Cakes with multiple tiers really create a sense of elegance and sophistication for any gathering. After all, wedding cakes normally have many tiers – and weddings are one of the most sophisticated celebrations, right?!
There’s something so impressive about a multiple-tiered cake. Plus, you can allow your clients or guests to enjoy multiple flavours. A 3-tier cake can be made up of a vanilla cake, a chocolate cake, and a carrot cake, but no one will know until you dig in!
But how does it work? How was it made? How do these cakes stay up? A lot of cake decorating technique goes into creating a multitiered cake. In this post, we’ll share important tips to teach you about creating a cake with multiple tiers: assembly and design ideas!
Before you get started on making a cake with multiple tiers, be sure to check out our post on 12 Books You Need to Make Amazing Cakes! We’ve compiled a list of books from amazing cake decorators (and now authors) who will definitely help you enhance your baking and decorating skills!
How to assemble a multi-tiered cake
Before we discuss cake designs, let’s go over the basics of assembling a cake with multiple tiers. First off! You should know the difference between a cake tier and a cake layer by now. But! In case you mix them up (or frequently get asked to explain the difference), check out the diagram below!
If you have Canva Pro, you can click on the image and it will open a template in Canva for you to customize 🙂
Moving on…when I made my first 2-tier cake, I certainly did not do my proper research and I definitely did not know that it wasn’t as simple as putting one cake on top of the other. It’s not as simple as putting a smaller cake on top of a larger cake!
This was my first 2-tier cake. It’s so cute and simple, but I did notice it kinda caved in a little bit! It honestly went over my head and I didn’t even think of a reason why this would have happened 🤔 Or maybe it’s the angle of this picture? Whatever it was, there was something “off” about it.
But after working at a bakery for a few months and a lot more experience, this problem doesn’t happen anymore 🙂 I learned so much at the bakery from some amazing cake decorators and I’ve now made countless multi-tiered cakes!
From tiered wedding cakes, religious cakes, and birthday cakes, to so much more – knowing how to create a cake with multiple tiers is an essential skill to master for your clients (or family and friends!).
To assemble a cake with multiple tiers, there are a few cake decorating tools that you MUST have to keep the cake upright:
- Cake boards or cake circles
- Cake dowels (or bubble tea straws)
- Wooden cake dowels
- Cake drum (usually 1/2″ thick)
Each cake tier must have its own cake board or cake circle. This should be the same size as the cake. For example, if you have a 6”, 8” and 10” 3-tier cake, you must have 6”, 8” and 10” cake circles for each cake tier.
Each cake tier (except the top tier) need cake dowels to help support the weight of the cake(s) on top of it ie. sticking to the 6”, 8” and 10” 3-tier cake example, the 8” and 10” cakes need 3-4 dowels each. You can also use bubble tea straws instead of cake dowels 🙂
Then, a single wooden cake dowel needs to go through the middle of the entire cake as a whole. I usually like to add the base cake onto the cake drum before I begin stacking the cakes. You should always use a cake drum for stacked cakes, as this supports the weight of the cake – and cakes can get really heavy.
Before placing the bottom/base cake, also spread buttercream icing onto the cake drum. And to help the cakes stick together, spread a bit of buttercream frosting on the top of each cake with an offset spatula 🙂
Take a look at how we assembled this stacked cake on Instagram!
CAKE SIZES FOR MULTI-TIERED CAKES
So what size cakes do you stack? It’s best to have a difference of 2 inches between cakes. For example, you can make a 2-tier cake with a 6″ cake and an 8″ cake. Or a 3-tier cake with a 5″ cake, a 7″ cake and a 9″ cake, and so on. This will give you the best look for a cake with multiple tiers.
We made this beautiful 5-tier wedding cake and it was made up of 4”, 5”, 6”, 7”, and 8” cakes. We decorated this gorgeous wedding cake with some dried flowers, wafer paper wedges, and rice paper sails. It’s definitely one of our favourite cakes, but it doesn’t have the generic look of a multi-tiered cake.
You would normally see more space around the edge between the cakes. Also, it’s easier to stack cakes that have a 2” difference in diameter. If you only have a 1” difference, you have to be very precise with stacking the cake in the center. It’s much more obvious if the cake isn’t stacked properly on the bottom cake.
As you can see in the wedding cake above, there’s very little room on the edge between each cake tier – but we made it work! 😉
Whatever sizes you decide to bake for your stacked cakes, be sure to have to necessary cake supports so your it doesn’t look lopsided!
DESIGN IDEAS FOR CAKES WITH MULTIPLE TIERS
When it comes to designing a cake in general, there are so many ideas and concepts that you can work with. Where do we even begin?! Plus, a new year or season brings new trends! One year, faultline cakes were all the rage. More recently, comic/cartoon cakes are so popular! I love this trend and I still need to try creating this type of cake! 🙂
Even though cake trends are changing constantly, there are some cake designs that are timeless and never go out of fashion. Plus, a few common cake design “rules” that we should all stick to to make a gorgeous cake!
