Delivering A Cake With Minimal Effect

Decorating By BakedAlaska Updated 16 Aug 2010 , 7:20pm by summersusu

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BakedAlaska Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 6:39pm
post #1 of 9

It seems like recently, I've made a few wedding cake deliveries where the beautiful cake I'd finished and photographed in one location turned into something less than beautiful by the time it reached the reception site.

Admittedly, yesterday's delivery was via 6+ miles of switchbacks and washboard roads up a mountainside. I was glad we'd decided that my DH would hold the 3-tiered stacked BC cake in his lap instead of letting it ride in the back of the minivan. Otherwise, it surely would have been a heap of cake and icing without the added "shocks" of my DH holding it up.

Even so, it was vibrated and shifted A LOT and I was concerned it wouldn't stay vertical long enough to survive through the cake cutting. (As it turns out, the best man is a friend of ours and said the cake was great and all was well... So that was a RELIEF!)

Has anyone devised a fool-proof plan for getting a cake from the kitchen to the wedding venue without any damage whatsoever? It's stressful to worry about a cake during the entire delivery process!

As for yesterday's wedding site, I've decided any future cake orders for that venue will need to be fondant covered only and I will assemble the cake on site for sure!

8 replies
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BethLS Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 6:49pm
post #2 of 9

Hello!

I am new to the forum but couldnt read and not post.

I know a lot of people use and love the SPS (read via sticky) but for me I just go about the stack and decorate upon delivery. And with you being in Alaska that's what I would be inclined to do if I were you. icon_smile.gif

Off topic, I envy you living in that great state! I visited once many years ago on a week-long vacation and have never seen beauty that Alaska has to offer. We home to someday once our kids are grown move to AK!

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mmgiles Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 6:59pm
post #3 of 9

I would just set up upon delivery. I think one tier can handle leaning much better than three, or four (or more). You must be doing something right for your cake to have made it past switchbacks and bumpy roads. I delivered one that fell over on a gravel road in the past and now I ask about the road conditions of the venue.

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mmgiles Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 7:00pm
post #4 of 9

I also like to have th cake finished by the night before and refridgerate overnight prior to delivery.

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leah_s Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 7:04pm
post #5 of 9

SPS of course!! It could handle that trip.

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Skidoochic Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 7:06pm
post #6 of 9

Since I started using SPS I no longer have nightmares of the cake leaning or falling over! I don't stack more than 2 tiers for travel though and finish it on site, if that helps.

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BakedAlaska Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 7:09pm
post #7 of 9

I'm not sure how much I'm doing right! I almost had a heart attack watching that cake melt as sun beat through the windshield and shift before my eyes. I was torn between flooring it to get there faster and end the torturous drive and slowing down some to try and minimize the bumps and swerves!

Nightmare delivery to be sure.

That being said... The view from the wall-sized picture window of the reception site was as breathtaking as Alaska has to offer. I was happy about that as I'm sure it served to distract the guests from just staring down the cake!

Beth... You should do what we did... just uproot your brood and bring them all to Alaska! We love it here and our kids have grown to love it as well!

Okay, so I will definitely be looking further into the whole SPS thing. I don't know how many more of these rustic delivery sites I can handle!

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peg818 Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 7:13pm
post #8 of 9

Sps and refrigerate that cake before delivery.

I have had some awful deliveries, and the only time i had a real problem was with a cake that had a whipped icing, and one that was room temp.

The buttercream i use gets very solid in the refrigerator, and the whipped icing just doesn't, that puppy slid like there was no tomorrow. The room temp one didn't slide as much as the whipped icing, but still wasn't pretty by the time i reached my destination (only good thing is it was design that easily hid the flaws)

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summersusu Posted 16 Aug 2010 , 7:20pm
post #9 of 9

I used SPS and am thinking about refrigerating before delivery. My last one, I drove 30 minutes and did fine until I drove down the drive to the place...hit a bump and the top tier shifted. So embarassing and I couldn't fix it completely. I work with the lady whose wedding it was, and even though she says great things about the cake, deep inside, I think different. I will not deliver a cake anymore with more than two tiers...I don't have enough meds for my nerves, to do that.

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