Keeping Our (Cake) Cool
April 4, 2022 11:56 AM Subscribe
The scene: a party tent at a concert festival. The month: July. The city: Chicago. The challenge: keeping a big cake hidden, cool, and happy for 2+ hours until it gets eaten. How can it be done?
As our family and friends gather for what they think is a big birthday party, we need a way to keep our multi-tiered wedding cake (surprise!) out of view and as cool as possible until after the unexpected ceremony. The fondant outside should be OK, but there are mousses and buttercreams on the inside that would not like to get hot.
Assume we have no access to electrical outlets and that dry ice is not allowed, but that we can bring in almost anything else required. What brilliant solution can we devise?
As our family and friends gather for what they think is a big birthday party, we need a way to keep our multi-tiered wedding cake (surprise!) out of view and as cool as possible until after the unexpected ceremony. The fondant outside should be OK, but there are mousses and buttercreams on the inside that would not like to get hot.
Assume we have no access to electrical outlets and that dry ice is not allowed, but that we can bring in almost anything else required. What brilliant solution can we devise?
Could the cake fit inside a cooler? Or be sized to fit inside a cooler? The cooler itself could easily be stashed under a table with a long tablecloth to hide it.
posted by hydra77 at 12:07 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 12:07 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
Actually come to think of it, corrugated cardboard it reasonably insulated. And you don’t need it fridge-cold— it would be actively bad for the cake, you just want it at a reasonable room temperature.
I’d just get a big-enough cardboard box, you could insulate with either bubble wrap or the stuff that comes in grocery box deliveries like this, and stick in some cellulose freezer packs maybe; again, you don’t want it too cold.
posted by supercres at 12:12 PM on April 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
I’d just get a big-enough cardboard box, you could insulate with either bubble wrap or the stuff that comes in grocery box deliveries like this, and stick in some cellulose freezer packs maybe; again, you don’t want it too cold.
posted by supercres at 12:12 PM on April 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Building on supercres’ comment, what about wrapping it to look like a (big! heavy!) birthday present?
posted by Night_owl at 12:27 PM on April 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Night_owl at 12:27 PM on April 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Your goal shouldn't be to keep it cold (nobody likes hard buttercream!), just to prevent it from getting hot. So staying out of the sun will be super important, which should be find since you'll be in a tent (and hopefully a tent with fans!). You want to aim for a "room temperature" space - I think a couple of small battery-powered fans blowing over bowls of ice would easily counteract the heat - especially if it's a ventilated tent, those large fans can make a space like that pretty comfortable even in the summer. I used a fan like this when my baby was a newborn in July/August and it kept her comfortable and lasted a few hours - I'd look for something a little more sturdy for your purpose.
The biggest challenge might actually be the "keeping it hidden" part. I'm assuming you'll show up to the party in your wedding attire, so you only need to keep it actually hidden while the guests are coming in? And then could be moved to a cake table? Perhaps... hide it under the cake table, or if you're going to have some long tables for food, under those. When I worked in catering, those were always used for storage of trays/boxes/extra sternos and nobody ever noticed. That would also give another layer of protection from the sunlight/heat.
posted by DoubleLune at 1:06 PM on April 4, 2022
The biggest challenge might actually be the "keeping it hidden" part. I'm assuming you'll show up to the party in your wedding attire, so you only need to keep it actually hidden while the guests are coming in? And then could be moved to a cake table? Perhaps... hide it under the cake table, or if you're going to have some long tables for food, under those. When I worked in catering, those were always used for storage of trays/boxes/extra sternos and nobody ever noticed. That would also give another layer of protection from the sunlight/heat.
posted by DoubleLune at 1:06 PM on April 4, 2022
Build a box out of rigid foam insulation to use as cover. Seal the joints inside with caulk, and seal the bottom of the cover with foam weatherstripping to form a nice airtight seal. Disguise the box as a present, or something else inconspicuous that will be left alone.
Aside from heat, humidity and condensation will be your main foe. Ideally you'd get the chilled cake inside the sealed pre-chilled box indoors, move it to the venue sealed, and lift off the cover when needed. You can use those silica bead desiccant packets to help with humidity in the box.
