AI had to transport an 8-inch round cake today. I set it on a 10-inch cake board, and put it in a 12X12X6 box because the cake was high and the 10X10X5 box wouldn't close. I put a grip liner inside the box underneath the cakeboard, and a grip liner on my carseat underneath the cakebox itself. Somehow, by the time I got to my desitnation, the cake itself had shifted to the side of the box. The cakeboard itself did not shift - I guess because it was sitting on the grip liner. But the cake shifted off the cake board and to the side of the box. How can I stop this from happening??? All that hard work just to have the cake messed up during transit....

I always thought that you should never ever put a cake on a seat in the car! Should have been either on the floor or in the trunk where it's flat. I transported a two tier wedding cake in the trunk, it didn't move at all. Sorry this happened to you. Live and learn!!!

It helps if you put a paper towel roll, or rolled up towel or something underneath the box on the side closest to the seat back.  This will help level your cake and keep it from sliding.

AYour cake didn't sit in the seat level. If you put future cakes on the seat to transport put a rolled towel, newspaper or something under the edge that meets the seat back. I fold newspapers and have a lightweight board I purchased from home depot I set in top then use my level adjusting paper until it is right. Them I put my cake box on the board

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I didn't use anything. Didn't think to. *coversface*

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I didn't put it on the floor because there was no way from me to put it on the floor without tilting it to get it down there. Didnt think of using the trunk because things are always sliding around back there

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Gotcha! Next time I will try this.

I have a King Size comforter that I fold and use to put on the seat to make it level.  It absorbs the vibration and bumps while traveling.  I also dowel through the cake and into the cake drum.

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I would say that´s the main reason why your cake slides on the board.

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What do you suggest putting going forward? Buttercream?

AI usually spread buttercream on the board underneath the cake if the ride is short (less than 1 hour) and with a well chilled cake. Never had to use royal or chocolate but would think it´s even better than BC, because they dry hard.

AI always use royal under the cake and between tiers. It's so much safer!

Plus, the cake ALWAYS travels in the boot (trunk!) of the car - you've put hours of work into it, why would you risk all that by placing it on the seat of the car? Lots of non slip liner under the box, in the box under the board. And drive like an old lady. And pray to the cake gods.....

Ok, let's clarify some definitions before people get confused and debates start, because not all trunks, boots, etc are created equal. :D

This is always ok. It has plenty of air circulation, you can see what the cake is doing, etc. 

This is like the worst possible place to put a cake. There's no air, it's generally a light vehicle, which means this part bounces around like crazy. The gasoline tank can leak fumes here. Some car's batteries are located back here, which vent noxious fumes. Use as last resort, like really last resort. Unless those back seats fold completely flat,and you can blast air in there to keep it cool and circulating, no. NO. BAD.

I will hold smaller cakes, in their boxes if I need to be driven. I am careful, I keep it level, I adjust the box on turns, lift it gently over bumps, etc. I am a GOD when it comes to delivering cakes, big or small, sorry, not gonna be humble pie about that….lol. And I don't use center dowels either, they annoy me. When i drive myself, smaller cakes sit up on the front seat, on a piece of non skid on top of a square dummy, with a foam wedge underneath to level it out for a perfectly flat surface. That sucker goes nowhere. Shoot, I can deliver a small three tiered cake already ON a pretty pedestal, one handed, and get it there in one piece with no crazy driving necessary. :D

Sorry, had to post, because people think of different things when it comes to boots, trunks, etc., especially depending on what part of the world you are from.

AAZ, you are completely correct on these points (of course!)

I bow my head to you, o great god of delivering cakes.....I couldn't drive with a 3 tier cake in a pedestal - but mostly because my two monsters (aka children) in the back seat need constant yelling at!

If you're ever in Melbourne Australia and you're looking for work, I'd love a good driver!

AI think it is just that she is so super-cool that she has a mobile refrigeration zone around her....so the cakes of course will behave themselves perfectly.

As opposed to the rest of us who are throwing angry hot thoughts at our cakes and melting them on sight!

ABwahahahaha...hey, seriously, it is [B]SOOOOOO[/B] hot here, there ain't no room for error when it comes to delivery. Get that sucker in the ice cold car at the last possible moment, do not stop for any reason, do not pass go, no collecting $200, get that cake to the church on time....and then breathe. WHEW! Lol..ok so that was a weeeeee bit dramatic, but not too far off base.

Actually I don't think you're being too dramatic at all. If I have the rare cake collection (as opposed to me delivering them and suffering heart failure myself), I always pack it in to the person's car myself (a pre-agreed upon vehicle at that!) and then I tell them to imagine that they are driving their first child home from the hospital for the first time - with no car restraint in place - and then double that level of care, because my cake is MUCH more fragile than their newborn.....

AIndeed, precious cargo!

I glue the cake down on the board with melted chocolate. If your cake is cold it will harden and that baby ain't going anywhere!

i haven't read everything upthread but i just plant a smear of whatever buttercream i'm using on the cake board -- just a swipe of the spatula -- larger swipe for larger tier --

best to you

Obviously lots of people use buttercream to make the cake stick to the board and it works great, but a word of caution on that.  Apparently it depends upon the buttercream recipe you are using and how your cake board is covered.  I typically use a 1/2 butter & 1/2 shortening recipe, and that does not make the board stick AT ALL.  The one time I had a cake slide around on the cake board it was when I used buttercream underneath on a foil covered board.  So do a trial at home before you assume your buttercream will work.  

I put the cake itself on the board that you use to ice it (same size as the cake) then I put two loops of tape in an X on the cake drum and put the board on top of that. And non-skid padding under the cake drum inside the cake box, non-skid padding under the box in the car, and a chilled cake. Nothing's moving after that.

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Thank you for this! Because I have a sedan. And all I could picture was the cake bouncing around back there.

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So what type of buttercream works?

AI use half butter half shortening and put the tiniest smear on the board. They key is have just enough for the cake to stick but not enough for it to slide around. Take your offset spatula and smear it around in the middle until you can see through it then stick your cake on and kind of twist it a little and get it into place. It amounts to a teaspoon full, if that.

i probably use from about two tablespoons to a half cup or maybe a cup of icing for a 6" to a 16" give or take and i just use whatever i'm icing with -- but i don't smoothy smooth it out --it's maybe a quarter of inch or more thick and only in the center of the board -- like under the 6" the smear would be maybe 2-3 inches big -- 

sometimes i hot glue the cake board (that's the same size of the tier) onto the decorative bottom board it on just depends on what's up --

AI never use buttercream to secure my cake board to the presentation board. I use hot glue for that. The buttercream goes on the board that the cake will directly rest upon to keep the cake from sliding off. And yes the amount of buttercream will depend upon the size of cake you are anchoring to the board. The larger the cake the more buttercream you will need.