I played with royal icing for the first time today - that stuff is magical! I was amazed at how I could REALLY make those hanging threads or bridges just like I saw in pictures.

So my question is this - how do I transport a cake with this stuff hanging from it? Seems VERY fragile. Is this something you have to do on location, or is it sturdier than I think? Though I tested it and it want to sugar dust in my hand...

Yes, it can be very fragile. If you are making something that is for decoration purposes only, you need to let it dry. I let mine dry from 2-4 days. However, if it is something that I expect people to eat (i.e.cookie frosting) I do it the same day.

I just did a lot of royal icing work on my sisters cake I transported yesterday, (in pics but I did a lot more work after that pic was uploaded). Nothing broke on the way over, in fact all the damage was done by my own hand while I was decorating lol. I had it sitting in a box on my hubbys lap though, and he lifted it or shifted it every time we went around a corner or hit a bump.

I also took an extra piping bag for every color I needed in case something did happen. I learned that lesson while making the cake, always have an extra or be prepared!

If your going to put dust or anything like that on, you have to let it dry for at least a few hours and be very light on the pressure you apply. I used a long bristled, pencil width painting brush so if I did apply too much pressure it was just getting the bristles and not the metal part (brain fart) that holds the bristles on...if that makes sense

HTH

Sometimes Royal Icing can be stronger than you think....

The cake in my photos with the bridge/ extension work and lace travelled quite a distance (entered in 3 different shows) About 5 hours in the boot of the car all up, through the city and out in the country too, i never needed to repair any of it... As long as you use good, fresh icing you should have no problems.

Sometimes trying a more complicated design can be of benefit too even though it takes longer, as structurally it is more stable.

If you feel safer by taking some icing with you for any repairs then do that, but i would never recommend doing it all on site (but that's just me)

Hi
Royal icing bridges are pretty strong if you jiggle the cake but like any icing decoration they don't like being prodded.
If you pack the cake so that it stays centred in its carrier then you should have no more trouble transporting it than any other cake with twiddly bits. Hth

Puss