How to Post a Cake

Are you wondering how cakes arrive at their destination in the best possible condition? It’s a great question, because a poorly packaged cake can be a disaster. The last thing you want is for your carefully wrapped baked goods to crumble or become stale in transit. Plus there’s no way to ensure they’ll remain upright which can lead to some tricky and sticky situations.

The maker or seller’s beautiful product arrives a sticky mess, the courier or delivery company receives a complaint, and the heartbroken recipient has to make do with celebrating Happy Splodge Day.

This can have serious commercial implications around repeat custom, bad online reviews and more. This got us thinking at Berica. So we’ve put together this article to explain how to ship successfully – ensuring that your baked goods will arrive with their quality and freshness intact.

Unlike the majority of wedding cakes, where it is usual for the maker to deliver the cake in person, sometimes it’s just too impractical or costly to deliver a “regular” occasion cake – no matter how special the day.

There are plenty of reasons why you may want to send a cake via courier. Perhaps you’ve baked the most scrumptious desert in the universe, but the person you’ve made it for doesn’t live locally or perhaps you own a baking business and want to know the easiest way to send your cakes to your customers.

Preparing a Cake for Posting

One of the things that makes cakes a little more challenging to post compared with other food items is that you can’t be sure the parcel will stay upright – even if you use a “this side up” box or write your own instructions on the box.

This means icing and decorations can come out of place as your parcel gets picked up and processed at the courier sorting centre. So, if you can, choose to send a non-decorated cake, so that there’s less chance of the toppings going astray on the way to its destination. The best baked goods to ship are the ones that can be wrapped individually, can ship as a whole, and are not prone to melting. That means cakes such as sponge cakes and fruit cakes are ideal for sending by courier.

To prepare a cake for shipping, start by wrapping it tightly in several layers of compostable plastic wrap – not only does this preserve the freshness but also helps the cake hold its shape. If it’s a cake you have baked yourself, be sure to let it cool down before wrapping. After your cake has been plastic wrapped, add another layer of protection with Berica’s paper alternative to bubble wrap. Click here to find out more about perforated kraft paper.

Pick the Right Packaging for Sending a Cake

It’s best to choose a strong corrugated cake box to post your cake. You’ll need one which can fit both you cake and allows for lots of padding around the sides, top and bottom of the cake box you are sending it in.

Tape your well packaged cake into place in the box to keep it from moving around. If there’s any gaps in the box, pack out with perforated kraft paper in the box under and around your cake.

Remember, you can also use bunched up perforated kraft paper for extra protection. Just ensure that it’s tightly packed in for minimal movement during delivery.

If you are planning to send out more than one cake there are also special cake holders available and packaging inserts that you can buy to help keep your cakes stable inside their boxes. Once your cake has been secured inside the box, carefully tape the box shut with packaging tape and label it as appropriate. Don’t presume that one label will be enough. Use as many as you see fit.

Think Strategically About How and When To Ship

Research shows that Monday is the best day to ship in the week. Don’t wait until late Friday night to drop off your package because there is a chance it will sit in the sorting depot over the weekend!

How Much Does It Cost To Post a Cake?

Now that your delicious cake is safe and sound inside its box, it’s time to whip out the old tape measure and weighing scales. Shipping can be costly, especially when it is expedited, but the best shipping option for perishable goods and total peace of mind is overnight, next day.

When you have this information to hand, simply go online with either NZ Post or your preferred transport provider enter the details into. Remember to keep the mailing receipt and enable tracking, so you know when it has arrived at its destination.

Correctly packaging and sending a cake can be seen as a clever investment – especially if it’s your business. It “protects” the amount of work you have put in to creating a stunning and tasty creation. It also preserves your cake so it arrives in perfect condition and on arrival showcases your great work and builds your reputation.

It’ll taste great and, just as importantly, the consumers will appreciate the time and trouble you took to make their special occasion one to remember, and order from you next time!

Click here to view our range of non-window cake boxes.

How to Post a Cake

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