I had a pick up on Saturday evening of a graduation cake. One-layer sheet cake with a 6" round off to one corner on disposable pillars. The client showed up in a pick up truck, thinking her mom would hold the cake all the way home on her lap (40 minute drive). I told her that was a BAD IDEA, and so we put the cake on a rubber-grip pad in the extended cab of the pick up truck. I was pretty confident about the 6" on the pillars. I'd rolled the cake all around the house on the cart that afternoon with not a single wobble.

I told her to drive like she had a baby crawling around in the back seat.

Sunday morning I saw her in church, and asked how the cake made it. I knew it wasn't good when she said "We made it all the way to my street before it tipped" .

Thankfully, the client's mom's parents owned a bakery in her youth, so the mom knew a few things about cakes and was able to repair it; she took the pillars out, smoothed the cake, and put the 6" directly on top of the sheet cake - it still looked lovely (so I'm told).

Thank goodness for me it was a donation cake, so I don't feel *too badly* about what happened. But I've got two graduation cakes this weekend in the same style, so I've got to change how it's transported so it doesn't tip over again.

Stick the pillars in their places and box the small cake seperately. They can place it on the sheet when they display it.

I use the large cardboard egg cartons (the inserts from the 5-dozen boxes) to transport the tiers that are sitting on plates. That way you can press the feet that go into the pillars into the cardboard, and it gives it a stable base that won't tip over.

I've found no matter how small the tiers, if you stack a cake at all, you need a dowel in the middle to keep the top cake from slipping off of the bottom cake. If you just have it sitting on dowels or pillars, it may not sink into the bottom cake, but it can still slide off.

Here's the cake just before pick up by the customer:

Really nice cake. there have been a couple of times when I gave cakes and they had a drive a bit. I sent them home with some of the left over icing colors so if there was a problem they could somewhat fix it. They really like that, because if they dont have to fix the cake the kids can use it on cookies or cupcakes later on.

Good Luck with your next cakes.

while the cake was probably stable, I would have taken that tier off the pillars and put it in a box for them to set it up when they get to their location. I always get stressed out when I deliver cakes because I know how careful you have to be... most people say they understand but then they hit a corner too fast or something and before you know it... ops!!!

YOu did a great job on the cake!!!! Sounds like they were still happy with it which is a good thing!!! Nice of you to do it as a freebie!!!!!

My own mistake was not putting the 6" round on a cake circle. I did it directly on the 7" plate. There was no way to take it off and have it transported in a separate box. The plate was too tightly wedged into the pillars.

But believe me...since I'm doing this exact cake two more times this weekend, I'll be putting cardboard circles under the cakes! Learned that lesson the hard way.

I am starting to think that I won't allow people to drive with my cakes. I know it will be an extra problem for me, but in the long run, it will save my sanity. The last 2 cake I have done were destroyed. The first one was just incompetence, big time, she peeled out around a corner, and the top cake went flying, the second one, I had put the cake on cardboard, and did a bead of frosting and attached the cake to my cake board. They informed me that the whole cake on the cardboard slid off the bottom cake board. I have never had this happen before, as long as I attach it with frosting. So i'm not sure what is happening, people driving too fast or i'm not packaging them up good enough, it is so maddening, I have never had this happen when I deliver my cakes, but I am so careful.

What a fantastic cake though.

Beautiful cake... I tell my students that everytime you do cakes on top of colums they need to have their own plate specially if they are traveling. Traveling cakes in columns is bad idea. They are not steady or safe..
The last cake in my photos is done with columns and every tier traveled separate and stacked at the reception place.
Edna

Well..We all are constantly learning..no shame on that!..
Edna

Hi missmeg... What a beautiful cake!!! I love the design! From the photo, though, it looks like the plate sits on top of the four evenly spaced pillars. I was going to suggest that the pillars be placed on the sheet cake, then place the cake that is on the plastic plate in a separate box for transporting. Then all someone would have to do at the event is carefully set the cake, that is on the plate, into the pillar openings. But from your reply it sounds like that wasn't possible? Best wishes, though, with your upcoming graduation cakes! I'm sure they'll be a success!

Very pretty cake!

Anyone who elects to pick up their cake has to sign a cake delivery waiver. It has specific directions for driving and storing the cake and specifically states (in about three different ways) that I am no longer responsible for anything that happens to the cake once it leaves my hands.