10 top tips for transporting a cake
… it’s easier than you think
At the Bumble & Goose Bakehouse we make and deliver lots of cakes every week and we have a few tips to make your cake transporting a little easier for you.
1. The golden rule of cake transporting… Be Prepared!… you don’t want to end up with a damaged birthday cake
Different cakes have different requirements but the basics are all the same. They are fairly delicate, don’t like being squeezed, don’t like being warm… and don’t like to move around much!
2. Put the lid on! We supply all our cakes in cake boxes. They are made for carrying cakes but when you do have to move a cake in a cake box, ensure the lid is on as it adds rigidly to the cake box. This keeps the box spare so it won’t flex and hit the sides.
3. Hugs anyone? … don’t squeeze or hug it. If you squeeze it, the sides will squish into the cake and that beautiful drip or those lovely smooth sides will smudge!
The best way is to hold it underneath like you are carrying a pile of books; I like one hand under the cake and the other at a bottom corner of the cake box. Before you lift you cake to move it, ensure the place you are going to put it is ready for the cake. Never touch the side of the box – its going to be close to the side of the cake and will leave at best a mark, at worse a big dent!
4. Don’t put it on your lap! Occasionally when we checked with customers, they had no space in their cars and expected to rest it on their lap in the front seat. No, trust us this isn’t a good idea! If the driver has to brake suddenly, your lovely cake becomes an airbag!
5. Clear the boot ! One of the best places in a car is actually the boot or the trunk; it’s cool, fairly stable and if you place it correctly, the cake won’t move about. It’s a heavy thing so they actually doesn’t slide about the boot unless you are completing a section of the Circuit of Ireland! Slide the box down the boot till its just resting agaist the back of the rear seats. If you have to break hard it shouldn’t move too far.
6. Oh.. and speed ramps, remember your precious cargo!
7. Be Cool, Honey Bunny, Be Cool! We chill our cakes for transport; it makes the cake less wobbly and firmer whilst in transit and then as it comes back to room temperature it softens up again. Take the cake out of the fridge about 3-4hrs (longer for bigger cakes)before when you plan to eat it to let it come to room temperature.
8. Turn off the HEAT! If you really, really have to place the cake in the car; use the passenger footwell ensuing the cake is level and remember to turn off the heat to the floor. Trust me, you’ll have a melted cake by the time it arrives at the party. We’d advise against using the seat for the cake as it’s sloped and so will your cake be when it arrives … and don’t even think about the seatbelt to strap the cake down! Trust us, we are in the cake business – it’s best in the boot or on the front passenger footwell.
9. Lift it carefully – When you arrive at your venue, carefully lift the box up from underneath without squeezing the sides of the box and then carry to the table or stand area. Try and get under it from a corner not the side. Open the box up and slide the cake out. It will be on a cake board, so get your hand underneath the cake board (or use a cake slider if your venue has one) and lift carefully and set it on the display area.
10. Ready to eat – We like to allow around 3-4hrs for a cake to come to room temperature but you don’t always have to wait that long, it just depends how cold the cake was and the room temperature. Buttercream cakes should ideally be left in the fridge, or if you don’t have room in your fridge, a cool room overnight if collected the day before the event and remember to lift it out early enough to allow it to come up to room temperature.
Bumble & Goose are a multi award-winning Bespoke Bakehouse are based in County Down. They produce the finest cakes and bakes for any occasion. As a cake maker, they supply Bangor, Holywood, Newtownards, the Ards Peninsula and Greater Belfast area and delivery of luxury brownies and personalised biscuits across UK & Ireland daily.
Bumble and Goose Handmade personalised biscuits are comprised of a buttery vanilla biscuit base topped with sweet fondant and digitally printed artwork for any occasion; corporate logos, messages, cartoons, hand drawn images, the only limit is your imagination! These can be also ordered via the website here, or by emailing Hello@bumbleandgoose.co.uk
Thanks for reading our Top 10 tips for cake transporting and I hope it’s given you some useful tips in safely transporting and storing your cake! Enjoy!
To order your cake, click here to be taken to the Bumble & Goose cake shop