I have finally found a place to rent and hubby and I are looking for the least expensive places to buy supplies.

One tier cakes go in a regular cake box but anything over that goes in a moving type box that up to this point I have gotten from Home Depot. They are inexpensive and sturdy but have the yuck home depot lable on them.

I told Hubby once I am licensed I would rather find a place that has just plain white or ever brown boxes for transporting these cakes.

Now hubby has watched a few too many cakes shows and sees alot of them dont uses boxes at all. He feel we dont need to put the cakes in boxes and even delivered on to a friend without putting it in a box and didnt tell me until days later. The cakes go in the back of my brand new SUV. But I still worry about the dirt, germs or heaven forbid bird poo!

Would all please share with me what you do for tiered cakes. I know about the cake safe and that is out of the question right now.

TIA

My hubby took a big box, cut the top half out of one side, and covered in tin foil. I use it whenever I'm delivering any 2+ tiers. If someone picks up, I put in a regular cake box. If it's too tall, I tape the lid up and put saran wrap around it and tape it all. I haven't had any pick ups for over two tiers so not sure what I'd do in that case.

they sell large boxes in various sizes at Walmart in the office cupply section and that is what I use. They are "moving boxes with no logo on them really - they USED to be a little more expensive but now they make them out of recycled material and they are more affordable. They are a little less sturdy but I deal with it!

Check out the delivery system boxes from Bakery Crafts:
http://bakerycrafts.com/Home/Items/tabid/69/SrchStr/del%20sys/Default.aspx

(scroll towards the bottom of the page.)

I only box cakes that are being picked up, or that fit into a bakery box (I have a ton of different sizes). Larger cakes that I deliver are without boxes. brpboxshop.com has natural craft bakery boxes in a lot of different sizes, pretty reasonably priced.

Congrats Mindy! I second the plain boxes from Wal-Mart. They are unmarked, in a variety of sizes and inexpensive.

I rarely put my cakes in a box for transport. Sometimes the smaller ones, just for easier carrying, but usually I'd fit them all on one of my 18x26 baking sheets, with a sheet of no-skid on it, and it was easy peasy.

here's a pic of one of my cakes on the sheet. Its an entire 3 tier wedding cake. I just had to pick up the baking sheet and carried the whole thing inside in one trip.

Easy Peasy!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/3557930383/

No boxes for me either. They're just not neccesary. In my opinion.

IMO, if anything is going to mess up a cake, it will be the box!

I don't use boxes anymore, instead I use florist type cello wrap, which is good if it's raining during delivery, which here in Scotland is quite often!

I don't sell my cakes yet though, they're only for family and friends. I find it's a more cost effective way of wrapping the cakes than the boxes.
most of the more recent pics in my gallery have extra pictures of the cakes when they are wrapped up ready to be delivered.

Mama D

Thank you everyone for your opinions. I really appreciate it. I will prob stop using boxes atleast for the tiered cakes

I didn't use boxes until a couple of years ago, but I have to say that when you have a sturdy moving box on a cart it's a lot less nervous-making than having a tiered cake on a cart. It also makes it easier to move them around if it's raining, and if the weather is hot then they stay cooler inside the box if they came from the fridge.

I use plain moving boxes from Staples. I also tape them diagonally across the flap ends so that they're less likely to bend sideways when I pick them up, if that makes any sense.

I was waiting for someone to recommend the Cake Safe. Does anyone use it? Is it as amazing as it shows on their video? Worth the $$$$ it's so expensive but I'd get one if worth it.

I am a Cakesafe girl for my weddings. I would NEVER go back. We live in the country and it has saved us boatloads of time and headache. Totally worth it to me. Since using it I've never transported a wedding cake in pieces and never had a problem, and this summer's wedding schedule was brutal so logistically it

I used the Bakery Crafts boxes a lot when I was working for a bakery. They are incredibly nice, but the $$ to actually send them out the door with a customer wouldn't be worth it to me.
I also do what Debi does for transporting small tiered cakes that aren't weddings. Just throw it in a sheet pan and go. Not as sanitary, but I would probably say that moving boxes aren't incredibly sanitary either, if not less so than open air.

i have a cake safe, love it, before that i made a large 18x18 box into a tiered cake carrier that i covered in contact inside and out, But i would not ever deliver or have a customer pick up a cake that was not boxed, unless it was the size of a table and took 3-4 people to carry, but doubt that will ever happen.
If a customer is picking up a tiered cake i put it in a box and leave the lid at a slant and cover the opening with cello.
If its a scultped cake on a sheet cake board, then i use the bottom section of a sheet box and build up the sides then cover the opening with cello. I dont think it looks very professional to have a cake leave your business not boxed. i sure wouldn;t want to pick up a cake like that.

Cake safe here too. Looks VERY professional, and keeps the cake perfectly safe. www.cakesafe.com

I purchase my boxes at a box supplier. You call them up, set up an account and then place your order with your sales rep.

So far I use 2 sizes...20x20x20 and 16x16x16. Most of my cakes are tiered...wedding and celebration cakes. I do charge my clients who pick up cakes extra for the box and those are usually in the 16x16x16 boxes.

I find my clients who pick up, appreciate the cake being in a box to protect it. I live in Seattle so it rainy and windy here a lot.

I also do a lot of fondant cakes and the box keeps my cake dry in the commercial frig...which is very humid unlike the "home" refrigerators. In the summer it protects my cake from the sun which can cause fading and of course melting.

I use to transport without a box but I like the security of having it in a box. I cut a "door" on the side of the box so that I can slide the cakes in and out with ease and then tape it up. I also use a cart which is low to the ground and having my cakes in the box keeps it safe from damage and also keeps the dirt away from it.