Good morning Decorators!

I have read through a lot of the posts pertaining to naked cakes and haven't seen my questions answered.  Thank you in advance for answering!

I am OUT of the wedding cake business so haven't been keeping up with the latest trends and techniques.  But this is for my niece so I'm pulling out all my cake pans and doing it again!

When delivering a naked wedding cake, do you deliver completely finished - stacked and ready for any flowers or foliage?  In the past, I always traveled with the cake not stacked and finished up at the wedding venue, but the tutorials I have watched show them stacking it before finishing the outside icing.  I could do it (hammer a dowel all the way through the layers) but it really makes me nervous!  What is your experience?

Thanks again for your help!

Michelle

I’ve made very few naked cakes but have delivered many many wedding cakes cakes completely put together w/o problems   My advice is to do what you are most comfortable with   One can Go ahead & complete each tier and transport separately if you want putting it together on site  My 2nd piece of advice is don’t rely on a center dowel to hold stacked cakes together—it can give one a false sense of security if it’s relied on totally    Good luck I’m sure it will be fine whatever you decide on 

Because it makes me a nervous wreck, I also transport my cakes at least partially unstacked.  If it is a three tier cake, I will usually put the two bottom tiers together and add the third at the venue.  For a four tier, the two bottom tiers and the two top tiers I transport stacked, then put the two stacks together on site.  For a naked or near naked cake, like kakeladi said, you can go ahead and finish each layer, stake on site and finish with a small bead of buttercream piped around the joints and smooth with your finger tip.

I see a lot that people dont travel with stacked cakes and maybe i'm a risk taker but If I can lift it and it fits in the car it goes stacked and I NEVER use a centre dowel, the hammering makes me nervous.

I have done a lot of naked cakes and as long as each layer is suitably dowelled and the cake cards under each tier are 'glued' in place using either buttercream or royal icing I have found you shouldn't have any issues.

Just drive carefully and don't swing round those corners!

Holiver I did the same thing with same results   Fully stacked & at room temperature was my normal way to deliver    Didn’t know any better & had very few problems   Yes there would be an occasional minor repair job but by&large they did fine   After I “learned better “ thru this site still always deliverd room temp with the occasional problem/repair job needed  Often Ran into problems w/setting up on site —like one place set up on a ranch & had one of several dogs running around  steal/chew up one of the tips needed for the bottom boarder:(    Aaahhhh yes the fun had delivering!  

That is one for the books, kakeladi!  I would have been furious!

Back when I did this as a business, I once set up for an outdoor wedding at a ranch. They had 2 tame deer that I had a horrible time keeping away from the cakes!  

Oh my goodness!  I am a hillbilly, through and through, and love animals but I would have a fit if I had them helping me set up a cake!

I travel with the separate and set up onsite.  Have them doweled and ready, and the usual accoutrements of icing and such for touch ups. Good luck!  Hope you’ll post a photo of the finished product!

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