Transporting cakes

Collecting a cake from me? You’ll be wanting it to still be in one piece when you get home, so here’s my handy guide for the safe transportation of your cake.

WHERE

For small-medium size cakes that aren’t overly tall the best place to put the cake is in the footwell of the front passenger seat of a car. For tall cakes, or boxes that won’t fit in the front passenger footwell, the next best place is the boot of your car. I do not recommend transporting cakes on a motorbike or bicycle!

HOW

FOOTWELL
Temporarily move the seat position as far back as it will go. Place the box in the flat footwell areas as close to the front as possible (avoiding the slope), butting up against the side of the gear panel, then bring forward the position of the seat so it just meets the cake box. It should be a snug fit, but take care you are not warping the box to the point it might squish anything on the cake.

IMPORTANT!
Ensure there is nothing else at all on the front passenger seat that could fall onto and damage your cake whilst driving.

BOOT
Place the cake centrally in the width of the boot, butting up against the back of the rear seats. I recommend placing the cake on a non-slip mat (something roughly textured – nothing smooth and shiny). You can purchase a 1 x 1 metre piece of non-slip rubber matting from me for £5, or bring your own.

Generally speaking, the relative heaviness of most novelty cakes will help prevent it from moving. However, for lightweight cakes, or for extra protection, consider ‘packing out’ either side of the cake box to wedge the cake box in place with weighty items that won’t move. As with the footwell option, ensure there are no loose objects in the vicinity of the boot that could damage the cake.

Unless the cake is particularly tall, keep the parcel shelf in place as this will help provide protection from above (but ensure there is nothing on the parcel shelf that could fall off). For very tall cakes, remove the parcel shelf and store away from the cake.

NEVER…

Put the cake on a passenger seat – front or back! Not only is this an unstable surface (seats are not flat), but the cake could easily fly off the seat in the event of harsh breaking or taking corners at speed.

ALWAYS…

Drive slowly and carefully. Remember your cake took many hours to make, so don’t rush it’s final journey. Take care on corners, try to avoid speed humps, and remember you are carrying precious cargo!

COLLECTING ON FOOT

Not to be recommended for anything other than short, local journeys. Remember most novelty cakes tend to be very heavy – depending on size, some as much as 10kg or more. Carry the cake from below with both hands underneath the cake box and keep the box pressed up against your chest. Keep it as flat and level as you can. Walk slowly and be mindful of your feet, avoiding trip hazards. Beware of other people – they don’t care that you are carrying a cake and can be unpredictable. Ensure the lid is taped to the box as it could fly off, even in light winds.

WEATHER

Aside from the obvious perils of snow and ice, it’s rain that is a cake’s worst nightmare. Rain drops can erode some types of icing, and food colourings can run. Keep the cake completely covered. If it’s raining, consider wrapping the whole box in lots of clingfilm (but remember to remove it as soon as you are indoors).

If the worst happens…

Don’t panic! Get in touch with me – depending on the damage, I may be able to repair it in some way, or reduce the appearance of any damage. This is subject to a small repair charge.

For major damage, as upsetting at it is, remember at the end of the day, it’s just a cake. Not life and death. In most cases the cake could still be eaten – and enjoyed, only the appearance may have been damaged. And you never know, once the shock has worn off, you could even have a laugh about it…