How to Ship a Bundt Cake

Bundt cakes have a big hole in the middle, which makes them somewhat fragile.

Bundt cakes offer you a shipping option that most other cakes don't: you can ship them with their glaze or icing on the side. Unlike other cakes, Bundt cakes usually feature simple glaze and perhaps a sprinkling of powdered sugar or cocoa on top as decoration. Due to their structure, they are somewhat fragile, so some special handling is needed to ensure they arrive safely at their destination. Make sure your packaged Bundt cake can stand abuse; shipping isn't always gentle -- boxes get thrown around and your Bundt cake may have other packages piled on top of it.

Things You'll Need

• Bundt-cake keeper
• Sturdy shipping box
• Packaging material
• Packing tape
• Small airtight container
• Glaze or icing
• Plastic bag

Instructions

1. Place your cooled, unglazed cake inside the Bundt-cake keeper, which is a storage device shaped like a hollowed-out Bundt cake. When you put your Bundt cake in one, it looks like a hard plastic protective shell around your cake. These keepers compensate for the fragility of a Bundt cake's structure.

2. Scrape the glaze or icing for the cake into a small airtight container, then slide the container into a plastic bag and tie it shut. This way, if the container comes open or leaks, the glaze or icing will still be contained. Nestle the glaze container in the box, possibly in the middle of the Bundt keeper's center hole, if it fits.

3. Wrap a layer of packaging material around the keeper and slide it into a sturdy shipping box.

4. Pack as much packaging material into the box as you need so that the Bundt keeper and glaze don't move around. Fold the box closed, pick it up, and shake it gently to make sure it's secure before you tape the box shut. Be careful, as shaking it hard might break the cake.

5. Tape every seam on the box shut, even if the box was preassembled before you got it. That way, you know your cake isn't going anywhere until someone purposely opens the box.

6. Ship the box of cake via an expedited means of shipping. Something that ensures the package arrives in two to three days, such as U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, works well. It does not need to be shipped overnight unless you want it to be.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are sending a card or note with the cake, pack it on top of the Bundt-cake keeper before you wrap packaging material around it. That way, your note won't be accidentally discarded with the packing materials.

• Bundt cakes usually contain a lot of sugar, which helps you in shipping because they can safely stay in transit for a couple of days with no ill effects. If you are shipping a sugar-free Bundt cake, or are otherwise uncomfortable with the idea of the cake sitting out so long, choose overnight shipping.

References

• "The Professional Chef (Eighth Edition)"; Culinary Institute of America; 2006