A lot will depend on how hot it is that day. Get a wireless hygrometer thermometer to keep an eye on things. If it's staying super cool in there, maybe crack the seal a bit early to avoid serving an ice-cold cake.
posted by sportbucket at 1:13 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
Aside from heat, humidity and condensation will be your main foe. Ideally you'd get the chilled cake inside the sealed pre-chilled box indoors, move it to the venue sealed, and lift off the cover when needed. You can use those silica bead desiccant packets to help with humidity in the box.
A lot will depend on how hot it is that day. Get a wireless hygrometer thermometer to keep an eye on things. If it's staying super cool in there, maybe crack the seal a bit early to avoid serving an ice-cold cake.
posted by sportbucket at 1:13 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
Given that you can bring a tent and other items in, it seems like this is a pretty informal festival. Can someone bring the cake a bit later, right before you plan to present it?
posted by mai at 1:41 PM on April 4, 2022
posted by mai at 1:41 PM on April 4, 2022
Hey, congratulations on your nuptials! What are the dimensions of the largest cake tier? Can you keep each layer in its own insulated cooler, and assemble the cake on-site?
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:53 PM on April 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:53 PM on April 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
You can presumably use dry ice or LN2 -before-the event to pre-chill whatever environment that you will hold the cake in, including whatever ice-block or blue ice or whatever you are allowed to tote in/ keep inside the cooler/cake box.
(That’s the tactic for shipping frozen samples back when I worked in labs, since shipping actual liquid nitrogen was a no-go. )
posted by janell at 4:20 PM on April 4, 2022
(That’s the tactic for shipping frozen samples back when I worked in labs, since shipping actual liquid nitrogen was a no-go. )
posted by janell at 4:20 PM on April 4, 2022
I'd be careful about using caulking to seal the foam. Some of them offgas a strong vinegary odour, and you don't want your cake tainted with that!
posted by kate4914 at 4:28 PM on April 4, 2022
posted by kate4914 at 4:28 PM on April 4, 2022
If it won't fit into a regular cooler just about any container lined with 2" of rigid foam (possibly with some ice packs) should keep things cool. Potential containers: Deck box (could be disguised as a seating), Action Packer. Jumbo Rough Tote.
Or build a box out of foam to fit a serving trolley and then hide it with skirting. Something like this large steel two shelf unit from habour freight would be ideal. Cut a piece of foam to fit underneath the top shelf. Cut three more for two ends and one side the will hold up the top piece. Tape those all in place with something like Duct Tape. Use any left overs to line the bottom. And then cut a four side that will be your access. This piece would be friction fit. Tape a couple loops on it to act as handles. Then cover the whole thing with a fancy table cloth or similar. This particular cart has five inch wheels which will handle grass/dirt if they area isn't hard surfaced. Ice packs could be something easy like 2L pop bottles or 4L milk jugs filled with water and frozen. Tape in place to prevent cake damage.
posted by Mitheral at 5:22 PM on April 4, 2022
Or build a box out of foam to fit a serving trolley and then hide it with skirting. Something like this large steel two shelf unit from habour freight would be ideal. Cut a piece of foam to fit underneath the top shelf. Cut three more for two ends and one side the will hold up the top piece. Tape those all in place with something like Duct Tape. Use any left overs to line the bottom. And then cut a four side that will be your access. This piece would be friction fit. Tape a couple loops on it to act as handles. Then cover the whole thing with a fancy table cloth or similar. This particular cart has five inch wheels which will handle grass/dirt if they area isn't hard surfaced. Ice packs could be something easy like 2L pop bottles or 4L milk jugs filled with water and frozen. Tape in place to prevent cake damage.
posted by Mitheral at 5:22 PM on April 4, 2022
Freeze it, then let it naturally come down to cool / room temp while it's sitting in your shaded tent the day of the event.