POPULAR CAKE DESIGNS
There are many cake designs that are popular and frequently requested by our customers. Let’s go over a few of them, and maybe they’ll help you get some inspiration for your next multi-tiered cake!
NAKED CAKES
Naked cakes are so easy to make and they can be decorated in so many different ways! You can leave them as is, or add flowers (real or sugar flowers), some gold leaf, maybe even a chocolate drip and some macarons! Then finish the look with a nice and sparkly cake topper. Naked cakes are classic and beautiful, it’s no wonder why they’re so popular!
For naked cakes, I trim the edge of the cake circle so it doesn’t show underneath the cake tiers. I mentioned above that you need cake circles for every size of each cake tier. In this case, trim about a 1/4″ off of the edge, since there won’t be any buttercream icing or fondant to cover it.
ROSETTE CAKES
Rosette cakes were a very popular cake trend a while ago, but we still get requests for this cake design at Delish by Mich! When it comes to cakes with multiple tiers, you can create a rosette design that’s all one colour. But you can also create an ombre rosette design. We’ve even made a rosette design for a rainbow-themed cake!
I like to use a closed star tip to create these rosettes (specifically the 845 tip).
DRIP CAKES
You can add a cake drip all around your cake tiers, or maybe on a single tier, or even on a small section of your cake. And the drip doesn’t have to stand alone! You can stick some pretty sprinkles to the drip, and add flowers or macarons to the top of the drip to add more of an accent.
We have a great post on everything drip cakes!
Making a cake drip that’s perfect and not too runny (or not runny enough!) can be a struggle. Trust me, I struggled with drip cakes for years! But our post on drip cakes is sure to help you!
PAINTED BUTTERCREAM CAKES
This might be one of my favourites! There’s something about painted buttercream cakes that make me feel like a real artist! All you need is a good offset spatula set to get this look. Put a tiny bit of buttercream on the tip of the spatula and gently spread it onto the cake, and repeat! It’s such an elegant and classic type of cake 🙂
The cake above isn’t a 2 tier cake, but it is a double barrel cake! Wait…what’s a double barrel cake?! This cake is taller than the standard cake, so it needs the same support as a cake with multiple tiers. You can think of it as a multi-tiered cake, but the cakes are all the same size!
TIPS FOR DESIGNING CAKES
When you’re designing a cake, there are a few golden rules that we stick to in order to create a cake that looks too good to eat! Some of these practices may sound familiar if you’re also into interior design. There seem to be a few standard principles when you’re decorating anything! So here are some common practices we’ve learned in decorating cakes.
LESS IS MORE
It’s not a good look to overcrowd a cake! Add fewer embellishments to the cake and you won’t regret it 🙂 Too much decoration can be distracting.
ADD CAKE DECORATIONS IN ODD NUMBERS
If you’re adding roses to a cake, add 3, 5, 7, or even 9. Adding French macarons? Add 7. Maybe fondant cartoon figurines? Add 1 or 3. Don’t ask me why – but odd numbers are the way to go!
CAKE DESIGNS SHOULD COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER
For a cake with multiple tiers, you might decide to keep the same design or concept throughout the cake. But if you’re doing something completely different for each tier, make sure the cake designs complement each other. For example, don’t make a marble cake for one tier, then a striped cake for another tier. They don’t quite go together!
CREATE A CAKE DESIGN WITH BALANCE
The decorations on your cake should flow nicely and come together cohesively. Try not to add too many of the same type of cake decorations on the same side or area of the cake. Alternate where you place flowers on a cake to create an appealing aesthetic.
When you look at the cake you’ve created, you shouldn’t think that there is something missing or something “off” about it. When I’m decorating a cake, sometimes I have to redecorate it or move something around because I’ve placed it in a spot that doesn’t sit right. It’s up to you to have that sense of balance!
When you’re making a cake with multiple tiers, balance is the most important factor to consider! Not only keeping the cake as a whole balanced and upright, but balance in the design.
Create an aesthetically appealing cake with careful assembly and design. Then, you’ll be even more satisfied with the cake you created, when it doesn’t budge! 😉 Creating a cake with multiple tiers is a great skill to master!
We have lots of tips for decorating cakes in our post on 10 Easy Yet Stunning Cake Design Ideas to help you with creating gorgeous cakes!
So what’s your experience with multi-tiered cakes? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear about it!
Happy cake decorating!
Mich
I always wanted to make a cake with multiple tier but scared that I will ruin it
practice makes progress!
You definitely have a talent!
You’re so sweet!! 🙂
I absolutely love this post on how to create a cake with multiple tiers. The cakes are SO beautiful and I appreciate the video instruction. Can’t wait to try it!
thank you so much!! 🙂
such great suggestions and tips for making the perfect tier cake
thank you 🙂
I really enjoyed this post! Decorative cakes are fascinating and true works of art! I’d love to see more of your work!
thank you so much!! 🙂