A cake I'm doing soon will be driving 3ish hours over soem pretty exciting roads without me, and they want 'sand' on the cake board. How do I apply it to keep it there, and not all over the cake and their car?

For cakes like that, I usually apply a little right around the base of the cake (since that's the most delicate part - not messing up the decorations and all) and then send customers with a coffee cup filled with more to shake out once on site.

You could also use brown sugar instead of graham cracker crumbs and it would stick together and to the base a lot better. That you could probably apply completely before hand.

Either way, if you box the cake up, the excess won't get everywhere and could be reapplied if needed.

I really appreciate your advice, but I would really like to apply it myself if possible. Would it work to cover the board in royal icing and stick the crumbs/sugar to that?

Yes you can make up a sand coloured royal icing and then top it with crushed Rice Bubbles

I would use a bigger cake base board so you have more room and smear clear piping gel on the board and top with crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers ~ Good Luck !

I just did a beach wedding cake that had brown Turbinado sugar all the way to the edge of the board. We put wide painters tape (the blue type that removes really easily) vertically all around the outside edge of the board with the top half of the tape being a "ledge". Then we poured the brown sugar all the way to the edge. When we got to the venue, we simply pulled off the tape. Worked perfectly!

i did a seashell cake and i put icing on the board then the graham cracker crumbs over it and shook off the excess everything was covered and the crumbs didnt move

Thanks everyone - I will give it a go and post photos.

I have always had good luck using clear piping gel to keep "sand" in place.

Me too on the piping gel. I've even mixed a little piping gel into my "sand" in the food processor. It got kinda sticky and after I applied it to the board the sand didn't move. I hope your cake makes it safely.

For my treasure map cake I spread a thin layer of BC on the cake board and really pressed the sand into the board. That held it in place very well for the drive.

Thanks to all - I used crushed plain sweet biscuits and attached with royal icing. Here's the photo:

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2330914/kombi-van

You did a great job!!

Oh my goodness, your cake turned out so cute! I assume it arrived with sand intact?

Apparently, it was fine!