Last summer I baked my first wedding cake. I’ve made many cakes over the years but never a wedding cake. I felt a lot of pressure, but I was honored my friends trusted me with the job. I live in Massachusetts, and the wedding was in Connecticut.
Tips from the Experts
5 Tips for Transporting a Cake Safely
You've worked too hard to let your cake crumble in transit. Try our tips for intact delivery.
By Published June 8, 2023.
Obviously, I was facing some logistical challenges. How would I bake and transport a three-tiered cake across state lines without a specialized food truck or one of these fancy and expensive cake boxes?
Spoiler: The cake made it to the wedding safely—big sigh of relief. Whether you’re transporting a giant wedding cake or a simple birthday sheet cake, the tips I learned from transporting this wedding cake (and several lower-stakes birthday cakes over the years) will help you get where you’re going with your cake in one piece.
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1. Use a Cake Carrier
Cake carriers are built to ensure safe, secure transport of cakes. Even after driving down pothole-riddled roads during testing, frosted chocolate layer cakes in our winning cake carrier remained pristine.
Our winning carrier can fit either 9-inch round or square layer cakes or up to 24 cupcakes (with an included insert). Be sure to secure the cake round or plate to the bottom of the cake carrier with tape so that it doesn’t slip.
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Cake Carriers
Take your cake on the road and a frosting-smeared trunk (or lap) is guaranteed. Safe, secure transport is what cake carriers are all about.See Our Winner
2. No Cake Carrier? A Cardboard Box Will Do.
If you only transport cakes once in a while, you might not want to invest in a cake carrier. Instead, line a shallow cardboard box with a small piece of surplus nonskid shelf liner or a cutting board stabilizer to keep the contents from sliding into the walls of the box while in transit.
3. Assemble Once You Arrive
If your cake has more than one tier, don’t stack them until you arrive at the event’s location. Transport each tier individually in either a cake carrier or a cardboard box lined with nonskid shelf liner.
For the wedding cake that I made, I used three separate cake carriers to transport the three tiers.
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4. Line Your Trunk With a Damp Towel
Driving around a curve a little too fast or braking suddenly can mean disaster for a platter of food that you are transporting in your car.
To thwart potential messes, line the trunk of your car with a large, damp beach towel before placing the platter in the trunk, which will prevent the dish from slipping. If you have multiple dishes, try bunching the towel between them to provide extra cushioning and stability.
5. Pack Emergency Supplies
Bring extra supplies with you such as a mini offset spatula; a small container of leftover buttercream; and fruit, flowers, or sprinkles, to the venue to touch up the cake if needed.