Freezing cakes with frosting and all is a totally normal thing to do, and a lot of bakeries do this because they make things at such a high volume. It is better for a bakery to make 50 chocolate cakes on Monday, and then 50 strawberry cakes on Tuesday, and then another 50 lemon cakes on Wednesday, etc. even if they only sell five of each kind per day. How do they keep things fresh? Freezing! :)
You'll just have to check with your bakery to make sure that all your cake components + filling + frosting are good with being frozen (make sure it doesn't mess with the consistency). With this strategy, all you have to worry about is how much time it will take to come down to temp, so that you're not trying to slice into the still-frozen centre because you took it out too late. Your box just needs to be a box, you don't have to bring any items or coolers to keep it cool, because you actually want it to warm up slowly.
Congrats on your upcoming nuptials!
posted by tinydancer at 5:30 PM on April 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Freezing cakes with frosting and all is a totally normal thing to do, and a lot of bakeries do this because they make things at such a high volume. It is better for a bakery to make 50 chocolate cakes on Monday, and then 50 strawberry cakes on Tuesday, and then another 50 lemon cakes on Wednesday, etc. even if they only sell five of each kind per day. How do they keep things fresh? Freezing! :)
You'll just have to check with your bakery to make sure that all your cake components + filling + frosting are good with being frozen (make sure it doesn't mess with the consistency). With this strategy, all you have to worry about is how much time it will take to come down to temp, so that you're not trying to slice into the still-frozen centre because you took it out too late. Your box just needs to be a box, you don't have to bring any items or coolers to keep it cool, because you actually want it to warm up slowly.
Congrats on your upcoming nuptials!
posted by tinydancer at 5:30 PM on April 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Congrats!
My first suggestion is (assuming you are working with a pastry chef/pro baker) is ask what they can offer. If you can make this someone else's problem, do it!
If you are doing this on your own, first of all, go you! Fondant, mousses, and buttercreams, oh my!
Here is the video you need! It teaches you how to rig a quick, inexpensive and very secure mobile cooler for transport. He knows what he is talking about, addressing keeping the cake stable, cooling and avoiding condensation, etc
Once you arrive on site, remove the ice bottles but otherwise just keep the lid on the box and keep it in the shade and it will slowly come up to temp. I'd hide it in plain sight, topped with a big ribbon to look like a gift and maybe even decorate the box before loading in the cake (stickers, decorated with markers - lean into the homey, hand made vibe).
Advanced Maneuver: For the least amount of fuss in the midst of the celebration, make it the centerpiece of the "gift table that is secretly the cake table". To do this, you take the cake out of the box and invert how it is packed (placing the cake on the inside of the lid, and then inverting the box and carefully lowering it down over the cake. This way, all you have to do is lift the box off with a flourish and present the cake ready to cut. (And if you go this route, remember the decorations need to be upside down.)
On preview, tinydancer is absolutely correct - freezing is how the pros do it. However, fondant can be a little fussy with issues of condensation, especially going from being frozen to a warm tent. So if you go this route, talk to your baker to see if their fondant is ok to be frozen, etc. Usually it's best to thaw a fondant covered cake in the fridge, then transport but YMMV.
posted by jenquat at 6:04 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
My first suggestion is (assuming you are working with a pastry chef/pro baker) is ask what they can offer. If you can make this someone else's problem, do it!
If you are doing this on your own, first of all, go you! Fondant, mousses, and buttercreams, oh my!
Here is the video you need! It teaches you how to rig a quick, inexpensive and very secure mobile cooler for transport. He knows what he is talking about, addressing keeping the cake stable, cooling and avoiding condensation, etc
Once you arrive on site, remove the ice bottles but otherwise just keep the lid on the box and keep it in the shade and it will slowly come up to temp. I'd hide it in plain sight, topped with a big ribbon to look like a gift and maybe even decorate the box before loading in the cake (stickers, decorated with markers - lean into the homey, hand made vibe).
Advanced Maneuver: For the least amount of fuss in the midst of the celebration, make it the centerpiece of the "gift table that is secretly the cake table". To do this, you take the cake out of the box and invert how it is packed (placing the cake on the inside of the lid, and then inverting the box and carefully lowering it down over the cake. This way, all you have to do is lift the box off with a flourish and present the cake ready to cut. (And if you go this route, remember the decorations need to be upside down.)
