I Opened The Trunk Of The Car And The Cake Was...
Decorating By Solecito Updated 28 Jul 2008 , 5:02pm by Solecito
I always deliver on my minivan but she's at the shop having mayor surgery. So this weekend me and my DH had to deliver on his car.
Some girl ask for a cake identical to a dummy I had made for a bridal show, the same colors, everything with the addition of some masks.
since it was a medium size cake (12"-10"-8") I stacked it using bubble tea straws like I've doing lately, dowel in the middle, the works. But when I opened the trunk at the party the top tier was thrown to the side, the middle tier sliped and half landen on the sheet pan I always put the cakes on and the bottom tier was smashed in one of the edges.
Needless to say that I was so upset, but not nearly as my DH, he felt so guilty, but he has driving very well. So the mother of the birthday girl and the oldest sister came to see the cake and they were taking it as it, maybe I could fix it a little and turn the smashed part to the wall so no one could see it. Finally the oldes sister remembered the dummy and suggested borrowing it for the party and to hide the other cake (it was still edible, just not presentable) in the kitchen to serve. Thank God for that dummy.
So everything turned out good. The funny part is that I had being thinking of taking apart that dummy to desing a new one, but I hadn't had the time.
Thanks for "listening"
SOL
So sorry that happened, but thank goodness for the dummy!
BTW, this may be a stupid question, but what are "bubble tea straws"? I've seen this mentioned in a couple of posts here, but had never heard the term before.
Laughing I watch too much TV! I saw the part of your subject line that said "I opened the trunk....." and at that split second, visions of "The Sopranos" came to mind! Laughing Laughing
Too funny!
Sorry that happened! At east they were understanding about it!
wow- that's a good story- quick thinking on the sister's part. 
i'm glad it worked out for all of you!
I use some of that rubber non skid shelving/drawer liner for protecting glassware (they also use it as placemats) under my cakes when transporting. It really helps with stability.
I get wary with it traveling in the back of my SUV, I couldn't imagine in a trunk!
You poor thing! I'm glad the story had a happy ending, but I could just imagine if you no longer had that dummy. The only thing I would suggest is maybe, if possible, delivering with dowels instead of straws and only using the straws when the cake is being served at home, or maybe delivering the tiers separately and setting them up upon arrival.
Don't know if that's of any help. Glad it all worked out well in the end.
This same thing happened to me once, except I didn't have a dummy cake. I put the cake in the trunk as I had done before with other cakes, but I guess there is always a first time for everything. When I got to my work and opened the trunk the cake was in pieces. It was for a co-workers family and I was so upset, she hadn't even gotten to work yet. My supervisor told me to go home and fix it and then come back. I fixed it and went back to work about 2 hrs late and the co-worker never knew it even happened. If it hadn't of been for my boss, her cake would have been ruined.
I still don't know what happened, I haven't had another problem since.
I'm taking a cake to OSSAS this year and carrying in our motorhome from our house to Tulsa, no problem. However, it will have to go in the car to the actual OSSAS after we get to Tulsa and that scares me to death. I may have to hand carry it.
From the number of trunk catastrophes lately, I don't think I'll ever put a cake in the trunk. At least stacked. 
Somebody mentioned that the trunk absorbs the worst of the bumps. Also, was it air conditioned? I only put a cake in my trunk if I lower my back seat for the A/C to get to it.
Glad it all worked out and your customers were so understanding! 
I watch too much TV! I saw the part of your subject line that said "I opened the trunk....." and at that split second, visions of "The Sopranos" came to mind!
LMAO!!! Ohh Debi...I adore you, you know?
I'm so sorry! I can definitely empathize with the situation. I had something similar happen a couple of months ago. I made a 3 tier First Communion cake for a friend. Due to other commitments, I wouldn't be able to get to the party early to set up so I traveled with the cake stacked (have done with no problems before). Dowelled on the bottom two tiers with one going all the way through the center. When we got to the party, my dh opened the back of the minivan and told me I had some repairs to do. I thought he was joking! 
Unfortunately, he wasn't. 
The dowells in the bottom tier collapsed?!? 
