Assembling And Transporting Wedding Cakes
Decorating By chocomama Updated 1 Sep 2007 , 11:21pm by chocomama
I have a 4 tiered wedding cake coming up. It's pretty basic BC and has some simple borders and fondant cutouts. My questions:
1. How far ahead can I start stacking? (I'm transporting it in 2 pieces.)
2. How early can I attach the cutouts? (They're dark teal and I'm afraid they'll bleed.)
3. Since the top 2 tiers will be assembled before transport, what do I set them on in the car that will be easy for me to pick up once at the site?
Thanks!
You can put them in cake boxes and bring a spatula to lift it up enough to get your fingers underneath the cake board. The bottom tiers I would have on an essembled cake board (unless you plan on using a plateau). Then assemble when your at the location.
If using a crusting buttercream, I would allow it to crust. cut your fondant pieces and allow to dry slightly. Using either piping gel or a small amount of bc, apply your pieces. I've not had any bleeding when done that way AND the cake was at room temperature...not chilled.
I've had 4 tiered stacked cakes travel completely assembled up to 8 hours away with NO damage or shifting whatsoever. Again, this was using the all shortening, crusting buttercream with no fillings other than the buttercream.
I dowel all my cakes as if sasquatch(?) was going to be handling them.
I would MUCH rather assemble everything offsite, but I have to drive on the highway - with the possibility of traffic and lots of stops and starts - and it will take over 30 minutes. I'm worried it won't make it. EEK.
Also, there will be a cake plateau waiting for me at the site. I have a thin (metal) base that I could use to set the cake on during transport and then actually leave it on when I place it on the plateau, but you will see it. (Oh, and by the way, the cake is hexangonal, the base is round and the stand is square. Bride's idea.) Should I take the cake off of that thin base and just place the cake itself on the plateau? I would use a cardboard underneath, but how would I lift it onto the plateau w/o the cardboard cracking under the weight of the cake.
Does this make any sense to anyone but me?? 
wouldn't you be able to slide the lower portion that is on the metal base onto the plateau?
I use up to 6 cake boards affixed and wrapped together for the base of the cakes...that way a center dowel can be driven through all tiers and INTO the base until I see the tip of the sharpened dowel under the base. If I were unable to drive a stake through the entire cake and into the base board, I wouldn't transport it stacked.
There ain't any reason why you can't decorate them all prior to set up though and place each one atop the other when you arrive then finish the seams.
I think the bottom 2 layers will be too heavy to actually get them to slide off the metal base and onto the plateau easily (and without putting finger holes in the BC). I just wonder if it will look funny with a thin round base on top of the plateau.
HI i have used a sheet of foam/sponge you know used like as a bed topper for extra comfort... i lay it in the back of the as of course that is flat (the boot area) anyway the boards grip really well on this and dont budge i transported a 2 tier cake over an hours drive this way. I did also dowel my cakes together just to be safe.. good luck
are you saying that you'll be using plastic separator plates and pillars or is this completely a stacked only construction?
all4cake is giving some sound advice i think...
i would suggest either completely stacking and doweling OR leaving each separate (except placing dowels in each tier to support the next...this way youll just need to stack and center dowel it on site as well as add your borders.) it just seems to me that to lift 2 or so stacked tiers to place on another set of stacked tiers would make it harder. i'd be wobbly and concerned about dropping it more than i would be while handling only one tier at a time.
just like weirkd said, i use a spatula too, and its something you have to do quickly but carefully so i'd stack one at a time.
I think the bottom 2 layers will be too heavy to actually get them to slide off the metal base and onto the plateau easily (and without putting finger holes in the BC). I just wonder if it will look funny with a thin round base on top of the plateau.
i personally think it would look odd, or a bit sloppy. what i suggest is to use foam core under each cake tier, cut to the exact shape of your cake so that it is not visible (place the un iced cake on it, and trace to cut out), but it is still strong enough to hold the weight plus stronger than cardboard. its easy to dowel through.
if it was me, i'd:
place each tier on foam core board cut to fit.
place supporting dowels in each tier
box decorated cakes separately- place non skid grip mat under each cake board inside the box, as well as a piece under the box. place boxes on the flat area of the car floor.
assemble each tier on site. bring along bags of icing to pipe borders. a dowel, pre cut and sharpened to drive through the entire cake. you can do this with a hammer, but its also just as easy to push through the top cake and gently twist through each layer of foam core while pressing downward. repeat process until your at the base. cover the top hole with icing or a decoration or flower etc.
pipe your borders.... done.
The wedding cake in my photos (Man, I hate that cake.) was assembled offsite and I used seperator plates. I only had to drive about 10 minutes with it. I have traveled with a 2 tiered cake before, where I used a center dowel, and didn't have any trouble with it. I'm leary about assembling there b/c I'm still a little slow and worry that I'll crack the cake with the center dowel. But, lifting the top 2 tiers doesn't make me feel any better, either!
I'm leary about assembling there b/c I'm still a little slow and worry that I'll crack the cake with the center dowel. But, lifting the top 2 tiers doesn't make me feel any better, either!
i use 1/4 round wooden dowels for the center. they are so small that there really is no need to worry that it will crack the cake. now if it was a one inch big metal pipe, pvc or thick plastic dowel, then i'd be concerned (something so wide - you'd need to core the cake and then place it in.) but really all you need is 1/4" and it will go in smoothly without displacing the cake or causing cracks. you'll be fine. i know it can be scary but i dont think you'll have a problem.
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