Archive for: cake carriers
Cake carriers are a must-have tool for bakers who want to be able to easily transport their goodies from one place to another. You can fill them up with anything, from brownies to cupcakes, but the real advantage they offer is in their height, since it allows you to transport a fully-frosted layer cake safely in a way that no other container can match. Cake carries are large and bulky, since they have to hold large things, but one model – the Progressive International Collapsible Cupcake and Cake Carrier – comes with an interesting twist that makes it take up much less space. As you can guess from the name, it collapses to half its original height, which is a real space saver when it comes time to store it.
I’ve been eyeing one of these carries ever since Cook’s Country named it their top choice in their review of cake carriers, since the idea of a cake carrier that would be easier to store really appealed to me (as it would to anyone who doesn’t have abundant storage space in his/her kitchen!). It is over 10-inches tall, so it will hold just about any cake, and collapses down to just 5-inches high thanks to the silicone panel on the lid. It also comes with racks to hold up to 24 cupcakes securely inside.
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Leftover pie is not the easiest dessert to store. Cakes can be tucked away in a cake carrier and cookies can be stacked in a small storage box or ziploc bag. Pies require a lot of space, either in the freezer or on the countertop, and can be quite messy if they start to lose their shape once you’ve served a slice or two. Now, if you are just planning to eat the leftovers straight out of the pie pan, you have nothing to worry about, but if you want your leftover pie to keep looking as good as the day you served it, you need some storage options.
I’ve used a pie gate to help a pie keep its shape with fairly good results, but the Fox Run Pie Saver looks like it is a much better way to store a whole pie. The saver can hold an 8, 9 or 10-inch pie neatly and keep it covered, with the included lid. This makes the pie easy to transport – no plastic wrap required. The saver also comes with six triangular slice containers so that you can cut up your pie and keep the slices for easy serving later. These are perfect for tucking in a lunch bag and are a good option when you only have a slice or two of pie leftover and don’t want to keep the whole pie plate in your fridge. The saver will work with any type of pie, but messier pies – such as cream pies and fruit pies – are going to get the best results from a nifty storage container like this one.
Cook’s Country rated and reviewed cake carriers a while back, and picked out the Progressive International Collapsible Cake Carrier as its top choice for being sturdy and easy to store. The only problem with the carrier, which holds up to two dozen cupcakes or a single 9-inch layer cake, is that it really only works for a certain type of cake. In fact, not too many cake carriers are made for rectangular cakes, even though rectangular cakes (such as those baked in 9×13-inch pans) are one of the most popular cake sizes for parties and events. Fortunately, Progressive International makes a Collapsible 9×13 Cake Carrier that uses the same space-saving collapsible system that its round carriers use.
This carrier measures 16×20-inches and holds a 9×13-cake with ease. When not in use, the carrier folds up to be only 2.75-inches high. There is plenty of room on the tray for your entire baking dish, if you don’t want to take the cake out, and you can also place a cake directly on the base, turning into a serving platter. It can also be used to transport and store other casseroles or baked main dishes, as well as for cupcake, cookies and smaller baked goods. The base reverses to turn into an appetizer tray – with higher sides to hold small veggies and crackers in place – which is convenient for any event where you’ll be bringing snacks, rather than dessert.
They make cake carriers in all shapes and sizes, from tiny boxes that will hold a single cupcake to rectangular trays that fit large sheet cakes to low-lidded carriers for pies. All cake carriers are designed to keep your baked goods in a secure, airtight environment so that they can be easily transported or stored while staying fresh. Most are utilitarian, and you generally need to take your goodies out of the carrier when you want to serve them, or dress them up for a fancier presentation. This is not the case with Nordicware’s Domed Cupcake Tray. This is a cake carrier that is also a dessert stand, with two tiers that can both hold your goodies and serve them in a classy way. The domed lid fits over the whole stand, coming close to the sides of the top tier while leaving plenty of room on top for piles of frosting. You can fit about a dozen standard cupcakes in this carrier, or stack the two trays with as many cookies as you can pile up. The top tier is detachable, too, to make cleaning easier.
The only potential drawback to this carrier – if you are planning to use this as your primary cake carrier – is that there isn’t a large handle on top to make it easy to carry, so you have to hold it from the bottom. On the plus side, this does make for a much more attractive bakery-like presentation when you set the sleek container on the counter, even before you’ve opened it to let people taste what’s inside!
Cupcakes are as popular as ever and one of the reasons for that popularity is that their single serving sizes make them portable and easy to eat. There are many options for carriers that will tote one or two dozen cupcakes, but there are many fewer options that will allow you to tuck a single cupcake into your lunch without it getting squished inside of a paper bag. One of these options is the Cupcake to Go Cupcake Holder. This good looking cupcake holder has an almost jewel-like look to its spiraling plastic top, which mimics the frosting swirl of the cupcake that it holds. A silicone base keeps a firm grip on cupcakes thanks to small indentations that really do hold the cupcake in place during most normal transport. I doubt that the cupcake is going to be completely unscathed if you use the container to play a round of flag football (at the very least because the frosting might simply slide off the top!), but it is sturdy and will certainly stay sealed up tightly until you’re ready to eat.
The containers are sold individually, so they’re not a practical way to pack up a whole batch of cupcakes, but they definitely make it neater and easier to transport one from point a to point b and still have your cupcake looking as good as it did when you left the house.