Once inside, we were able to take the top two tiers off and display that - the bottom tier was rushed to the kitchen and just used to serve. I was so upset. Glad to hear everything turned out okay!
Glad that it all worked out! Thank God for the dummy! 
I think people who put cakes in their trunks are WAY braver than me When I think of trunks, I think of hot boxes with no circulated air and I would be scared it would melt on me and fall apart. I have absolutely no experience with this sort of thing as I have never done it. But I can totally reccomend the SPS stacking sytem. I don't use dowels or straws anymore at all. SPS is the way to go for me. Good luck with your next one! And thank God for the dummy cake!
Bubble tea straws are bigger than normal straws like 3/8" in dia.
I really didn't have any choice but to use the trunk of my DH car, the seats are more bumpy. And I do use a non skid rubber under the cake.
I've been thinking about sps a lot, even before this cake disater, but it just seems expensive, you see, for a cake that I normally would sell for $100 dlls, people just wont pay me more for adding the sps. But I'm going to have to find an answer soon. Meanwhile is stack on site for me.
Can't you just hear Leah chanting "SPS! SPS! SPS!"
The sps system is not that expensive. I order from oassis supply. Cheap price and shipping and I always get it within a week.
Can't you just hear Leah chanting "SPS! SPS! SPS!"
The sps system is not that expensive. I order from oassis supply. Cheap price and shipping and I always get it within a week.
Yes I can hear her...
I'll look it up
I sell the SPS system also...and use it religiously!!
For the cake described your cost would have been under $10. A small price to pay for peace of mind. I add the cost in without discussion; and without worrying about getting it back...it's so cheap. When I do (as I did today from a weekend wedding) it's a welcomed bonus!!
I agree with the other posters...the trunk is no place for a cake, especially in the summer. Also, you didn't mention it, but was the cake boxed. I can't imagine delivering any cake unboxed. You might have some damage, but it's contained and much easier to repair.
As with all moments like this, it's what we learn from it that really matters.
Thank goodness for that dummy!
Sorry, but in a hot climate, TRUNK=OVEN SET ON 150 DEGREES !! No cake can withstand that, plus all of the bumping up & down.
I have a small SUV and cakes are delivered stacked in an open box with no-skid mat, sitting flat in the back of the car. Under the box is a layer of thick foam rubber and another piece of no-skid mat. The A/C is on high and I drive like an old lady going to church on Sunday. I use Wilton plastic dowels and I put a lump of fondant on the top of each one to adhere the upper tier. I also drive a long dowel thru all layers.
HTH
Rae
Guys if you read the posts you can see I didn't had any other choice but the trunk; the inside of the car is way worst because it's uneven, and the cake had all the support needed. And mi Minivan is in the shop, having the crankshaft replaced.
Me and my DH are Engineers and we've been analizing the whole situation, and it seems that the sheet pan (18"X26") I use to carry my big cakes, was set on a slight curvature of the trunk, we had to checked it out with a level, and the normal vibrations of the car could have rocked the sheet pan making the bottom tier to colapse in the edge, enough to make the 2 tops tiers to fall.
Even inside a box the cake could have fallen.
I've been thinking about sps a lot, even before this cake disater, but it just seems expensive, you see, for a cake that I normally would sell for $100 dlls, people just wont pay me more for adding the sps. But I'm going to have to find an answer soon. Meanwhile is stack on site for me.
Have people put a refundable deposit on the SPS parts! Sure they may be cheap, but with shipping and all that, it can add up pretty fast!
At the bakery I work at we charge a FULLY REFUNDABLE deposit on SPS plates as well as the wooden boards and mirrors for under the cakes. As long as people know it's "so your cake won't fall over/collapse" and that they'll get their money back when they return the plates they virtually never complain!
Oh, and we round up to include shipping costs, etc:
6" & 7" = $6 deposit
8" & 9" = $8
10" & 11" = $10
Etc.
Pillars are $2 each (but only if we don't cut them... if used in a stacked construction cake pillars are included, but most of the time people return them anyway, and then we can wash, sanitize, and reuse them!
A tiered cake in the trunk! Wow you're a brave one. I can't picture it. Wouldn't the heat and the motion would be enough to jar even the sturdiest cake? Thank god for the happy ending.
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