Pushing Straws Into Cake Tiers Helps Make Each Layer Sturdier

Pristine, multi-tiered cakes look gorgeous in a pastry case and on a dessert table. So, why is it that when you try recreating those perfect stacks of concentric circles at home, you create less of a showstopper and more of a slumped disaster similar to Flora's attempt in "Sleeping Beauty"? Don't worry, it's not you or your baking prowess. It's probably from a lack of internal support.

Sky-high tiered cakes look as if the pastry chef simply placed one slightly smaller layer of cake on top of the slightly larger layer below. This can work if you're only stacking two layers of a very light cake, like a chiffon or angel food cake. But most cakes are much more dense and even the weight of one added layer will start smooshing the cake below. Adding more layers, of course, only adds to the same effect. The answer to this problem is an easy, but inedible solution: adding supportive columns inside each layer of cake.

Pastry chefs working on massive, multi-tiered cakes will actually use dowels or plastic rods that run through the interior of the entire cake. If you're an at-home pastry chef, there's no need to run to a specialty equipment store. Just pull out a few plastic straws. Cut to the height of your cake layer, the straws will provide a firmer foundation for your next cake layer to sit evenly on top of.

Starting with your bottommost layer, stick in one straw below where your next layer will go. Pull the straw out and trim it to the height of that layer, then cut a few more straws to match its length. Place each straw straight down into the cake in an evenly spaced circle, then add your next cake layer. Repeat the process, making sure your straw supports sit squarely beneath where the next layer will go.

To ensure straw structure success, make sure your cake layers have chilled for a few minutes. This will make it easier to insert your straws and help prevent any bumps in the frosting. Next, try to find thicker, bubble tea straws for a firmer support system. Use a few more regular straws if you can't find any.

If you're making an impressively large cake to feed a multitude of guests, you may want to create a center dowel of sorts with several straws grouped together. Cake boards, or pieces of circular cardboard, can also help distribute the weight of the cake evenly to prevent slumping. Last but not least, try to create a decorative marker in the frosting to indicate where the straws are. When you're ready to serve up your masterpiece, cut into the cake just to the right or left of your marker. That way, you'll be sure to have clean lines and even slices, and no one will know your straw secret.