Hi everyone! 

I'll preface this question by saying I am not a baker at all, but was searching on here to see if someone asked this question in a way that could be helpful to me and I couldn't find anything, so here I am, hoping someone might be able to help me out! :)

I need advice on how to transport a candy cake. I wouldn't be worried if there wasn't chocolates involved, but I have many hershey's bars, reese's, kisses, ferrero rocher, etc. throughout the cake. I made it using a 4 tier cake dummy, and the dummies are glued together, so separating them and putting them in coolers won't work. I have it placed in a home depot shipping box to be able to carry it without risking it falling apart.

I drive an SUV where air does filter to the trunk, so I can turn the A/C on, and I hopefully don't plan on having the cake sitting in the trunk too long, but I need to place it in the car before heading over to a store to pick up balloons, and then driving another hour to a hotel to check in around 3PM, so at the highest temp the day will reach (so far says it will be 70 degrees that day, but of course the car always feels warmer). 

Am I worrying for no reason and the chocolates/cake will be fine for a couple hours in the car, or there's a big chance the chocolates will end up melted and messed up in their packages? I also thought about throwing a bag of ice in the trunk just to kind of let it melt and "cool" as it melts as much as it can, but I honestly have no clue if that's just a creative but very dumb idea lol

Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks so much! :)

I'd put a couple of cooler packs in ziplock bags and tape them to the inside of the box. Seal the box up, and that will keep it cooler than the outside of the car. DON'T LET THAT BEAUTIFUL CHOCOLATE MELT, that's a tragedy ;)

That would work? I can definitely throw a bunch of ice packs in the box. The box though isn't completely sealed. Mostly sealed, but I actually have the top covered with a garbage bag because I was thinking about wind when I take it out to the car and didn't want to risk it destroying. The top tier holds a plush, candles and more candy and that one ended up making it impossible to close the box, so made a circle opening in the box for that to stick out and then used a garbage bag to just cover it. Definitely will throw every ice pack I own in the box - in a ziplock back to prevent it from sweating and making everything wet. Thank you for the idea!

if you seal it into your home depot shipping box  with some freezer packs -- it's a corrugated box right?  

wrap each freezer pack in a paper towel (to absorb condensation)  put them in zip lock bags and anchor them in the box so they don't bump into anything important -- you should be ok -- but would it be possible to refrigerate it overnight -- that would be even better to put it in the box cold -- the box itself will keep it cold if it's sealed up the freezer packs are extra insurance -- you can safely get in a traffic jam and your masterpiece will be ok -- relying on car air conditioning is no bueno -- but a sealed box is peace on earth

So, I should go buy a large box and be able to seal it instead of keeping the medium I currently have? Each cake dummy is 4 inches I believe, so 16 for the cake itself and then I have a cake board. Cake board is 14 inch, but the bottom has big candy boxes that probably make it more like 16 inches diameter. Didn't want to fight with a large box just because of the top like 2 inches. lol I also don't know if a large box will fit standing up in the trunk. I know the cake won't have a problem standing up, but the next size up box is definitely a BIG difference. 

but i wouldn't want the chocolate to bloom either so chilling it first might not be the greatest idea  idk

I have a few extra bars of chocolate that couldn't fit on the cake. I was going to experiment with them. Throw them in the trunk on a day that I'd be busy for a few hours and then come back to it, but I know the conditions of the car would be so different. For the experiment, my car would be sitting in direct sunlight, whereas when I put the cake in the car I can always park it out of direct sunlight. And running into a store to pick up balloons would only be like 5 minutes, and checking into the hotel I can bring the cake in with me instead of leaving it in the car while I check in, so I don't know how much I could rely on seeing how the chocolates do just being in the trunk on a hot day.

16x16 boxes fit through the doors staying level into my 4 door sedan car and trunk -- so i've tested mine out already -- suv's have trunks? i don't know cars but i thought suv's were all kind of open inside -- but like many others i've delivered all over creation in the hottest summers and nothing's melted so it does work but you gotta see if it will fit

Yeah, I drive an Acura RDX. The trunk is def not huge, but definitely big enough to fit the cake in there without it hitting the roof or anything. I honestly don't think I found a 16x16 box anywhere. It went from what I have to like 20x20 or something like that where there was so much excess box that I was like this is a pain for no reason and the chance it won't fit standing upright, like I might have to cut the box down regardless.

i can get that size like a half mile from here -- i usually whip out the steak knife and the tape gun thingy -- do a  little surgery --and it all works --

you can't take one thing off?

Yes and no. I can take off the stuff on the top tier and redo all that after, but I'd probably still have half an inch of just cake dummy sticking out unfortunately.

the devil's in the details 

But I used a thick garbage bag and I'll tape around it so it's not just lying on it to protect the stuff from the wind, but instead is actually sealing it. And I have at least 4 or 5 ice packs. I'll put those in the box and cool the car as much as possible. I should be okay if the ice packs are able to keep the box a bit cooler than the outside. I mean these candies are stored at room temp in most places and are fine, so even at 70 degrees outside with the AC blasting - and I'll cool the car down before I put the cake in, not just put the cake in and start the AC after - I would assume it'd be okay with all that. I honestly didn't even think about placing ice packs inside the box.

hopefully that will work out -- seems reasonable -- best to you and your candy -- would love to hear how it all goes for you

Thanks :) I will def post an update, especially since I've been searching, so I'm sure someone else either is or will be eventually. :) Thank you so much for the help! If it works out - and I so hope it does! LOL - I'll add more details, like exactly which and how many of those candies were used and try to get a pic of it so people have a visual of it as well. 

that sounds really cool -- hey i think they only allow pictures of cake cake on here -- not positive but pretty sure -- so do come & update though -- and if you post on your fb or something you could link to it or on pinterest or something --

you got this!