Wedding cakes are most commonly priced on a per serving basis. The basic theory is – the flavor, frosting, design and construction give a cost per serving, which is multiplied by the number of servings needed. One of the most economical approaches is to use the minimum number of tiers and allow an average of one piece per guest.
Kitchen cakes, sometimes referred to as “cutting cakes”, are usually simple undecorated sheet cakes which are pre-cut in the kitchen (hence their name). This option benefits the caterer as the cake can be cut ahead of the official cake cutting ceremony and pre-plated onto racks in the kitchen. The caterer will enjoy this as the cake can be cut during more quiet times for the staff. You will not know when the cake is cut, as it is done in the kitchen where you cannot see it. Then as soon as the official cake cutting occurs, the staff walk out of the kitchen carrying the pre-sliced cake servings for the guests. The unfortunate result is that the cake will not only dry out when cut, but will also absorb smells from the kitchen environment. Even the cleanest kitchens smell, especially when they contain food scraps, and cooking and dish washing areas.
The best looking cakes are sized to the event, meaning that the number of guests determine the size of the cake. Cakes will look out of proportion if they are too small for the reception and guests will quickly know they could be getting sheet cake if they see a small wedding cake. Secondly, the guests who are served the pre-cut kitchen cake will not get the same quality cake as guests who are served from the wedding cake. Considering this is one of the most important days of your life and that you have spent a lot of time preparing for it, you have only one chance to make a lasting impression.
Styrofoam or “dummy” cakes are foam blocks covered and decorated with frosting made to look like real cakes from the outside intending to make the wedding cake appear larger. Some brides are influenced by the ceiling height of the location and try to make their cake “fill the room”. A more meaningful approach is to consider when the cake cutting occurs. The guests’ attention should be on the bride and groom, with bias towards the bride. Their focus should also be on the happy expressions on the couple’s faces and not on how tall the cake is. If the cake is taller than the bride’s eye level, it can be a distraction from what guests should be looking at, i.e., the bride and groom. Even if you did add an additional layer, it would only add three (3) inches per tier to the overall height of the cake, making little overall difference in a tall room.
Typically, the order in which the cake is cut is to cut the first ceremonial piece from the bottom tier; then the caterer cuts and serves from the top down, excluding the top anniversary tier. If you decide to add a fake tier, it would need to be at the bottom so it would be left untouched at the end of the evening. Obviously, you will need to adjust to the next tier up for your cake cutting photographs. Considering that decorating the “dummy” layer adds a lot more work for the baker and no one will be actually eating it…..why bother? Wedding cakes are sized to the event and will look out of proportion if they are too large for the reception.
Why not achieve a more spectacular effect by placing the cake on an elegant silver cake stand. These stands are taller than the height of a tier of cake and are rented for about $50.00.
The most appropriate cake serving occurs when the cake is cut and served to guests where it is displayed. A skilled and confident caterer should have staff capable of cutting the cake correctly and serving it directly to the guests without taking it to the kitchen.
If you are considering either kitchen/cutting cake or fake Styrofoam cake, ask yourself a question…what will you and your gusts remember in the future? Will it be the few dollars you saved by using kitchen cake, the three inches you added with your cake’s fake height or will it be a correctly sized, beautiful a delicious cake you served to your family and friends on your very special day?
This 4 teir stunning shaped cake was difficult to cover in rolled fondant as our friend gravity wanted to pull the frosting from the underside of each tier. So you could say this cake defies gravity.
How would you like to get your wedding cake for free? Don’t you love to talk about your wedding with other brides who are sharing your excitement? Well, if you put these two things together, that’s how you can get your free wedding cake. To make it easier, I’ll let you choose how to do it. If your wedding was in the Richmond Virginia area you can choose one of two options.
