When it comes to making cakes, there are so many techniques and terms to learn it can sometimes be hard to know how to refer to different elements, tools, and ingredients. When looking online I often see people getting confused about the difference between cake layers and cake tiers.
As a cake maker it’s important to know the difference, but also important if you are someone purchasing a cake. Understanding these terms avoids any confusion during the ordering process.
What are cake layers?
Cake layers are the individual slices of sponge that make up the height of a single cake. These are then stacked and sandwiched together with a layer of filling like buttercream or ganache.
How many cake layers should my cake have?
There is no set amount of layers a cake should have. This is dependent on how tall you want your cake and the ratio of cake to filling you prefer. If you like a large amount of buttercream, you can slice your baked cakes into thinner layers giving you more layers of filling. Alternatively if you prefer a higher ratio of cake you can keep your cake layers a little thicker.
Personally I prefer my cake layers around an inch high with around 5mm – 1cm of filling between each layer. For a 5 inch tall cake I would usually have around 4 layers of cake.
What are cake tiers?
Cake tiers are what makes up a stacked cake. Each tier is a complete, finished cake in itself. Think wedding cakes with different size cakes stacked one on top of the other.
If you had a cake with an 8 inch cake on the bottom and a 6 inch cake on the top, this would be referred to as a two tiered cake. Tiered cakes also include an internal structure to keep them supported and stable.
The importance of proper stacking
I can’t talk about tiered cakes without talking about the importance of creating an internal structure when stacking your cakes. When you create a tiered cake you will need to use a sturdy board underneath each individual cake and included dowels between your tiers.
If you don’t have an internal structure the weight of your cakes can sink into the tier below causing cracking, leaning or even causing your cake to fall.
I like to think of an internal structure like creating a table inside my cakes for the tier above to sit on.
Understanding the difference between layers and tiers is the first step, but knowing how to safely put them together is key.
You can watch my full video tutorial below to see exactly how I dowel and stack my cakes, or you can also check out my dedicated post on how to Prepare, Dowel and Stack a Tiered Cake.
So to sum up, the difference between cake layers and cake tiers. Layers are what makes up a single individual cake. These layers add height and flavour and require no additional internal structure. Tiers are the individual cakes stacked on top of each other. These do require the addition of an internal structure in the form of boards and dowels to prevent sinking.
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