which type of knife crushes the cake (covered in fondant) less when you cut - in your experience? serrated or smooth ? i want to see distinct clean layers of cake and filling. does this depend on the type of knife you use or is it a refrigerated or room temp issue? wiping the blade after each cut? warm water? cloth? this just seems so time consuming when you are cutting a large cake to feed a couple hundred people...
i go through all the effort of a fancy cake, with beautiful torting and fillings then i end up with a smudgy slice of cake. any suggestions? prepping really for a wedding coming up. i want it to look beautiful inside and out. thanks a bunch.
Wow, melysa, good questions. I haven't ever done a cake in fondant that I was cutting, so I don't have the answer on that aspect of it. I CAN tell you that with b/c covered cakes, it seems that taking your time and actually SLICING the cake, not just pushing the knife down through it, works best for me. Also, wiping the knife every few slices helps as well. I would expect that this would be true for a fondant-covered cake, also.
One thing I have discovered is that if I cut a strip across the width of the cake, about 2" deep, then lay it on its side (so I am cutting in the same direction as the filling ... essentially a horizontal cut), the cake cuts much more cleanly.
For example: I cut a strip 2" deep across the width of the cake. If I just make slices from the top edge down to the bottom edge, I am going to slightly compress the cake. However, if I lay the strip on the edge I first cut, then I am going to be cutting in the same direction as the top and bottom edges of the cake. This lends itself to a cleaner cut because the knife is working in the same direction as the "crust" edges.
Does this make sense? I am trying to describe for you what I do here, but I feel my vocabulary is failing me. If this explanation does not help, let me know and I will try to illustrate for you.
Odessa
....For example: I cut a strip 2" deep across the width of the cake. If I just make slices from the top edge down to the bottom edge, I am going to slightly compress the cake. However, if I lay the strip on the edge I first cut, then I am going to be cutting in the same direction as the top and bottom edges of the cake. This lends itself to a cleaner cut because the knife is working in the same direction as the "crust" edges.
As part of the price of my wedding cake package, I stay and cut the wedding cake and this is exactly how I do it, too! I NEVER use the "circle method" as described in a number of serving charts. Not accurate and too messy. While I don't do fondant, the cause-and-result you describe above is logical for both types. I find there is less-mess, less crumbling, when I lay the 2" strip on it's side and then cut the 1" pieces from that. Nice and clean.
....For example: I cut a strip 2" deep across the width of the cake. If I just make slices from the top edge down to the bottom edge, I am going to slightly compress the cake. However, if I lay the strip on the edge I first cut, then I am going to be cutting in the same direction as the top and bottom edges of the cake. This lends itself to a cleaner cut because the knife is working in the same direction as the "crust" edges.
As part of the price of my wedding cake package, I stay and cut the wedding cake and this is exactly how I do it, too! I NEVER use the "circle method" as described in a number of serving charts. Not accurate and too messy. While I don't do fondant, the cause-and-result you describe above is logical for both types. I find there is less-mess, less crumbling, when I lay the 2" strip on it's side and then cut the 1" pieces from that. Nice and clean.
Indydebi, I think you and I were twins separated at birth! 
I have for years gone to the wedding reception to cut the cake. First, it gives me instant feedback on what worked and what didn't. Second, I get all my equipment back and no need for deposits/returns/cleaning, etc. Third, it looks way more professional when I leave than when some guests or a clueless caterer cuts the cake ... I always wrap the top tier in freezer paper, with label on how to freeze & thaw it. I also leave a box for the Bride & Groom labeled as their "Midnight Snack" box they take with them when they leave the reception ... good for a nibble at 3:00 a.m., or (as one couple used it) on the way to the airport for their honeymoon! If any of my equipment is broken, I probably did it myself since no one else touches the cake, so I don't have to accuse anyone of anything and feel guilty later. So many advantages to this method! And lastly, the Bride gets AT LEAST the number of servings she paid me for, usually more! If I need to squeeze an extra 20 servings or so, I can adjust the size of the slices to accommodate ... or make them just a bit larger if they don't want to take home 200 pieces of cake.
Just one more way to make myself indispensible to my Brides!!! Yay!
Odessa
Odessa; Hey! Have you been peeking at my game plan!? I can list the very same reasons. No messing with deposits. no worrying about getting the equipment back. And if someone else cuts the cake wrong, they will NEVER say it's because they cut the cake wrong ..... it will always be because "...Debi didnt' make enough cake!" We never have that problem when we cut the cake!
Feedback from my brides? Me cutting the cake is the BEST service I offer.
I started doing it over 25 years ago when the local bakery wedding cakes prices were lower than mine. I had to find some reason for brides to buy from me instead of them. The bakery didn't deliver and they didn't cut the cake for the bride. Ta-Dahhhhhh!!! My selling point was born!