On preview, tinydancer is absolutely correct - freezing is how the pros do it. However, fondant can be a little fussy with issues of condensation, especially going from being frozen to a warm tent. So if you go this route, talk to your baker to see if their fondant is ok to be frozen, etc. Usually it's best to thaw a fondant covered cake in the fridge, then transport but YMMV.
posted by jenquat at 6:04 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
What's the logistics of the location? Do you need the cake right there with you but hidden in plain sight? Can it be behind the tent? Would it be possible to have someone sit in a running car with it until it's time to bring it in?
The best manual-mechanical situation I can think of is to obtain an appropriately large and tall cardboard box turned or cut so it can be opened from the front, like a refrigerator. Fill enough plastic storage shoeboxes with ice to make a stable surface on the bottom, put the cake on top of that, close it up in the box, drape the whole thing with a moving blanket or something similarly quilted. If the sun might shine on it, put an emergency/space blanket over that to provide shade.
If you have the right size and shape of cooler, you could similarly put it on its side fridge-style.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:55 PM on April 4, 2022
The best manual-mechanical situation I can think of is to obtain an appropriately large and tall cardboard box turned or cut so it can be opened from the front, like a refrigerator. Fill enough plastic storage shoeboxes with ice to make a stable surface on the bottom, put the cake on top of that, close it up in the box, drape the whole thing with a moving blanket or something similarly quilted. If the sun might shine on it, put an emergency/space blanket over that to provide shade.
If you have the right size and shape of cooler, you could similarly put it on its side fridge-style.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:55 PM on April 4, 2022
A few of those plastic units that you freeze and use in a cooler will keep things cool without adding moisture.
posted by theora55 at 7:53 PM on April 4, 2022
posted by theora55 at 7:53 PM on April 4, 2022
I get a lot of food shipped to me. Usually it comes in a cardboard box lined with recycled-fabric insulation packs and a couple of big ice packs, with the box of food in a thinner cardboard or plastic enclosure inside that. They say it can sit out in a porch or in a truck overnight if need be. Definitely sufficient for your cake for a few hours. The question is really how big a cake we're talking about.
If you know anyone who buys a lot of prepared food online or meal kits, they probably have enough if this shipping material to wrap dozens of cakes for you, or could save that up in a matter of weeks. If you were in the Seattle area I could offer you these packing materials right now, they're all in my garage. Then you could just put a ribbon bow on top of the cardboard box and call it a day.
posted by potrzebie at 9:47 PM on April 4, 2022
If you know anyone who buys a lot of prepared food online or meal kits, they probably have enough if this shipping material to wrap dozens of cakes for you, or could save that up in a matter of weeks. If you were in the Seattle area I could offer you these packing materials right now, they're all in my garage. Then you could just put a ribbon bow on top of the cardboard box and call it a day.
posted by potrzebie at 9:47 PM on April 4, 2022
Uline sells insulated box liners in sizes up to 24" x 24" x 18". Coupled with cold packs, they are supposed to be able to keep things cool for 24 hours. If you're just trying to keep it "not hot" instead of "cold", you might be able to get away without the cold packs.
Unfortunately, you have to buy them from Uline by the carton (at least 10 of them at a time) and they run $150+ for a carton of large-sized liners. But if you can find that product sold in smaller quantities, it would probably be what you need.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:54 AM on April 5, 2022
Unfortunately, you have to buy them from Uline by the carton (at least 10 of them at a time) and they run $150+ for a carton of large-sized liners. But if you can find that product sold in smaller quantities, it would probably be what you need.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:54 AM on April 5, 2022
Yeah, if you are working with a baker, see what they can do- for our outdoor wedding, our baker kept it in her van next to the venue (a park) until shortly before cake time to avoid melting.
posted by rockindata at 7:16 AM on April 5, 2022
posted by rockindata at 7:16 AM on April 5, 2022
Response by poster: SO many good answers and ideas in here!!! Thank you, everyone!
posted by picopebbles at 10:00 AM on April 6, 2022
posted by picopebbles at 10:00 AM on April 6, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
Are you having someone make it for you? Can they deliver right on time? If not they’d probably be the people to ask
posted by supercres at 12:06 PM on April 4, 2022 [4 favorites]