Has anyone shipped a cake using dry ice?
OR has anyone shipped a fondant cake?
I'm in california, a good friend of mine has asked me to ship a cake to Seattle.
I've never shipped any of my cakes as they are only for my family and they all live in California.
Just curious......
I've shipped a cake from Phoenix to Delaware. I FedEx'd 2nd day air and it waaaaz expensive! Over $80 for a 10" round shipped in a 12" cube box. See the teacher theme photo. The book on top got squished a little and the ruler broke in two pieces. But overall, the recipient was happy with it.
I cling wrapped the fondant cake, shrink wrapped it, and packaged the gumpaste items into separate small boxes. My most concern was the flowers, but those were not damaged.
Packaged all with foam peanuts. I shipped it on Thursday, they received it Monday morning, on time.
The fondant, when fully enclosing the cake will preserve the cake. Good luck!
You may want to read this thread and look at the "after" pics.... 
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-199881-shoe.html
$93+ wasted......
Rae
(oops, meant to post this on this thread..)
Ok, not the same thing, but have you ever seen the airline people load your luggage into the plane as you are on it, looking straight at them? They don't care when there are people watching, they're chucking it from the belt to the plane. I've seen things FLY and never once saw them LOOk at the luggage. And I've taken lots of flights. And if they're doing that when you're watching?!? Oh, I can just imagine.
As for shipping, whenever I've recieved cakes (albeit simply decorated) they have been frozen with dry ice. Dry ice would actually make the cake fresher than freezing it in your home freezer because it can get the temp down lower, faster, so you're not getting the big ice crystals as normal freezing. They've always been shipped in boxes barely small enough to fit the cake and placed with dry ice and other boxes so they won't move, in styrofoam coolers. I've always had UPS deliver them to me. (My MIL orders them, she loves mail-order.) I save the styrofoam coolers in case I need to ship something to someone else. HTH
dry ice will keep it frozen rock hard -- so very hard to damage.
BUT ---
must ship it in an INSULATED container -- think styrofoam ice chest on steroids -- the walls for dry ice ones are usually a full inch thick or more.
must protect cake from touching the dry ice as it will give it a nasty case of freezer burn if it does --- simple method...plastic packing peanuts around cake and over it OR wrap in multiple layers of newspaper and stuff crumpled paper all around and then dry ice laying ON TOP -- cold goes down over the cake keeping it frozen.
and dry ice itself isn't cheap -- most places have to buy 5 lbs at a minimum. Depending upon distance and amount of time it takes to get there -- that should be good for about 2 days IF -- start w/ frozen cake, prechill the styrofoam chest....Wrap it up really, well...wouldn't hurt to put styro chest inside larger cardboard box and fill gap w/ packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper.
biggest challenge finding the chest big enough to hold the cake and dry ice.
You also have to be prepared to tell the carrier how much dry ice is in the package--too much and it won't go.
If frozen rock hard and it's dropped, it will literally shatter.
Most, if not all common carriers--FedX, UPS, DHL, etc. will not insure these cakes, but they do charge a premium to send them one or 2 day delivery, so it's a win-win for them, even if it is ruined beyond repair.
Rae
If you use the dry ice to freeze the cake it should happen rather quickly. And if you have 5 lbs to start with, might as well. When I recieve frozen things with dry ice, the dry ice is always in a seperate bag.
Also, in case you didn't know, use CAUTION with dry ice. You will burn your fingers if you touch it and if you inhale too much you might faint from lack of oxygen. 
So don't stick your head in the chest too long!
Doug,
I was thinking "Road Trip" myself but with the price of gas........
and I drive a gas guzzler so by the time I drove there and back, I'd be real sorry I took that vacation. Yikes!!!
Option 2 would be to find someone on CC who lives near there to make and deliver the cake. Still wouldn't be the same because it wouldn't be something that I made even though I know I'd be happy with the end results because every one of CC's members is SUPER DUPER talented. 
I'll keep you posted on my final decision.
Thanks for all your help.
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