If you ever get to Indpls, give me a holler! Coffee pot is always on!
thank you both for the helpful information. I havent tried it that way but i think its a great idea and definately will give it a go- now i see how that would work for a square cake nice and neatly...how about a round or other shape? does it "change" the amount of servings? (chart servings?) i suppose you could adjust like one of you said...and just deal with a few odd angle pieces...no biggie if the slices are more clean looking. thanks again.
I've used the 2" strip method on all cakes since Day One, even round.
Ditto, melysa. You really can't use the Wilton "cake cutting chart" as totally accurate. I just use them as a guide when determining tier sizes for wedding cakes. Yes, you do have some slightly odd pieces, but that's okay ... usually the "cake fiend" people will take those. And I occasionally cut a few pieces that are a little less than a serving ... set them together so that the "dieters" (who always want cake but feel guilty if they have a whole piece) can have a taste, too (minus the guilt).
And indy, it's really too bad we don't live closer together ... we could be in business together! Now, wouldn't that be a hoot?!!?? 
Anyway, if you ever get up my direction, let me know; I can work the coffee pot with the best of 'em!
Odessa
Okay ladies, I may just be tired this morning, but I can not picture how you are cutting the cake. I understand the first cut across the entire cake. But then I get lost.
Are you saying that you take that strip and place the cut side down, and then slice? I don't understand what you mean by :
"However, if I lay the strip on the edge I first cut, then I am going to be cutting in the same direction as the top and bottom edges of the cake."
Please explain, or if you have photos you can post, even better! I seem to be a very visual learner. 
Thanks,
Kathi
Okay ladies, I may just be tired this morning, but I can not picture how you are cutting the cake. I understand the first cut across the entire cake. But then I get lost.
Are you saying that you take that strip and place the cut side down, and then slice? I don't understand what you mean by :
....
Thanks,
Kathi
Yes, precisely. Cut a 2" strip of cake. You now have a strip 2" x the width of where you cut from the cake. Lay that strip, CUT SIDE DOWN, onto your board and cut slices 1" wide from it.
Sorry, girls. I sometimes have difficulty in describing something verbally in order to paint a clear picture.
Does this help?
Odessa
I think I'm going to see pictures of this method. I think I am over thinking it and that is causing me to mess it all up. I have mental images of you picking up a entire half of a decorated cake(in my mind its a 16 inch round!?) and laying it cut side down! 
I know that is not what you are meaning, but that is my image.
I have always cut in wedges(I believe you are doing squares, right?) because I have always done party cakes. I like to give them quite big pieces. But I'd like to see this method, you know, just in case I need squares.
I think I'm going to see pictures of this method. I think I am over thinking it and that is causing me to mess it all up. I have mental images of you picking up a entire half of a decorated cake(in my mind its a 16 inch round!?) and laying it cut side down! I know that is not what you are meaning, but that is my image.I have always cut in wedges(I believe you are doing squares, right?) because I have always done party cakes. I like to give them quite big pieces. But I'd like to see this method, you know, just in case I need squares.
Actually, the slices we cut for weddings are more like a "deck of cards" -- they are 1" wide x 2" deep x 3"-4" (the height of the tier). I only cut "squares" when I have a 2" deep sheet cake, and then it is 2"x2"x2" for a serving.
As for laying the 2" strip on its side, yes, I frequently am cutting a 14" or 16" tier into a 2" strip across and laying it on its side. I have done it either of two ways for that size cake:
*METHOD A: cut a 2" strip across the cake, making sure the cut is complete and goes across the entire width. Now I make sure (using the knife) that my cake isn't "stuck" to the board below. Using my knife in one hand and a gloved hand on the other side, I gently and carefully slide the 2" deep strip away from the bulk of the cake and then gently topple it onto its side. At that point, I can cut 1" slices from this strip. Obviously, I have to cut the first strip out of the way before I can start to lay down subsequent strips, but it works.
*METHOD B: Cut a 2" strip from the edge of my cake, slicing 1" slices from it. Turn the cake so I am perpendicular to the first cut, and cut another 2" strip perpendicular to the first cut, slicing the 1" slices from it. Now I have a squared up corner. I repeat this until I have gone around the cake and turned it into a square. Now it is easy to cut 2" strips from the original cake, lay them down like in Method A above, and cutting 1" slices from them.
Obviously, it's much easier to cut a square cake as you don't have the rounded edges (and, subsequently, oddly-shaped slices) to contend with, but I find that squaring up the cake first helps, especially if I have someone else helping me to cut. I can tell anyone how to cut a square cake and they can be successful, freeing me up to do other things. But a round cake somehow confounds a novice cake cutter.
