THIS WEEKEND'S CAKE PROJECT
June 30, 2018

This cake marked a few firsts for me...

My very first wedding cake (and a hip one at that!). The wedding celebration was going to be disco-themed, and so of course I had to decorate the cake accordingly. I was elated when the couple agreed! :)

My very first three-tiered cake (and a hexagonal cake, no less!). A month ago, I bought a set of hexagonal cake pans (because it was on sale; otherwise, it would have been $60 and I wasn't about to spend 60 bucks on cake pans!) and was hoping for a cake project I could use the cake pans for. When I was hired to make a wedding cake, I prepared a quote for hexagonal cakes and sketched a three-tiered design. To my delight, it was accepted right away and so I created my first hexagonal cake!

My very first wedding cake delivery (and thanks to CakeSafe, it was stress-free!). And let me tell you, at first I was stressing over how to deliver the cake more so than how to make the cake. I ran through different options in my head. I wanted to deliver the cake fully stacked and decorated. I didn't want to deliver the tiers boxed separately and assembled at the venue (after all, first impression and presentation matter). I took to the internet to see what cake delivery system I could find, and ran into CakeSafe. Or should I say ran into CakeSafe AGAIN! When I started selling cakes 7 or so years ago, I looked at cake delivery boxes online and came across CakeSafe. Their products looked high grade but when I saw the prices, I chickened out! (A couple of years ago I almost bought their Airbrush Spray Booth but decided against it because I really don't airbrush that much.) This time, however, I decided to drop the $400 and purchased a small/tall CakeSafe. And let me tell you, as soon as I clicked that purchase button, the stress lifted off my shoulders and I was able to concentrate on the wedding cake itself!

The day of delivery, I was so excited to finally get to use my CakeSafe. The cake was super heavy and, try as I might, I just couldn't lift it off the turntable to move it onto the CakeSafe (note to self: need to amp up that weight training!). Thankfully, my husband was around to do it for me. We centered the cake on the CakeSafe base as best we could and assembled the panels and the Plexiglas top. Then for the moment of truth... I watched videos on how to use the CakeSafe and I was still nervous about plunging the center rod all the way down the center of my three-tried cake! But... no guts no glory! So, I stood on a chair, inserted the center rod and let it drop into the top tier of my cake; then with all my might I pushed the center rod all the way down. I felt a little resistance as the rod hit the cake drum at the very bottom. But I wasn't going to chicken out; I pressed a little harder until I heard a satisfying thud as the center rod went through the cake drum. Then I realized I had been holding my breath! :) I looked underneath the cake safe to make sure I could see the tip of the center rod. The tip looked like it was right on my tiled tabletop, and I thought, oh, no, I made a hole in the table. I nudged the CakeSafe and it moved easily. And I thought, of course... CakeSafe thought of everything. The four little feet under the CakeSafe base perfectly did their job and the tip did not at all puncture my tabletop!

The last part of this first wedding cake adventure was the actual delivery. Having the cake in the CakeSafe made for a super easy transport. I love that there are handholds underneath the CakeSafe base (the CakeSafe Team really thought of everything!) which make carrying so easy. As my husband and I were carrying the CakeSafe down the steps to the garage, my side of the CakeSafe tipped a little as I was going down and it worried my husband. I said to him, don't worry, you can tip this 45 degrees and the cake inside won't budge. That's what it’s made for. I guess you could say I was willing to sacrifice my first wedding cake just to test how safe the CakeSafe is!

And by the way, it started raining as we were loading the cake in the car, and I actually said, yes, rain! I remembered the CakeSafe video where they tested the CakeSafe in the "rain," and I wasn't at all worried when it started raining.

When we got to the venue, the groom (my co-worker, by the way) was so impressed when he saw how I was delivering the cake. His best friend came over as my husband and I sat the CakeSafe on the cake table, and he said to me, "You are Michael's co-worker? I said yes. And he said, "And you have a CakeSafe." And I said, you know CakeSafe? And he said, "No, but I can tell this is professional stuff. Look at this set up!" Then he started naming the materials of the CakeSafe (Plexiglass, etc.). And I said, are you an engineer?" And he said, "Yes."

And that is what I meant by first impression and presentation matter.

As for the cake itself? It arrived in perfect condition. I followed the instruction on how to remove the center rod from the cake and it was a breeze. Everyone was gaping at the cake. There were little girls there and the look on their faces when they saw the cake was priceless. I brought my Kopykake electric Karousel turntable to display the cake on, and it looked so pretty sitting on the revolving turntable.

Before my CakeSafe, I would hesitate accepting wedding cake orders. Now I say bring it on! The CakeSafe is the best investment I have ever made for my cake business, and a stress-free cake delivery is the best return on that investment.