The Cake Serving Base

In addition to the cardboard support rounds for each tier, you will also need a strong base to support the entire cake. Most cake decorating supply stores have sturdy foam-core cake bases in many sizes, covered with attractive foil. You can also make your own using ¼-inch plywood covered with florist foil or even ¼- to ½-inch sandblasted glass, or ⅛-inch Plexiglas or a mirror. I like the cake base to be 3 to 5 inches larger than the diameter of the bottom layer of the cake. In order to be certain that the cardboard round supporting the bottom cake layer does not slide on the cake base, I spread a thin layer of royal icing (see Royal Icing, Gum Paste, and Crystallized Flowers) on the cake base before setting the bottom layer on its cardboard round on top of it. It’s fine to use a royal icing mix available from cake decorating supply stores (see Ingredients Sources).