How to Make a Cupcake Stand

Ever since Carrie sank her teeth into a Magnolia bakery cupcake in a 2000 episode of Sex in the City, America has had a love affair with the cupcake. And when cupcakes are made by the dozen, with love and great care lavished upon them, they deserve to be served in as elegant a manner as possible. A cupcake stand is the ideal way to hold many cupcakes at once, perfect for weddings, dinner party dessert, kids' parties and your workplace morning tea. And while you can buy them ready-made, making your own is really rather a lot of fun!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Simple single layer stand

For those times when you have a half dozen or so cupcakes and don't need to layer it, this stand is easy and quick.

1
Find a base layer. A platter or plate is ideal.
2
Find a suitable pillar. It needs to be tall, so a martini glass, a wide brimmed glass or vase or something similar is ideal.

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3
Find a single plate of a decent size. This forms the only layer you'll make.
4
Place the base layer in the spot where the cupcakes are being served from. While it is possible to very carefully move this stand, it's best not to!
5
Arrange the pillar object in the center of the platter or plate base.
6
Add the plate layer. Balance with care.
7
Place the cupcakes on the top layer. If wished, you can also add to the base layer but if you don't have enough cupcakes, that's fine, just use the top layer only, as this is the layer which draws the eye.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Bits and pieces stand

This stand is very easy to make from things around the house.

1
Create a base. For the base, use a flat piece of cardboard, plastic, or a thick cutting board. It can be in any shape - square, circle, or heart-shaped, provided it's solid and pretty.
- Some stores sell cake bases that could serve as a suitable base for the cupcake stand. These are usually very cheap to buy and come already wrapped in gold or silver foil.
2
Cover the base if needed. Cover the base with wrapping paper, foil or another type of covering to improve its appearance. This step isn't necessary if the base is already in great condition and looks nice.
3
Choose the layers. Basically, choose plates and platters that are lightweight and strong. They should ideally decline in size as they go up the stand, so choose something like a dinner plate for the first layer, a side plate for the next layer, a cake plate for the next layer and a saucer for the final layer.
- Match the plates or mix them up. If you have plates with pretty patterns, eclectic matching won't matter. Plain white or silver platters are always a safe bet when you want a neutral look.
- For the top layer, where you place only one layer, an unwanted CD is a clever item to use. You can leave it unwrapped (but do wash it first in warm, soapy water), or cover with paper or fabric.
4
Make the pillars to hold the layers. Here is where you get to have quite a bit of artistic license. Choose whatever is strong and likely to look nice. Most importantly, the item must be safe for use around food, it must not take up too much room on the plate, it must be balanced and it must decline in size as it goes up the layers, just like the plates do.
- Some great examples of things to use as pillars between the layers include: a glass, cup, eggcup, fabric-covered cleaned out can, vase, sugar bowl, etc.
- An example of layering could be: First pillar vase, second pillar a glass, third pillar a sugar bowl and final pillar an eggcup.
5
Arrange the pillars and layers.
- Place the base layer down in the area where it'll stay. This stand won't be moved once made.
- Add the first pillar. Then carefully balance the next layer.
- Continue adding pillars and balancing layers. Anytime something seems wobbly or uncertain, try a different pillar or layer object in its place to see what sits more soundly.
6
Add the cupcakes. Carefully arrange the cupcakes on every layer of the cupcake stand. Wait for the oohs and aahs from your party guests.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Cake stand cupcake tier

Turn large cupcake stands into a cupcake stand with ease. Here's what to do.

1
Find a base layer. Choose a flat base layer which has good strength to it and looks pretty. A silver platter, a favorite dish, etc. are nice choices.
2
Find two cake stands. They can be the same size or different. If different, the smaller stand sit atop the larger one.
- If you want to make the stand complementary with a table theme or your favorite tea set, etc., you'll need to be a little more picky about the colors and patterns of the stands and base layer. If in doubt, plain white and plain metals are safe choices. (But nobody much minds eclectic placement when the stands are pretty and have heirloom quality.)
3
Assemble. This is easy and fast:
- Assemble in place, so that you don't have to move the cupcake stand once put together.
- Place the base layer down. If using doilies underneath, make sure the doilies are already securely in place.
- Place the first cake stand on the base layer. Center the stand's leg in the middle of the base layer.
- Place the next cake stand on the first cake stand. If using different sizes, this should be the smaller of the two. Again, center it.
- Fill with cupcakes, using the base layer and the two cake stand layers.
- Done. It will look wonderful but don't be surprised if the cupcakes steal all the attention!

