If you are trying to plan a birthday party and cannot decide whether to arrange for birthday cake delivery, there are a few factors to consider. Here are some common situations that absolutely demand a professional delivery!
Temperature Extremes
Whether it’s Tempe, Arizona in August or Butte, Montana in February, exposing a bakery cake to the backseat of your car in usually not a good idea. The icing can melt, bleed or freeze or the filling can change in texture. Even excessive sunlight can fade the lettering if the cake box has a plastic window on the top. Obviously, ice cream cakes do not do well in the spring and summer months without special handling. Bakeries have climate-controlled vans to avoid such debacles. When in doubt, have it delivered.
Tiered Cakes
While you usually wouldn’t try to set up a tiered wedding cake on your own, some people have tried it with a tiered birthday cake with disastrous results. Tiered cakes can crack or fall apart completely if not handled and set up correctly. The professionals at your local bakery are more than prepared to deliver and set up your cake so that it will be a beautiful display and not a messy wreck! Do not try to transport a tiered cake yourself. The same goes for any ‘tall’ cake.
Full Sheet Cakes
A full sheet cake is usually either 24 or 26 inches long. That is two feet or more! This may not seem very large until you are attempting to wedge it into the back seat of your vehicle. If you tip the cake or bend it, the icing can crack or the cake could slide against the side of the box which will ruin the painstaking icing job beyond help. If you need a full sheet cake, either borrow a sport utility vehicle or have it delivered.
Bakery Across Town
If the absolute best bakery is on the other side of town, consider having your birthday cake delivered. All it takes is one hard stomp on the brakes and your cake and upholstery are ruined. Driving through a busy town or city with a cake perched precariously in the back seat or on a passenger’s lap is not the best of ideas. Birthday cake delivery can save you from a ruined cake and an expensive car detailing bill.
If you absolutely insist on taking the birthday cake home in your personal vehicle, try to arrange for someone with an SUV to pick it up. Never place a cake in the trunk of a car, as it gets extremely hot in there due to the exhaust pipes that run directly beneath it. The cake will melt. Do not order a cake that is too wide or tall to handle the stops and starts of traffic.
Deciding to utilize cake delivery from the bakery is usually the wisest decision. This is especially true if any of the above scenarios are true in your situation. A ruined cake can really put a damper on a party, so think your cake transportation through ahead of time!
