The center dowel is a 3/8" stainless steel rod and is secured both at the top and the bottom of the box. With your cake in the box, the rod runs through the top of the box, thru the cake, and locks into the bottom base of the box. The integrity of the box is the key to how this works. When the box is assembled with all 4 sides and the top, it is extremely secure and stable. The cake is secure by the fact that each cardboard disk is held firmly in place and the density of the cake itself also helps hold each layer from moving. The security of your cake is not dependent on the cake itself but a combination of the disks and the cake and the fact that the center rod in the CakeSafe does not move at all.
You still assemble your cakes exactly the same as you always have. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that there will be a center dowel through your cake once it is placed inside the box.
We have used the CakeSafe with plastic separator plates for the past 20 years. The only thing we do to accommodate these plates is to drill a 2 inch hole in the center of each plate to allow plenty of room for the dowel to be pushed through the center of the cake. By having the 2 inch hole, it allows you to place your cake inside the box and not worry about having it exactly in the center. Between each layer and the plate we place a cardboard disk which is what the dowel goes through to secure each layer in place. Contact CakeSafe if you need us to provide you with the pre-cut plastic separator plates.
Yes you can still use the CakeSafe with the SPS system but you will need to drill a 2" hole in any plastic plates (see: I use plastic separator plates). We would like to point out that with the CakeSafe you can stop using the SPS system which will save you money on each cake and will eliminate the need to get your SPS system back from the wedding venue. We use simple cardboard disks and support dowels and transport cakes thousands of miles both by car and on airplanes as baggage with no movement of the cake.
Using a center dowel and non-skid under your cake is one way of moving your cake but, it is not nearly as secure and safe as using the CakeSafe. There is a huge difference when the vehicle is moving on a rough road or forced to stop short. The CakeSafe securely holds the top and the bottom of the center rod so that the cake does not move at all. Without the CakeSafe, the top of your cake is not secured to anything and is free to move or fall over and potentially damage the entire cake. If the vehicle stops short, the weight of the cake will force the cake to want to "keep moving forward" causing severe damage to the cake. With the CakeSafe, this cannot happen.
The center dowel is machined with a very sharp double angle on the tip which is polished. The dowel is sharp enough to easily go through 20 layers of cardboard so pushing it through a cake with multiple tiers is very easy. The double angle allows the center rod to center itself in the base of the CakeSafe so you don’t have to guide it. The trick to getting the rod down through several layers of cardboard is to push it quickly and with a good amount of momentum. After you use the CakeSafe just a couple of times you will feel confident to really just push the rod down very quickly.
It is not necessary to have the cake in the exact center of the box. If you are using only cardboard disks between the layers, the cake can be anywhere inside the box and it will work properly. If you use the plastic separator plates with the 2 inch hole you will need to have the cake centered within approximately 1 inch of the center which is quite easy to do just by eyeballing it.
The center rod has a guide piece in the top of the box which makes it very easy to line up with the bottom hole. The key to this guide is to simply place the rod from the top of the box into the guide and just "let go" of it. The rod will naturally center itself (relative to the box, not your cake) onto the top of your cake and you then push straight down on the rod and it will secure itself in the hole in the bottom of the box. The bottom hole in the base is tapered to guide the rod to the exact center.
The only visible hole left in the cake is on the top and about the size of your pinky finger. It is easily covered with either the top ornament or a dab of frosting.
Yes! We have tested the "tipping" capability hundreds of times with many cakes and we have never had a cake move when tipped up to 45 degrees. When we go to Cake Shows, we tip a real cake close to a hundred times to display this very feature and never has the cake moved. This is a picture of Michelle Bommarito with the exact same question after this cake had been tipped over 75 times. She was convinced after tipping this cake that the CakeSafe “really works!” and commented “You have been hiding this from us for 20 years?”
Yes, the Cakesafe helps keep your cake at a stable temperature because the sides are made of a twin wall polycarbonate plastic. This is the same material used for greenhouse roofs and it is designed to offer some insulation quality. The box is not airtight but it does help retain your cake's temperature.
It is best to have the CakeSafe up against the back of a seat. It does not need to be touching the seat but in the case of an accident if the CakeSafe is prevented from moving forward your cake should survive any dramatic braking or accident. Having the CakeSafe free standing in the back of a van allows your Cake and the CakeSafe to slide forward or possible tip over which you certainly do not want to happen. We want you to have the best possibility to have your cake survive an accident so please use common sense when placing it inside a vehicle.
The CakeSafe is designed to "break down" for easy storage. Most of our boxes when disassembled require just 6" of space when everything is stacked together.
The CakeSafe box is not entirely waterproof but it certainly will keep any cake dry when moved in inclement weather conditions. Moving the cake during driving rains is not a problem and your cake will stay dry and secure.
Yes, all of the parts of the CakeSafe are designed to be washed with soap and water. The top is Plexiglas, the sides are polycarbonate plastic, the bottom is high density plastic (same material as a cutting board) the center rod is stainless steel and the corner rods are aluminum.
Yes! We have tested the "tipping" capability hundreds of times with many cakes and we have never had a cake move when tipped up to 45 degrees. When we go to Cake Shows, we tip a real cake close to a hundred times to display this very feature and never has the cake moved. This is a picture of Michelle Bommarito with the exact same question after this cake had been tipped over 75 times. She was convinced after tipping this cake that the CakeSafe “really works!” and commented “You have been hiding this from us for 20 years?”