The creative part of making a wedding cake is envisioning what it will look like, designing it and choosing what flavors you will incorporate, but unless the dessert arrives at its destination safely in one piece, then your work has been for naught.
If your cake has been stacked properly, the easiest way to transport a cake is to find a box that is the same width of your bottom cake board, this way it will not slide around. You can find large boxes from appliance supply stores or even construct your own using large pieces of cardboard. The box should be accessible on two sides so that you can slide your cake in, rather than dropping it in from the top. Then, you can tape the box back up and use plastic wrap to seal the top.
Depending on where you are delivering the cake, make sure that it has been refrigerated for a while so that the buttercream remains hard. Soft buttercream can be marred too easily.
When I worked in NYC for the Sugar Flower Bake Shop, we used cabs to deliver our cakes when it was within the city limits. Even if you’re driving yourself, it can be a very stressful experience, but if the cake has been stored and boxed properly, then allow yourself to relax a little. Dédé used to post a sign in her car window when she was transporting wedding cakes. It said “Caution: Wedding Cake on Board” and it helped a lot! With the sign, other drivers didn’t seem to mind her driving slowly with her flashers on.That said, you should always bring a pastry bag with you filled with back-ups of buttercream or extra flowers just in case something does happen.
Once the cake is delivered, you should be the one who takes it out of the box; no one will take as much care with the cake as you! If the event is a wedding, there will usually be a special table for the cake. Once you have the cake in position, and everything is fixed to your liking, you are all done! Now the cake is ready to be enjoyed by the bride and groom and all of the guests.
This article is part of a week-long series by Culinary Institute of America student Stephanie Zauderer on wedding cakes, from the beginning stages through delivery to the event. Check out the articles from earlier this week.
Dear DeDe,
Congratulations on your new website Bakepedia, it looks fantastic! Thank you so much for giving Stephanie such a wonderful opportunity to post and write about the work that she has done, I am extremely proud of her! Best of luck with with your new endeavor!
Cheryl Zauderer