Many of our readers like to find ways to save money on their wedding budget by doing as much as they can by themselves. That can even include having a friend or family member (or even yourself!) making your cake. If this is you, then you might find yourself wondering how on earth you’ll be able to get it to the reception venue in one piece. Here is our super-safe method for getting your cake, whether it’s large, or small, 2 or 5 tiered, to the venue safely.
1. Use an SUV or van.
There needs to be plenty of space on either side, top and bottom to allow you and your cake-carrying helper to get the cake in and out of the car. Using an SUV or van will make sure you can do this without tipping it over or hitting it on the trunk lid.
A vehicle with no trunk lip is ideal, so you can place the cake inside without too much lifting, but a small lip is also fine, as long as you can safely manage to lift and lower the cake.
Please do not try to transport the cake on the seats of any car – front or back. Seats are not flat, so there is a risk the cake will fall over, particularly around corners or up and down hills.
If you don’t have an SUV, ask a family member or friend if you could borrow theirs.
2. Run the A/C to cool the car.
Frosting will melt very easily, even in Spring or Autumn. If a car has been waiting in the sun the temperature inside can rise very quickly. This heat can damage the cake and make it more vulnerable to any knocks or scratches in transit.
Make sure to run the A/C for some time so that the car is nice and cool when you load the cake inside.
3. Secure the cake with a strong dowel.
If this is your first time making a tiered cake make sure to research doweling methods.
You should use a strong centre wooden or plastic dowel through all of the tiers (after making holes in the cake boards for each tier), plus additional wooden or plastic support dowels for each tier. Plastic straws or thin skewers are not suitable for a wedding cake that needs to be transported.
Your guests will never see the dowel when the cake is taken away for cutting, so it’s definitely best to use more dowels than less, especially if this is your first time with a cake of this size.
4. Stack the tiers before transporting.
For cakes up to 3 standard height tiers, as a general rule it is best to stack them before moving the cake, as moving multiple pieces means more chance they will slide into each other in the car. Also, trying to stack them at the venue could be stressful as you can’t be sure what environment you will have to work in.
However, for more than 3 tiers, it could be best to transport the top tiers separately, as the additional height means there is more risk the cake might topple over while going around a corner or up or down a hill.
For tall cakes over 3 tiers, you should consider using foam cakes for the upper tiers, to reduce the weight and lessen the risk of the lower tiers collapsing.
Before constructing your cake, think about the final height, and whether it will be best to transport in one, or more than one piece.
5. Place the cake in a shallow box.
Place the cake in a strong shallow box that is not too much wider than the cake board, making sure your hands are still mostly taking the weight of the cake under the box. This will make sure you can carry the cake securely, without having to put fingers on the cake board, which may be covered in fondant or piping.
For a smaller cake you could consider enclosing the whole cake inside a box, however, I’ve found when carrying a cake it helps to be able to pay attention to the cake itself, to prevent any wobbling inside the box due to it being very bottom heavy.
6. Pack a cake repair kit.
Pack a small kit with the following items: frosting/fondant smoothing tools, additional frosting/fondant in the correct colours, extra decoration features such as extra flowers or cachous in case you need to cover up any accidents.
Just in case the worst should happen, it’s important to be prepared to make some small fixes on arrival at the venue.
7. Empty the trunk completely.
Make sure the trunk is completely clear of every last umbrella, shopping bag, every single thing. Any loose items could slide around and bump the cake. The cake needs to sit completely flat on the trunk floor.
8. Use a non slip mat on the floor of the trunk.
This will stop the box from sliding around as you go around corners. You could use a non-slip drawer liner, or even a yoga mat would work well. If you do use a yoga mat, make sure that the sides cannot roll inwards onto the cake box.
9. Drive very slowly and smoothly.
After placing the cake very carefully on the non slip mat in the centre of the trunk, drive very carefully to your venue. Try your best to avoid any sudden braking or accelerating, and if you have a tall cake be very cautious as you go around corners or up and down steep hills.
10. Take the cake out of the car immediately on arrival.
Do not leave the cake in the car for any length of time, and definitely not overnight! When you arrive, first check the path you need to carry the cake, ensure any obstacles that can be removed are moved.
It’s important you check the path first so you can be aware of any steps, blind corners or other hazards before you have a cake in your hands. If you need help to carry the cake, ask venue staff to assist.
Bonus tips!
- If it’s raining when you’re moving the cake outside, this would be a situation to consider enclosing the whole cake inside a big box. Do not try to lay plastic wrap or anything on top of the cake, a large box over the top, or open from the side, would be best.
- When the cake is safely in place, it’s a good idea to check it over and take a photo of it, so you can know it arrived safely, in case this is required for any discussions with the venue management later on.
