Tall cakes or extended-height cakes are a recent trend. They have the ability to make the overall design of the cake tall, lean, and elegant. These cakes are not difficult to make. And yet, a few precautions are worth paying attention to, such as cake boards, doweling, and stacking. Also, in this post, I explain the differences between tall, extended-height cakes and double-barrel cakes.
What is the difference between tall and double-barrel cakes?
A tall cake is usually just a cake whose height has been extended. Usually, by adding one more layer. So, instead of a two-layer cake, you now have a three-layer cake. While a double barrel cake is two or three cakes stacked one on top of the other. It can be about 8 to 10 inches tall. So, simply speaking, a tall cake is a cake with an extended height, while a double barrel is a cake with an extended tier.
Let’s use the example below as an example:
- The top tier is a standard cake – 4 inches tall.
- The middle is a double-barrel cake – about 10 inches tall.
- The bottom is a tall cake – about 6 inches tall.
Standard cakes
- Most cakes are usually two layers of cake with a cake board on the bottom.
- The layers can each be 2 or 3 inches tall.
- So there can be two layers making one 4 to 6 inches tall cake. These do not need any additional support as long as they are on a good cake circle/board.
This Burgundy Stenciled cake is four tiers of a standard height cake. All of them are 2 x 2 layer cakes with three layers of filling.
This is what a standard cake looks like on the inside: 2 x 2 layers – each layer is split into two so we have three fillings with four layers of cake.
Tall cakes
As a general rule, I love it when my cakes are tall. And while my cake orders are often regular 4-inch cakes, I tend to deliver five or 6-inch layer cakes. And yet, tall cakes are so much prettier!! Don’t you think?
Look at my recent blossom white wedding cake (the photo below). These are all 4-inch layer cakes. Close your eyes for just a minute and imagine this exact cake with 6-inch tiers. Can you imagine how much more of a wow factor those 6 inches would add to this cake? Right?
- It is a 6-inch cake with three layers of cake, each 2 inches in height.
- Usually, you can stack the three layers on a single cake board/circle, as shown below.
- Such a six or 7-inch cake does not necessarily need any support dowel inside the cake. They can still hold their weight as long as they have a good cake board below. One that does not flex!!
This African safari wedding cake is a good example of a standard vs. tall or extended-height cake.
- The top two layers are standard 2 x 2 layers with three fillings = totaling 5 inches in height.
- The bottom tier, however, is 3 x 2-inch cakes with two layers of fillings = 6 inches tall (almost 7 inches tall cake).
Double-barrel cakes
- This is, again, a 6-inch-tall cake with three layers.
- But, if you split each layer into more layers, you will need to dowel and add another cake circle in between. Why?
- So the bottom cake layers do not buckle under the weight of the top layers.
- The more layers you add, the weaker your structure becomes. Hence, the more support you need.
- Also, more layers mean more movement. Hence, even a center dowel is sometimes necessary so the layers stay stacked evenly.
This would be one cake inside your double-barrel cake – can you imagine adding four more layers to this without any support? Nah, it would buckle under the weight and move around with the frosting.
Servings sizes
- Tall Cake – Well, it’s just one extra layer, so it really only makes your cake taller. So, each serving is a taller slice of cake, not necessarily more servings.
Of course, you could serve half a slice if it was a family event. And yet, in general, you would want to give your guests a good slice that starts from the top to bottom. It’s more aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, it does not add extra servings.
However, financially, it does add extra cake. Hence, I personally have different prices for my tall vs. standard cakes. - In case of a double barrel – Yes! It’s two whole cakes with a cake board in between so they can be separated and served as two cakes. So, you do have extra servings, and you price it as two cakes into one double-barrel cake.
Tip Thursday – tall or extended-height cake
I tried to create a little diagram to help you understand. In the next post, I will be talking about double-barrel cakes. I hope you find that useful as well. You can Pin this Tip Thursday on Pinterest as well as my other Tip Thursday posts.
Hi, I’m Veena
I’m the recipe developer, baker, and food photographer behind Veena Azmanov Kitchen.
I’ve spent years developing and testing recipes, from everyday meals and homemade breads to cakes and desserts.
I share the practical tips and little details I’ve learned along the way so you can get great results in your own kitchen.
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do I need to dowel a 3 layer 10″ madeira ? what would be the optimum depth of each layer.? Thank you
I don’t usually dowel three layers unless they are very tall. So up to 6 inches would be ok without a dowel. Any more than that would need to be supported
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Can you extend the sides of a cake pan to make a thicker cake instead of using 2 layers
You can make taller cakes but you may want to use a heating core in the center to prevent the sides drying out.
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Day 6 done