Hi out there! I'm new to the website. Great info so far! I hope someone can help me. I am doing a wedding cake for the first time and I have no idea how to transport this thing. The cake will be stack layers -4- to be exact. The wedding will be 45 mins away and I will be on the expressway the whole time. Talk about nervous. Help - any suggestions would be great!

Hey Christina~

Don't be so worried!! You can do it with no problems! You will need to box up each layer of the cake seperate & then assemble where ever the wedding will take place. We all use shelf liner, the thick rubbery kind. You can find it at Walmart or any Dollar Store. That is so the cake doesn't slide around. You will need to put a piece of shelf liner underneath the box (a little smaller then the box) & underneath your cake & cake board that's in the box. That will keep it from moving at all! It really works! The box should be at least 3 to 4 inches larger then the cake. This way you can get your hands in the box without touching the cake.

Also, don't forget the put dowel rods in each cake for support before you stack them.

If you need anymore help just IM me or email me.
~TC~

Thank you so much! I love that shelf stuff! Learn some new everyday don't we. Happy cake baking.

your welcome~

I would have never thought of using the shelf stuff! I have only transported one cake, but I was freaked out cause I just knew it would slide.

I use a piece under the board in the box too. Since the box is bigger, I want it to stay put.

Also, give yourself PLENTY of time, decorating and delivering. Keep extra everything on hand. I had to run to the store so many times, I knew all of the cashiers!

Happy Baking!

BTW, ask lots and lots of questions!

turtle, should you charge extra for transporting or is that included in the price?

I don't charge for transportation in my immediate area -- outside of that area I do charge per mile (one way).

Also, I have never transported a cake while I was the driver, so I am not sure what I would do in that situation, but the last cake I did was stacked (no columns) and I drove a dowel through the whole thing right into the plywood base with a hammer. I had it on my lap and my boyfriend drove (while I screamed the entire way - "TOO FAST! TOO BUMPY!"). He wanted to kill me after, but the cake never budged - it was perfectly intact.

Diane,

I charge $15 for the first 20 miles. That's very cheap! Then after 20 miles I charge .40 cents a mile. Especially now that gas prices have gone over $2. I will always charge a transport fee. That's just for weddings/groom's cakes, anniversary, bridal shower, & baby shower (if it's a large cake). though. I don't transport bday cakes. If the customer is in my neighborhood I will but if they live out of it I tell them to come pick it up.

I wish I would have invented shelf liner!!!!!!!! It is a wonderful thing!!!

~TC~

I use the "grippy" liner, like everyone else here, but this is what I do:

Since I have a van where the seats will come out, I take out the middle row and lay out a layer of "grippy". I put EVERY cake on this layer, and nothing shifts when I am driving. When you set it all up at the site, use plenty of dowels directly under layers, and take one or two long dowels that have been sharpened to skewer through everything so nothing shifts after it has been set up.

When driving, I usually use my hazard lights, even on the expressway. Make sure to leave yourself plenty of distance between yourself and other drivers, and make sure to ease into starts and stops. The less jolting your cakes take, the better! It doesn't hurt to have a sign on the back of your car/truck/van, either. There is a great one on Earlene's website (www.earlenes.com) with a turtle carrying a wedding cake on its back. Funny, and gets the point across for those impatient fools who will inevitably get behind you and be angry that you are going the minimum posted speed.

Be sure to allow plenty of time for yourself.

And, by the way, grippy underneath a cake cardboard (cut exactly the same size as the cardboard) works wonders to hold a cake onto a plastic plate. And if you are using the clear plates, use white grippy so if someone looks "up" (underneath a higher-up tier), they will only see white.

Best of luck to you!!! You're gonna be fine!