer for 15 minutes. To check if your cake is ready, gently poke the top edge. If it holds its
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shape, the frosting is firm enough for the next step. If you can feel the buttercream give way
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underneath your finger, and if sticky buttercream comes off on your finger, the cake needs more
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chilling time. Once the frosting is firm, dip a knife into warm water and dry the knife off
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before slicing around the top edge of the cake. Cut away all of the buttercream sticking up above
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the top edge, dipping the knife back into the warm water between cuts to keep it warm and
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clean. This creates really sharp top edges that make tiered cakes look so professional. Look at
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the difference between this cake where I used my offset spatula to swipe the top edge to level it
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and this cake where I used the knife method. Okay, now for the fun part, or what most people think is
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the most intimidating part. It's time to stack the cake. I'm using boba straws, or wooden or
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plastic dowels work, but they're trickier to cut to size. These act as support pillars inside the
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bottom cakes. You don't need any in your top tier. Use four supports within each lower tier.
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This hidden support structure is what turns separate cakes into one stable tier cake. All of
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your cakes should be cold for this step, so chill them in the fridge for about an hour beforehand.
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Start with your bottom tier on its cake drum. Take the cake pan for the next tier up and lightly
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score around it onto the frosting so that you mark where the next cake is going to sit. Now push
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a boba straw or dowel about an inch inside that scored ring, pushing it all the way down until you
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feel it hit the cake board underneath the cake. Pinch the straw right where it sticks up above
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the frosting. Pull it back out and cut where you pinched it. That gives you the exact height you
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need so the support will sit perfectly level with the cake. Use that first straw as a guide to cut
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three more straws or dowels to exactly the same height. Now push all four supports into the cake,
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pushing them about an inch inside the scored ring. Spread a little buttercream over the tops of the
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straws. That acts like glue and helps secure the next tier. Now take your next cake out of
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the fridge. Slide your offset spatula underneath the cake between the invisible cake board and the
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larger cake board underneath it and peel away the non-slip mat or tape. Carefully lower the
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cake down onto the bottom tier, centering it within the ring you marked earlier. Everyone
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holds their breath for this part until you've done it a few times and realize that cold cakes
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are not as fragile as you fear they are, so you really can handle them like this. Repeat the same
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process for the next tier: use the cake pan that you baked the top tier in to score around the cake
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so you know exactly where the next tier will sit. Push a straw or dowel into the cake about an inch
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inside that line all the way down to the cakeboard underneath. Pinch it where it sticks up above the
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frosting and cut it to that exact height. As long as all of the straws are exactly the same height,
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the next cake will sit level on top of them. So, use your first support as your guide to
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cut three more supports the same height and then push all four into the cake in a square formation
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about an inch inside the line you scored. Spread a little buttercream over the supports and then
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take your top tier out of the fridge. Separate it from the larger cake board and then lift
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it up and carefully lower it down onto the tier below, keeping it centered. The top tier will be
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sitting on its invisible cake board, which is now completely hidden inside the stacked cake. Now,
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two tips to make your tiered cake look even more professional. The first is to get rid of
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these seams left behind where you swiped your cake scraper or textured cake comb away from the cake.
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You could position these so that they're all at the back of the cake. Or to smooth them out, place
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a piece of parchment paper or wax paper over the seam and gently press through the paper with your
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finger. That blends the texture together without damaging the frosting so the seam goes from this
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to this. These tiny finishing details are what make cakes look perfect. Before adding any final
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details or decorations, it's best to chill the cake so that the frosting becomes really firm.
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You might need to take a shelf or two from your fridge to make space for the height of the cake.
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and then chill it for about 30 minutes. To cover the joins between the tiers, I like to pipe a
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little border around each one. For this cake, I'm using a medium-sized round piping tip, a Wilton
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number eight. Fill your piping bag about 2/3 full with buttercream so it's comfortable to hold and
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easier to control while piping. You can also use this buttercream to fix any little imperfections
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in the frosting. I accidentally poked my finger into the cake over here so I'm piping a bit of
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buttercream over the mark and then gently scraping over it with my textured cake comb to blend it in
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and make it disappear. The frosting on the cake being chilled makes it much more forgiving for
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touch-ups like this. This is a beaded border, and here are my tricks for making it neat. Rest the
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piping tip down on the cake board as you pipe the border. That helps steady the piping bag and also
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make sure the border goes all the way down to the bottom of the cake without leaving a gap. Piping
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becomes much easier once you stop trying to hold the bag floating suspended steadily in midair.
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Instead of piping each bead with the piping tip facing the cake and then pulling away, which
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leaves a peak on each bead, pipe sideways instead. Squeeze the piping bag to let the buttercream
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bulge out into a ball shape. Then release your pressure as you swipe the bag away sideways,
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leaving a little tail on each bead. The next bead overlaps that tail. For the upper tiers, you can
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also rest the piping tip down on the cake below while you pipe. That steadies the piping bag. And
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because the cake has been chilled, the frosting is firm enough that resting the piping tip against it
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won't damage the frosting. This is such a quick but pretty border for any cake but I especially
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love it for elegant tiered cakes because it adds detail without distracting from the rest of the
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design. But for more whimsical cakes, colourful, textured, and more elaborate piping can look
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fantastic. It's safest to transport tier cakes while they're cold because the cake and frosting
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are firm and much more stable. A tier cake shouldn't just look stable, it should actually
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survive the car ride, too. Being cold helps the cake resist vibrations while you drive, as well as
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any sudden breaking or sharp turns. This is a cake I drove 4 hours on very bumpy roads to Yosemite,
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and with its internal support structure and being chilled before driving, it arrived perfectly.
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But if you leave a cake uncovered in the fridge overnight, it can absorb flavours from the fridge
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and the moisture inside the fridge can also cause condensation on the frosting. So to protect the
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cake, box it up. Now, here's a quick hack if your cake box isn't tall enough for your cake. For
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the lid, use a second box flipped upside down and cut two diagonal slits into one side. Then repeat
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on the opposite side. Now push the middle flap inside the box while leaving the outer flaps on
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the outside. That raises the height. Tier cakes can look incredibly complicated, but once you
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understand the structure behind them, they become so much more manageable. Tell me in the comments
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if you're going to use these tips and tricks. Join my channel for exclusive videos, my Perfectly
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Smooth Frosting course, and lots more perks. And visit my cake school on www.britishgirlbakes.com
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to learn hundreds more cake decorating designs and techniques. See you there!

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