I haven't made a tiered cake in quite some time so I offered to make one for my mother-in-law's 70th birthday.  It's not as daunting as many may think.

I break up the whole process into manageable chunks.  I make the cakes, slice them into layers and then wrap them up to put into the freezer.  This can be done well in advance of the event.  Same goes the fondant.  It can also be frozen and then thawed when the cakes are ready for covering.  

I tripled up a pound cake recipe and used homemade Evan's cherry jam (sour cherry, adds a nice tang!) to use between the layers.   My go-to recipe for Marshmallow Fondant easily covered the cakes.  It was my first time covering square cakes, which can be harder to cover with fondant, but it worked well.

I forgoed making my own icing flowers for fake ones.  It was a time saver & I found large, pretty flowers and ribbon at the dollar store that really made the cake pop. 

I always get a little nervous when making these types of cakes since I don't do it often.  Thus, I'm always so happy and relieved when it turns out. It's like "icing on a cake" but when it's well received & seeing happy faces is the "cherry on top"!