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Cake dummy and cake board cupcake stand

This stand has the advantage of being somewhat more portable and it can be reused again and again if you keep it clean after use.

1
Visit the cake supplies store. Cake dummies are foam pillars that are used by bakers when making wedding cakes and other decorative cakes. Cake boards are the foil coated boards sold by cake supplies stores to hold heavy cakes like wedding and Christmas fruit cakes for easy transportation. For a three-tired cupcake stand, you'll need:
- 3 cake boards in descending size
- 4 cake dummies, one pair larger than the other pair (note that you can substitute with like objects, such as an unwanted hat box and a large can, etc.)
- Glue
- Satin ribbon in color of choice
- Pretty wrapping paper (match your party theme or just choose a color or pattern that you adore)
- Scissors
- Dressmaking pins
- Double sided tape (strong)
- Pencil.
2
Prepare the cake dummies. Glue each pair of cake dummies together. Allow to dry.
3
Pin the satin ribbon to the base edge of one of the glued pairs of cake dummies. Now wrap it all the way around the cake dummy until you reach the top of it. Add a dab of glue here and there to keep it tautly in place.
- Secure the other end with another pin when you reach the top of the cake dummy.
- Repeat with the other cake dummy.
4
Arrange the first cake board on the paper. Draw around it with the pencil and remove. Do the same for the other two cake boards.
- Cut out the paper shapes you've drawn.
5
Dab glue all over the first cake board. Match the paper circle to it and press down, taking care to evenly match the circle so that it covers the whole board.
- Repeat with the other two cake boards.
6
Wrap satin ribbon around the edges of each cake board. Glue in place. (You may need to hold it briefly so that the glue takes.)
7
Build the cake stand. Use double sided tape of tested strength to keep the boards attached to the pillar cake dummies.
- Place the largest cake board down first. Place double sided tape to the the base of the first pillar. Find the center of the cake board and press the pillar down firmly.
- Place double sided tape on the top of this dummy. Find the center of the middle cake board and press the two together, the base facing the pillar's top.
- Repeat for the next dummy and final layer.
8
Place where you will be serving it from. While this cupcake stand can be moved around with ease when there are no cupcakes on it, it's best not to move it once the cupcakes are in place. Arrange the cupcakes around each layer as desired.
9
After use, wipe down with a dry cloth to remove crumbs. Use a well-wrung out damp cloth to spot clean frosting or sticky crumbs.
- Eventually the stand will become a bit rundown and you'll need to pull it apart and rewrap with new paper and possibly wash the ribbon. Try not to throw away the base materials––they can be reused again and again if you're prepared to keep renewing the outer materials.

Community Q&A

Question

Would the colors brown, cyan, and purple be a cool looking color scheme?

Community Answer

I think cyan and purple would look great together. The brown would clash with the cyan, though. I suggest a light grey to substitute for the brown.

Warnings

Always check that items used are food safe first. Lead leaching from great Uncle Bulgaria's heirloom snuffbox used as a pillar is a no-no.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1
Don't make too many layers from a mish-mash of items. Very tall cake stands should be custom-made and carefully screwed together to avoid toppling and breakage. Homemade cupcake stands are limited by the weight and balance of the objects used, so stick to four to five layers as your outermost limit.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
Wash everything well before using to display food.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

Things You'll Need

Base layers: Trays, platters, plates, large bowls, etc.
Layers: Plates, platters, CDs, strong cardboard rounds, etc.
Pillars: Vases, cups, glasses, eggcups, sugar bowls, covered cans, mugs, pencil holders, etc.
Paper doilies for decoration, optional but pretty
Wrapping paper or cloth for covering up the less pretty things you're using as layers
In some cases, you may need non-slip mats underneath the whole arrangement, depending on what you're balancing the stand on; antique furniture should always have some form of protection when placing things on it