I need any and all suggestions and advice on hauling a cake from Iowa to Wisconsin. It is a 6 hour drive. The bride is somewhat flexible on the cake. It will be a 3 or 4 tier stacked cake. Of course I won't stack it until I get there. I'm wondering if it would be better to cover it with fondant instead of just icing it with buttercream. The MOB said oh just bring it frozen and then you can decorate it when you get here. Which means I would have to bring my mixer and a ton of ingredients!! I would rather have it as much done as possible. It always stresses me to deliver a cake, let alone take one on a 6 hour drive in unfamiliar territory!! I think I must be nuts for saying I would do it in the first place!! It is for our Pastor's daughter so that is the only reason I agreed to do it. Which brings me to charging them. They are paying for my motel room and the MOB said "oh, you charge us what you would charge anyone else." I know she doesn't mean it as she has said on previous occasions about how little money they have, so I know she is expecting me to not charge her so much or maybe give it as a gift.
Any and all suggestions are welcome on any of this, oh and to top it off right after I get home from delivering this cake to Wisconsin, we leave for a family reunion in Nebraska! I know, I'M CRAZY!!!
~ihavasweet2th~
I've never delivered longer than 2 hours, so I can't help much on that issue besides recommending that the AC in your car is good working order!
I do want to address the charge issue, though. If they told you, "Charge what you would charge anyone else", then do it. If you offered to make the cake without being asked, that is one thing. If they solicited you to make the cake, that is completely different. Are you being hired for a service, or have you offered a service as a gift? Who is paying for the motel room is irrelevant.
No one should ever assume that just because we do this for a living, we are automatically willing to work for free. If I was a real estate agent, no one would expect a free house. I don't ask my lawyer friend for free legal services, or my cousin mechanic for free repairs, and they don't ask me for free cake. This is how I pay my bills. Thier finances are their own problem. (This isn't meant to offend, it's just fact).
Please don't work for free, even if it is out of kindness.
I had to travel to Wisconsin with a cake also, but it was only a two tier.
I made all of my icing and filling in advance and took it with me. i made sure to take more icing than I thought I would need (and I usually think I need more than I actually do anyways) I also froze all of my cakes and put them in the cooler before we left. We got up their late that night and by the time I was ready to decorate the next day the cakes were good to go.
I did the whole thing in my hotel room and didn't have any problems. Althought I am sure the maid thought it was a little weird to see all of the dishes next to the sink.
Pastor's daughter or not, charge what it is worth and get a signed contract! Money paid before the cake is started.
Your 12 hour delivery charge is taken care of with the room, but NOT your cake price. Remember it is 6 hours each way, one with a wedding cake!
I delivered a wedding cake to Wisconsin (5 hours away).
I baked all the layers and wrapped them in double layers of saran wrap then in foil and placed them in a large plastic bin on Wednesday. Thursday morning I drove up there and put all the layers in the fridge in the hall.
Because I had access to the hall I took my mixer and ingredients with me and spent 12 hours in the hall the day before decorating.
I was also hired to coordinate the wedding, I did the wedding flowers and helped with the decorations. So it was a different circumstance.
You can get 5 gallon pails at restaraunt supply stores. I would make up all your icing ahead and transport it that way. Then decorate up there if possible.
I did my nephew's wedding cake and it was a 4 hour drive. I had the entire cake iced and decorated in buttercream.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=113113
The motorcycle cake was already on top of the sheet cake (undoweled) during delivery. Each cake was in a cake box with non-skid mats.
Everything got there just fine.
I just delivered a cake two hours away and learned the tiers have to be separated not stacked. Normally I stack the bottom two tiers and set up the rest on site but it was too far of a drive and the bottom tier didn't make it in tact. Also, the sun faded the colors so make sure your tiers are in a closed box because it didn't even cross my mind that I would have that problem. An hour into the trip I looked back and all the colors were washed out.
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