WHEW. WARNING - THIS IS PRETTY LONG BUT GOOD TO KNOW! lol

Thank goodness! I'm quite a newbie, started doing this on & off since Feb.

This is my first CC post ever, but I swear I couldn't have made it without this site. I was asked to make a 3 tiered layered strawberries & cream cake that is 3.5 hrs away.

However, traffic was insane and it took us 6 hrs to get there.
I invested in a HUGE 150 qt cooler, put some dry ice, and put the cake in there.

Since the cake is very perishable, the bride requested that I make the display cake a dummy cake, with the middle tier (for cutting) real cake.
I gladly did, but it took forever....I had to redo the middle tier because the fondant (satin ice) just kept cracking on me (many lessons learned, trust me!)

Anyway....just FYI to anyone who's worried about having to drive many miles to deliver a cake!! This is what I've learned:

- Use dry ice, invest in a big cooler if possible (make sure the cake will fit, I put three 12" round cakes in boxes)
- If using dry ice, make sure the dry ice has somewhere to escape to as it sublimates and KEEP A WINDOW OPEN (as the dry ice sublimates, it's dangerous!)
- I put the dry ice at the bottom, and put the cakes on top.
The cake was in PERFECT cold "firm" condition when we arrived.
Which made the cake cutting ABSOLUTELY effortless.
I wore gloves, dipped the knife in hot water several times as I sliced it and the cake slices were perfect & clean.



Anyway, to anyone who frowns against "fake cakes" - I did it solely for the fact that the cake filling my high school friend requested for is highly perishable (strawberries & whipped cream!)

I acted as the cake person and stayed in the back of the kitchen, plated the cake plates (drizzle of chocolate, slice of cake, chocolate dipped strawberries that were provided by the caterer, whipped cream topped with mint leaves!)

All in all, the guests (and most importantly the bride/groom) were very impressed and happy
I got positive feedback and the greatest compliment was when the kitchen staff asked if I had extra cake for them! (Which I did )

Sooooo....just wanted to share with you guys my experience.
I was soooo stressed with this cake and wanted it to be over.
I do work from home for an online fashion company, so working & planning this cake was difficult for me. I messed up a few times

Pic is below of the cake display & plated cake (i didnt get to take a pic of the actual plates that were served, so I imitated it at home w/o the mint leaves & whipped cream)

Lovely cake! You did a fabulous job!

Great job! Thanks for all of the info also!

Beautiful job and great info!!! Congratulations on success!!!!!

What a great presentation! Very elegant!

thanks guys!!!!! i'm learning a lot from this website also.

Your cake is gorgeous, and your presentation very elegant. Congratulations - you lived through it!

Beautiful cake, and how nice of you to do that lovely plating for them! I know it is so stressful to do a wedding cake for anyone let alone a friend but, you did her proud!!! Congrats

Very nice presentation!!!

I love your cake, its beautiful
you must be sooo proud now!!

Lizza,

Not sure which is more impressive...the cake itself or the fact you know what sublimation is!

Dry ice sublimates of "evaporates" from a solid to carbon dioxide gas at room temperature, and can be a deadly asphyxiation hazard in an enclosed space, like a car on a road trip!

All...please be careful.

A big welcome to you, your cake is beautiful & sounds absolutely delicious. Glad you survived that trip & more important glad the cake survived. Thanks for the tips.

a BIG thank you to everyone, I really appreciate the positive feedback.
I was getting so annoyed with the cake since the fondant just didn't want to work with me lol.

Yes, I definitely researched about dry ice online before I brought it out with me...I've read many stories about people driving with it without an open window and started to get light headed! Not a good sign.