Favorite Find Fridays - Progressive International Collapsible Cupcake Carrier

I know.  I started this whole Favorite Find Fridays idea, posted once and now it's been a couple weeks.  Slacker.  I know.  In my defense, I have a 5 month old, and well, that's it.  She generally sleeps fine.  She's typically happy.  My toddler sleeps fine.  She's happy.  But, that's my defense.  I have a 5 month old.  Might as well use it while I can, right?

Or, we can just say this find is so great, I needed a few weeks to build the suspense before the big reveal.  I like that.  That's our new reason.

So, here it is (ta daaa!)...the Progressive Collapsible Cupcake Carrier!

(Please forgive the photo ripped from the Progressive website.  I haven't been able to get a shot of mine because it's been in use, and covered in frosting and chocolate, but I couldn't put off this post any longer.)

My fabulous (and pregnant - yay!) sister-in-law, gave me this for Christmas last year.  I was happy to receive it then, but my excitement has only grown since.  Oh, and before you ask - no, Progressive does not know about this.  In any way.  I just genuinely love this product.

It collapses, hence the name, down to the height for a one layer cake, or tart, or pie, or 12 cupcakes, all of which I have transported successfully.  It then expands out to fit a taller cake.

Or, stack the included second cupcake tier and transport 24 cupcakes.

One of the nicest things about this, too, is that it is tall enough that I have been able to easily carry all of my cupcakes, even the very tall hi hat ones, without any damage from the container.  The sides are high enough and wide enough, the lack of which is the fatal flaw of other cupcake carriers.

It's also nice just to use as a cake stand.  I don't have a rotating cake stand, but the wide, flat base easily turns on the counter so I can frost a cake without having to contort my body into strange positions so I can reach it all.  And, of course, the cover keeps room temperature treats fresh for days.

The only down side?  It is too large to fit in my fridge, but that's really a statement about the inadequacy of my side-by-side fridge.  Truthfully, the only change I would make would be to add a strap that wraps around the entire thing (or something along those lines), to be doubled as a handle, in order to secure the bottom a little.  It has always been perfectly fine, and I've never had it fall apart in any way, but I do always worry I will catch it just right and the bottom will drop out.  But, overall, It really does fill a void in the world of baking.  And you should each own one.

(FYI:  the best price I have seen is at Amazon, for ~ $25).