I used to watch cake making competition television programs before. The contestants need to make beautiful and yummy cakes which are usually huge in size. After the cake creation, the contestants are required to transfer the cake from one area to another. Why the last requirement? Because the reality is, ensuring cake stability is as important as the cake design and taste.
The cake design is useless if it is not stable enough for transport. There are many ways to ensure cake stability. There are also ways to ensure cakes are not damaged during transport and here is my personal essential check list:
Cake should be made stable.
- Cake must be chilled well for at least 4 hours except for fondant cakes.
- When cakes are made of two tiers or more than 2 layers, dowels (preferably wood dowels) should be used. For added stability, paper straw dowels may be used for two layered cakes.
- The right type of cake board should be used. Frosting should not touch the sides of the cake box. Cake drums must be used for heavy cakes.
Delivery using motorcycle is discouraged. It is possible using these instances and implementing important precautions but never when:
- During very hot weather.
- When delivery distance is beyond 7 kilometers.
- The cake is more than 1 tier.
- When in doubt of the cake stability during transport, always trust your instincts.
When transporting a cake using a four- wheel vehicle, the cake should be placed on a flat surface. Never position the cake on the passenger seat or placed on the lap of the passenger. Car seats are designed to make passengers comfortable during travel, these are slightly slanted which is not ideal for cake transportation
Undeniably, there is more to running a cake business than just baking cakes.