How We Make Your Custom Cake (and How to Get It Home Safely)

The short version: we build every custom cake to order, chill it at least 4 hours so it's sturdy, and then it's up to you to drive it home slowly with the cake on a flat, level surface. Here's what happens in between, and how to make sure it arrives at your party looking the way it left our shop.

It starts with four questions

When you order a custom cake from Caramanda's, we ask:

  1. How many people do you need to serve? That decides the size.
  2. What flavor cake?
  3. What flavor filling?
  4. What flavor icing?

Because we bake, fill and ice every cake to order, every customer gets exactly the combination they want, not whatever happened to be in the case that morning.

How your cake is built

Baked and cooled. We bake your cake, then let it cool until it's firm enough to cut cleanly.

Torted and filled. Next we torte the cake, which means splitting each layer and spreading filling between them, usually about 1/4 inch thick.

Prepped. The cake gets a thin skim coat of icing. This holds in the crumbs so the outside stays clean.

Iced. Then comes the base icing. If you've chosen a tinted color, we put untinted vanilla buttercream underneath and the colored icing over the top. That keeps the amount of food coloring down while still giving you a solid, even color.

Decorated. From there we add the finishing touches: piped buttercream or edible images, all done by hand.

Why we finish 4 hours before pickup

We aim to have every cake done at least 4 hours before your pickup time. A cake that's chilled that long is firm and stable, so it travels much better. It's also one reason we ask for at least 48 hours' notice on custom cakes.

How to transport a cake

This is where most cake disasters happen, and almost all of them are avoidable.

Drive like there's an egg under your foot. Picture an egg between your foot and the gas pedal, and another between your foot and the brake. Speed up slowly, slow down slowly, and take turns gently.

Put it on a flat, level surface. A car seat is slanted and soft, and a cake will slide or tip on it. The best spots are:

  • The floorboard
  • The flat cargo area in the back of an SUV

Never set it on a seat or in someone's lap.

Keeping your cake fresh at home

Refrigerate it. We recommend putting your cake in the fridge as soon as you get home. Refrigerated, it keeps for 3 to 4 days, including cakes with cream cheese or mousse fillings.

Take it out when you're ready to show it off. Your cake is meant to be seen, so it's fine on the table for your party or reception. A chilled cake does cut more cleanly, so slice it while it's still cool for the neatest pieces.

Hot and humid days

Kentucky summers are tough on cakes.

  • Keep it out of direct sunlight, in the car and at the party.
  • Watch the humidity. When a cold cake meets humid air, it can "sweat," and beads of moisture form on the icing.
  • Keep it in the fridge until closer to serving time, especially if it's a tall or tiered cake. Taller cakes are heavier and less forgiving in the heat.

Ready to order?

Request a quote on our Custom Cake Quote page, call us at 859-278-7172, or stop by our shop at 2220 Nicholasville Road in the Zandale Shopping Center. Caramanda's has been voted Best of Lexington for cupcakes 16 years in a row, and we'd love to make your next cake.

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