Assembly? Before Or After Transporting?
Decorating By brea1026 Updated 7 Mar 2007 , 4:28am by ntertayneme
Hi! I was wondering how most of you transport your cakes. I am new to the world of cake decorating and have been getting a lot more orders and am not sure what the best way to transport the cakes is. Do you always wait to assemble tiers? I am afraid that they would move or crack on the drive. What usually works best for you? Thanks for taking the time to help a newbie.
If it's two tiers, one directly on top of the other, I do it before. If it's more or they are separated by some sort of decorative pillar, assemble later. But honestly, I don't do much of anything greater than two, so I'm probably not the best one to respond.
Welcome to the board.
Hi! Welcome to CC! You are going to love it here!
I always transport my stacked cakes assembled (up to three tiers). I make sure I use a sturdy base and lots of support under each layer and a dowel through the center after all layers are stacked. I also place the cake on a non-skid pad and in the back of my SUV which is a very flat, level surface. I also have a Wedding Cake on Board magnetic sign that I had made for $24.00 at a local sign shop and now I do not have any more fingers flying or names calling for me driving so slow. 
I also only deliver very large cakes or cakes that require assembly. All other cakes are picked up! I just give the client a piece of non-skid pad which I pick up at the dollar store which will cut into quite a few mats.
Slow Starts and Slow Stops is the key when delivering unless you are Duff and your cakes are all fondant then you can drive as fast as you want to as it seems on his tv show. I am always shocked at how fast they drive. 
HTH
bj 
I only assemble on site always. Took one small "accident" to never risk driving with it already assembled again 
......though I will give clients small 2-tiered cakes if they are doing a pickup of their order. (Though I drive a wooden dowel through the whole cake first!)[/u]
I also have a Wedding Cake on Board magnetic sign that I had made for $24.00 at a local sign shop and now I do not have any more fingers flying or names calling for me driving so slow.
What a WONDERFUL idea!
Thanks! I saw the one on this sight but, of course, I wait to the last minute and needed it for a busy cake delivery weekend and the sign shop was able to do it in a day and I was able to design it myself! I also added my website address on the bottom and was leary about doing it because of being a home base business and the rules about not advertising if you are not licensed but I tried to justify it by saying that I am not technically advertising since the sign is only up rarely and I do not say that I am selling anything. ........... But my husband said that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.......................... it's a duck. So............ I'll take my chances.
bj
I usually assemble cakes with pillars when I get there and stacked cakes before I travel. I've never done anything more than 3 layers for a stacked cake and I've never had any trouble. I bought a piece of 2" foam from my local fabric store and I lay it in the back of my minivan I then put the cake on that and it says put. So far, I've never had any cake accidents...knock on wood! Good Luck! 
I never thought about 2" foam before! Hmmmmmmmm. The cake does not bounce or rock back and forth on it especially with 3 tiers?
My mother keeps telling me to get a piece of the memory foam (the kind like the mattress with guy jumping up down on one side but the wine does not spill) but I think that it will just sink and rock in it.
Foam is an interesting idea.
Thanks,
bj
Thanks for all the great replies! I do have one more question- I saw that a few of you mentioned that you put a dowel through the whole thing. So I was wondering if you place each layer on a cake board and cut out a hole. Do you even use cake boards for the top layers? I am confused. =(
Lets say you have a 12", 8" & 4". The 12" goes on a cake board w/ dowels to support the 8", the 8" goes on the cake board w/ dowels to support the 4" and the 4" goes on the cake board. Each cake has two layers with filling between them. I do not cut holes in the cake board. Stack the cakes on top of each other. Cut one long dowel the height of all three tiers and then sharpen the dowel with a pencil sharpener. Place the pointy end through the center of the 4" cake and then I take a hammer and give it a hard tap and it will very easily go through the cake board. Do this through each layer. Also, cover each cake board with paper - I use the silver or white.
I have to admit that when I did it the first time, I was too nervous so my husband walked in and said that he would do it. Wack, Wack, Wack with the hammer and it was in. Easy!
bj
BJ:
Does the sharpened dowel really go in that easily? I have not done more than 2 tiers yet but have a 4 tier cake to do and was worried about doing that...
You say that you cover all your board with paper. do you use double sided tape to tape the paper?
BJ:
Does the sharpened dowel really go in that easily? I have not done more than 2 tiers yet but have a 4 tier cake to do and was worried about doing that...
You say that you cover all your board with paper. do you use double sided tape to tape the paper?
Yes, it does go through that easily. A sharp wack and through it goes. Sounds crazy but you can look in my pics and see that all I do is tiered cakes and I do it every single time. Grant it, I was extremely nervous the first few times but it has always been easy! Make sure that each time you hit it through the board that the point is sitting on the board and then hammer it through.
I do not use double stick tape. My only problem was when I did use double stick tape and I tape the wrapping in the middle of the board so it would not slip when I was taping the edges. Big mistake! 
The dowel would not go through the tape! So do NOT use tape in the middle of the boards. I only tape 1" from the edges.
There is also another thread on here from probably a year ago about putting the dowel through the center. Everyone agrees that it works but were very scared to do it the first time. I am about to leave for dinner I would search the topic for you. 
HTH
bj
I do not use double stick tape. My only problem was when I did use double stick tape and I tape the wrapping in the middle of the board so it would not slip when I was taping the edges. Big mistake!
The dowel would not go through the tape! So do NOT use tape in the middle of the boards. I only tape 1" from the edges.
Thanks! That is good advice... I would not have thought of that! The cake I am making is for a July wedding. I know I'll be nervous doing this for the first time !
Has anyone tried putting the sharpened dowel through a cake board completely covered in Press-n-Seal? Seems like the layers that overlap in the middle of one side of the board would make it tough to drive the dowel through. I'll be trying it on Thursday! 
I lost a 3 tiered cake on a bumpy road once....luckily it was only a birthday cake and we managed to salvage some of it. Since then, I have never transported more than 2 high. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
I do have a tip on covering your boards....I use white contact paper. I cut 2 circles the same size as the cardboard circle I need to cover. Apply the contact paper on both sides. Then I apply white electrical tape (the same as the black stuff, it actually comes in different colors.) to seal the raw edges. If you get the tape started, and stretch it a bit, it actually curls over both sides at once. Overlap about an inch and cut it off. I have had people wash and return these contact paper-covered boards. LOL
This gives a nice finished board, and no worry about soggy cardboards from being in contact with cake for extended length of time.
You can still hammer a sharpened dowel down thru the entire cake.
http://shop.cakecentral.com/vehicle-magnet-caution-wedding-cake-board-p-38.html?cPath=29
Jackie has some magnetic signs in her shop here for sell also
It all depends on the cake .. I usually assemble there .. however, I've done a 4 layer cake; 2 layers and 2 layers .. when I got there, I carried them in, set up the bottom 2 tiers on the table, the put the top 2 tiers on top of that .. 2 tiers usually will transport fine ... I rarely transport a 3 tier cake assembled unless it's a small one
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