Cakes on a Plane!
Some assembly required
A few hours later, my husband and I throw some clothes in a suitcase and make our way to the airport. From this point on, it's 36 hours of hurry and flurry, so there aren't too many more photos. (I'll present a separate feature on how to frost a cake later.)
Packing
To protect them from jostling, I've inverted the cleaned pans back over each still-frozen, well-wrapped cake tier. I had cut down a 16"x16"x16" box to accommodate the height of two stacked tiers plus a layer of jumbo bubble wrap on all sides. The 14" tier alone weighs thirty pounds, and the 12" tier weighs nearly twenty. Into a soft-sided cooler go the 9" and 12" tiers, four large bags of frosting and a slab of dry ice. The cardboard box holds the 6" and 14" tiers along with the 16" cake base. A slab of dry ice sits on top, and lots of crumpled newspaper fill the corners.
On practically every side of the cooler and box I emphatically mark: FRAGILE Wedding Cake. I was more worried about careless baggage handlers, but there was an additional benefit from labeling the boxes.
Like pregnant women, wedding cakes seem to receive preferential treatment when it comes to public etiquette. We're given the right of way everywhere we go.
Onto the plane
While our clothing bag will brave the cargo chutes, the cakes will accompany us as carry-on luggage. Though a heavy and a bit unwieldy for one person to carry, the 16" box fits comfortably into the overhead bin of a Boeing 737.
If you plan to fly with dry ice, be sure to check with your airline for special requirements before you get to the airport. For example, we were limited to 4 pounds per person, and each box had to be clearly labeled with "dry ice" and the amount inside. To purchase dry ice, look for bar supply stores near you; they usually sell 5- or 10-pound slabs, just about the amount you need. They often have conveniently long hours (like from 7am through the day to 2am), and they'll sell to individuals on a cash-and-carry basis.
When using dry ice, remember three important things:
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1.Wear thick gloves to prevent burns.
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2.Since dry ice sublimates directly to a gas, be sure that your container is NOT sealed air-tight. There should be a way for the cold air to escape to prevent a serious rupture or explosion. I didn't seal the box flaps with tape; strong twine provided a way to move and haul the box more easily.
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3.The ice will last significantly longer if you fill all available space in the container. Use wadded up newspaper, if needed.
Into the car
We strap the cakes into the back seat of a tiny, purple Ford Focus. There's still a long drive ahead—over the Cascade Mountains and down into Methow Valley—but first a detour. We need to swerve into downtown Seattle to pick up a couple of flats of fresh berries from Sosio's Produce at Pike's Place. It's a very sunny and hot day and we get a little side-tracked by a ferry ride, but eventually we make it back on the interstate. I lay my palm on the top of the cardboard box and feel warmth. Although the bottom of the box retains some coolness, I'm visited by visions of oozing raspberry filling, deflated tiers and melted frosting. We put on our sweaters and coats and blast the air-conditioner the whole way.
Near the finish line
As soon as we check in at the lodge, I head to their kitchen. Although the wedding planner had forgotten to tell the chef about the homemade cake, he is kind enough to clear an entire shelf in his walk-in cooler, right next to his micro-greens. He also finds an entire table in one corner of his kitchen for me to use, a pretty big sacrifice on a day that involves cooking for a special event as well as feeding the usual weekend crowds.
My original plan was to frost the cake first thing in the morning, chill the tiers, and then return in the afternoon to stack and trim the cake. But with so much going on in the kitchen and the reception area, I have to change my plans. The cake will be out of refrigeration for over twelve hours and be fully assembled and displayed for almost six of them. While a cake sealed inside indestructible fondant might last this long, I'm not sure about my filling or frosting.
Confession: I shed tears over a dessert.
Onto the table
Below, peeking out from the berries, you can see the tops of the cake risers that my husband and I had cut from 1/4-inch acrylic rods. I bought two 6-foot lengths from Tap Plastic, then we scored and sanded them with a dremel. Wooden dowels can be used if they won't be visible. For my own wedding cake a few years ago, I used plastic straws, big fat red ones made for boba tea. I suppose you could buy pre-cut wedding supports from a party supply store, but when you have a dremel, you tend to find any excuse to use it.
My 12" cake pan, inverted and covered with a napkin, serves to lift up the cake, while a cardboard round covered with embossed foil becomes the cake plate.
I'm leaving about 2 inches of open space between the top three tiers for berries. There's no space between the 12" and 14" tiers, but 10 rods pressed into the bottom layers support the 12" tier—and everything else above it.
While stacking the layers, I manage to stick my thumb into the side of the cake, but a well-placed strawberry takes care of that.
Skipping the fancy piping, I only have time to pile fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, poke in a few fresh mint leaves here and there, and then arrange blackberry sprigs (foraged from Bainbridge Island) in a vine-like trail. Simple.
At the top, two large strawberries and two blackberry blossoms take the place of plastic figurines.
Below is the cake after sitting for a few hours. This is actually a view from the back of the cake; on the other side, the berries cascade down each layer. (My husband, who took the photo just before the reception started, didn't realize that cakes have fronts and backs). The silk ribbon seems to be holding up okay, although the butter from the frosting is blotting through a bit.
The final test
The vows are perfect, the hors d'oeuvre are amazing, dinner lasts several courses, and the speeches stretch long. I try not to think about the raspberry filling getting softer and softer….
Finally a slice of wedding cake! Yum.
June 2006
© Thy Tran