Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I am making a 5 tier wedding cake, the bottom tier is 2 x 12″ fruit cakes assembled as in the silver chevron
cakes tutorial. (they are very heavy). I have dowelled the fruit cakes & put an 11″ cake card between the joined cakes
I will be travelling from Glasgow to Bathgate which is about 32 miles. Would I be better to transport the 5 tiers
separately & assemble them once I get to the venue

Hi Lennoxtown@1955

I did a four tier with 12″ fruit cake base, last weekend. All the cakes were transported singularly and assembled at the venue. I find setting up at the venue a lot less stressful than transporting a fully assemble cake, especially if it is a heavy tall one. Perhaps assemble the top two tiers and carry in a stacked cake box then fully assemble the rest later. Apart from the height and weight of the tiers you’ll also need to think about how you will carry the stacked tiers to their final resting point, who will help you at the venue and whether there will be a trolley or something similar to help you move the cakes without having to physically carry them.
Paul transported the cheveron cake unstacked but then he had to send it off to Manchester from Scotland.
Thirty two miles is still a long journey when carrying precious cargo, more precious is your back!! Hopefully other members will share their experiences and tips.

You could travel with semi stacked cakes- that is, stack the first two bottom tiers, then leave the others unstacked until you get to the venue.

Also I have recently heard of sturdycakestackers.com. I’ve never tried them personally. It would cost in the region of £20 for a 3-4 tiered cake. If you buy in bulk, the price does go down dramatically. I think it’s a great idea but only if I can add the cost to the overall price of a cake that a customer has to pay for.

All the best with your cake!

I saw this product at the cake international back in November but I haven’t tried it. I mentioned it to Paul who has a similar product which he used in the wedding shower cake tutorial a couple years ago.

The review for this product on their company’s facebook page is excellent so obviousy it works. I would still be concerned about lifting a very heavy fully assembled cake in or out of a vehicle unless of course it’s a van with throw open or slide doors. Having said that, I’ve seen people transport wedding cakes in all precarious manner.
Good idea though.

Thanks for advice, definitely will pack them separately & assemble them at the venue.

You might find it helpful to ask the venue if they have a trolley or something to shift the very heavy fruit tier. Sometimes the setup room is quite a way from the enterance, it’s not much fun trying to lugg a big weight on your own. Don’t forget to take a repair kit, extra decorations, posy picks, straws, royal icing, piping bag or anything else which you think will help if you need to fix anything. Just pop them in a secure box a couple of days ahead so they’re handy, less stress! Good luck with the wedding.