Can Plastic Straws Be Used As Dowel Rods To Support Cake Layers?

Using straws instead of dowel rods equally supports for your cake is a quick, easy, and cheap way to make your block stiff.

That Rose Levy Beranbaum is one smart lady. This is another tip that I learned from her book The Block Bible and information technology has saved my butt similar a million times. Utilize straws instead of dowel rods to support your larger cakes. Her theory is that the straws displace less cake and and then therefore can support every bit much weight equally a dowel rod.

It works great for me considering straws are cheap, like shooting fish in a barrel to find, and disposable. I pretty much ever have them effectually whenever I take a block that needs a petty extra support. I apply them whenever I am making a tiered cake or when I am using a slippery filling like lemon curd.

To use straws for cake supports:

Insert straws into cake before frosting but afterwards filling. Where you place the straws is going to depend on what you need to support. For tiered cakes, I insert the straws in a circular design the circumference of the next tier with some in the middle for added back up. If I am using them for slippery filling, I place the straws all effectually the block. I like to use quite a few straws.

After inserting the straws, pull them up but a bit and cut them off at the spot where the cake mark is on the straw.

Push button the cut off straw back into the cake. Cut the remaining straws to length. Frost as usual.

To Avoid Using Plastic Straws:

Since plastic straws are basically ruining the earth, I've been trying to avoid them when possible. I was extremely pleased to find out that paper straws work merely also as plastic to support a tiered cake and to hold a layered cake together. They're a little more expensive but will not impale all the turtles. Seems like a worthwhile trade-off to me.

For other fun cake decorating tips, check out how to fill a piping purse using a water glass or how to make a tiered block while working full time!

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