Trying To Stack Cakes Like Your Favorite Bakery? Keep This In Mind

The most elaborate cakes you can bake tend to have multiple tiers, the better to show off elaborate decorations as well as incorporate different flavors. Before you start piling up the layers, though, there's one thing you need to keep in mind. According to Victoria Fisk, a confectionery chef-turned-entrepreneur who cofounded a company called Bouqedibles, "Not all cakes are suitable for stacking." This means that no, you can't necessarily take a recipe for Bundt or sheet cake and convert it into a tiered cake, at least not without checking how sturdy it is.

Some cakes are perfectly stackable. "Sponges that are not too crumbly and less airy are best for stacking," Fisk notes. "In my experience, the genoise and creaming methods make sponges work the best for stacking, especially when building a tall structure." Genoise cakes are made with whole eggs beaten with sugar until they're foamy and almost meringue-like in texture while creamed sponge cakes involve beating the sugar with butter. (Victoria sponge cake, Queen Consort Camilla's favorite, is an example of the latter.) Fisk mentions both buttermilk and butter sponge cakes are stackable cake types, but adds, "Most of the cake sponges that stack the best are the ones you need to soak."

Fisk does have one go-to that doesn't need soaking, though. "One of my favorite types of cakes for stacking is honey cake. Its foundation of boiled honey, butter, and baking soda creates an incredibly strong sponge," she said. "Its drier layers are similar to shortbread, but they melt with the addition of frosting while maintaining a solid structure."

Some types of cake are best avoided if you're planning a high-rise construction. As Fisk explained, "Cakes like olive oil cake, which is crumbly and prone to tearing; chiffon, which is too airy; hot milk sponge, which can be crumbly; and joconde, which is thin and delicate, are much more challenging to stack." Angel food cake is another style that isn't the best choice for stacking or layering. If you have your heart set on using any of these cakes, though, you may be able to incorporate them as part of the greater whole. "They are too light, have a lot of air, or too much fat and would collapse once you build on top of them," said Fisk, but she suggested they could be used as the top tier.

One more factor to consider is the cake's flavor. "Any addition of moisture to your sponges (like carrot, apple, or strawberry flavor) can make them less stackable as they become more difficult to handle," Fisk warned. However, she did say: "Chocolate sponges, if not too moist, work well for stacking."