A celebration wouldn’t be complete without a cake. Every significant life event—birthdays, weddings, and even job promotions—deserves a sweet ending. No matter what size or form they come in, it never fails to put a smile on people’s faces.
Truth be told though, baking, forming, and delivering this dessert takes a village. Bakeshops need to assure the success of their orders, especially customised ones that are often a pain to send out. Not only are they perishable, but delicate decoration can easily be ruined with even the slightest mishandling.
You can always partner up with a reliable company to do your cake delivery in Sydney, but if you want to see through the process, this step-by-step guide will help lessen the struggle of delivering cakes:
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Plan ahead
Streamlining the process will lead you to a successful, orderly cake delivery. And you can start by baking a structurally stable cake. Check for any wobbling and fix it if there’s any. Use extra pins and centre poles to secure layers, go for weightless Styrofoam figurines to make it light, and do not put anything that is likely to break.
If you’re comfortable carrying a stacked cake, dowel it properly by putting in a centre rod that goes through all the layers as it can help keep the cake stable during the drive. Choose to limit the stack with not more than 3 or 4 layers, too, so it’s not too tall. But if you want to be extra sure, you can transport a multi-tier cake as single tiers instead and just construct it at the recipient’s location.
If you decide to construct the cake on site, or in case of decoration emergencies, remember to bring a kit of tools and supplies like royal icing, piping gel, pre-cut blossoms, and flowers.
Before leaving, remind your customer about the delivery. Have the following information on hand, as well, or remember to inquire about further details upon your arrival:
- Recipient or contact’s name and number
- Address and directions
- Agreed time for delivery (in case of events, a few hours before)
- Parking availability and restrictions
- Entry points, routes, and distance from the parking lot to the event space/recipient’s home
- Number of people and equipment needed to transfer the cake
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Mind the packaging
If the recipient’s location isn’t very far, you may opt to pack the cake in an open box and have a large, clean garbage bag to cover it up in case it rains as you hand-deliver it to the recipient. Choose a sturdy box, the same size as the cake, and one that has good quality and thick boards so it can stop the cake from moving inside.
If you’re in a temperature-sensitive location, cover up gaps around the box or line the insides with foil to keep it cool. In addition, if the roads you need to take to the shipping address are rough or if it’s too far, consider investing in special boxes or customised containers.
As for the decorations (i.e., figurines, flowers), you can place tissues in between so they won’t knock into each other. Or, you can put them in separate boxes first and insert them onto the cake upon arrival.
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Taking the cake to the delivery vehicle
Before you head to the customer, you must first carefully place the item inside the vehicle. Never put the item on a car seat or your (or companion’s) lap because these aren’t flat enough. To prevent the box from slipping around, use non-slip or yoga mats on the floor. Another trick is to pack in boxes or folded up towels around the cake’s packaging if there’s still space so that it won’t move around.
Make sure that your car is clean and well-maintained to avoid breakdowns. Cool the interiors 5 minutes before putting the cake and block out windows if it’s too sunny to prevent softening.
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Driving to the recipient
Shipping a cake is no emergency but having a security blanket with a “Cake on Board” sign discloses to other cars on the road that you’re carrying fragile cargo. Take the safest route and avoid steep or harsh roads to prevent any accidents. Obviously, you’ll need to drive more slowly and carefully than usual. Avoid sudden braking and hard turns.
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On arrival
Upon arriving at the address, reach out to your contact person. Before bringing in the cake, check the place’s setup and see if the table is big enough and level, especially if you still need to put the cake together. It’s also a chance to clear the way and find narrow doorways and stairs that may cause accidents.
Prepare the equipment, if needed, and bring in additional help to deliver the cake to its appropriate location. If a third-party courier company will ship the cake in your behalf, it’s best to send it out already stacked or to make sure that the recipient knows how to arrange the cake once they have it.
Great delivery fulfillment is the icing on the cake!
It may be challenging to send out an order as fragile as a cake, but safely completing it will not just assure customers of its high quality and freshness but will also earn your business some praises. Having a dependable shipping affiliate will help you do this, but you can also take on this responsibility, so you’re more confident of the positive result.