Sick Of Cake Frosting Being Ruined By Plastic Wrap? There's A Solution For That (No Toothpicks!)

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It's a tragedy for the ages: You make the tastiest cake or a collection of prettily iced cupcakes; then you've got to wrap them and boom — the plastic smushes that gorgeous frosting. When you remove the wrap, it takes frosting with it, and you've got a mess on your hands. Surely there's a better way, even if you don't want to invest in a cake carrier? The answer, happily, is yes. 

The trick is simple, requiring nothing more than the plastic wrap you've been using that makes a mess — but you'll be using a different technique than flat wrapping or using finicky toothpicks to tent the wrap. It involves creating an air pocket inside the plastic wrap instead of wrapping the cake closely. You create a dome over the cake filled with air, sealed snugly so the cake remains fresh, safe from bacteria that can cause it to spoil or air that makes it go stale. 

To perform this trick, place the cake or cupcakes on a plate or in a wide enough bowl, then wrap the plastic wrap around the bowl or plate with the roll vertical so you have plenty of wrap standing above the cake and its precious frosting. Pull the tall wrap up to a point, then twist and knot the point and let it drop. The trapped air will cause it to fall into a dome so nothing touches your cakes. 

With this nifty dome hack, you'll never fight with plastic wrap again. It's perfect in a pinch, like if your friend is sending you home with leftover cake and they also don't have a carrier or covered cake dish to spare. But there are a few things to keep in mind to get the ultimate result.

It works best with larger sizes of plastic wrap rolls. This Fuga City stretch wrap film is 15 inches wide compared to the standard 12-inch rolls. The larger rolls are more common in restaurant kitchens, but they're easy to find online and a good idea to have on hand for all kinds of leftovers storage. Rolls like this also come on handles, making it effortless to pull around a dish. Also, you may need someone to help you do this wrap. If you have a cake stand where you can get under the dish easily, that's a plus; otherwise, it streamlines the method to have someone hold the dish up while the other person pulls the wrap. This ensures an extra smooth, secure fit with no openings for air to get in. 

This hack is a lifesaver when wraps like plastic or foil are the only things on hand. But if you do anticipate a decent deal of cake-baking and transporting, it may be worth it to peruse some of the best cake carriers and find a favorite, like this Nvaziop 10-inch keeper stand with a handle.