Also, there are times when cutting a 2" strip from a 16" or 18" cake poses a logistical problem with laying the strip on its side (maybe I don't have enough "open" area on my board yet, for instance). In that case, I will cut the 2" strip, but not all the way across the cake; I leave a few inches uncut. Then I cut the strip into a more managable length, maybe 8" - 10" or so, lay this shorter length on its side and cut 1" slices from it. Then I will cut the remainder of the first 2" strip and proceed from there. It really is manageable, if you just think about what you're doing the first few times you cut your cake.
I hope this description helps you all out. I find that there is nothing more frustrating than designing a gorgeous cake for a Bride to feed x people, and then when the cake is cut there were not enough servings because the person(s) cutting the cake were clueless about how to manage it successfully. Tends to makes Brides cry, and that's certainly not what we want.
If anyone needs more info, let me know. Maybe I can put together some sketches this weekend and post them here so you can visualize this better.
Happy Baking,
Odessa
I remember about a year and a half ago, when I did one of my first weddings--I looked everywhere on the web for instructions with PICTURES on how to cut a wedding cake properly and efficiently. Guess what? THERE WERE NONE AND STILL AREN'T!
If one of y'all ladies were to post such a tutorial on your website---you'd probably get ALL KINDS of hits to your site from just that part alone.
There have to be lots of people out there looking for just this information! Wilton has a cutting chart, but it's serving suggestions are just too finite for the average joe. Earlene's site is tremendously helpful, although she doesn't have a "visual" on the subject either.
I think this might just be an inroad for some of y'all. Just a suggestion!
And Odessa's right on the money with the cutting. That's how I do it too. I even include a snack cake (personalized with bride & groom's initials and matching their wedding cake) and a snack-to-go box for them as well. They love me.
--Knox--
for those of you who offer to go to the reception to cut and serve the cake, how much do you charge for this priceless service???
for those of you who offer to go to the reception to cut and serve the cake, how much do you charge for this priceless service???
I've built that right into my wedding cake pricing. I don't charge by the slice, but by the job (thought process behind that: it's just as much work to do a great cake for 50 as for 500, so it actually makes more sense to charge by the job for me.).
I prefer to handle only one wedding cake per calendar day, but will do 2 of them if necessary. I have done 3, but won't do that again if I don't have to! It's pretty tough on the body. At any rate, because I have my day dedicated to only one wedding, I can be at the reception at a pre-determined time to cut the wedding cake, usually about 45 minutes - 1 hour after dinner is scheduled to start (around here it's pretty much buffet service, no tableside service). That way, people are still eating, B&G are probably done, cake can be cut & served, and the rest of the evening is for dancing/mingling/drinking/munching on the cake that has been wrapped in napkins (whatever doesn't go out on plates). I wrap top tier in freezer paper, add a label for how to freeze & thaw it, put a "Midnight Snack" box together for B&G with 2 pieces of each flavor of cake for them to take on their wedding night destination (wards off the hungries at 3:00 a.m.), and I am usually home by 10:00 p.m. No deposits to return, all my equipment comes with me and I take care of it.
If you would like a breakdown of my current pricing chart (which is going to be changing as of 1/1/07), just PM me and I will be happy to respond.
HTH,
Odessa
p.s. This "valuable" service came about because a local country club wanted $125.00 to cut one of my wedding cakes about 15 years ago ... I figure it's worth at least that much if anyone wants to charge a set fee. I know some places around here will charge up to $3.00 per person to cut and serve the wedding cake. Sounds pretty pricey to me, and this way, the B&G know they are going to get the quantity of servings they paid me for (if not more), they will be cut accordingly (no reading the newspaper through one of my slices as some reception halls have tried to do!), and what doesn't get served gets wrapped in napkins so their guests can carry some home if they'd like. Just makes lots of sense to me, and gets me plenty of work. Making your "service" invaluable to the customer tends to insure you have plenty of work to go around. 
Cutting the cake is included in my wedding cake package. I rarely sell "just a wedding cake". Brides like the convenience and ease of making one decision and getting everything they need for their cake reception. the only time I sell just the cake (what we call a "Drop and Run" cake), is when the facility only permits the cake to be brought in from the outside ..... no punch, no nuts, nuthin'! In those situations, they are buying just the cake .... I deliver and set it up and I'm gone.
Details of my packages are on my website (link below).
I have weddings on Sat the 30th. I'll try to get some pics as I cut the cake and post them, if that will help, too.
Pleeeeeeease post pictures. I'm sleep deprived, tired, and exhausted from entertaining family/friends this holiday time of year. I simply cannot picture how you are cutting the cakes . If you can post pix for me I would really appreciate your time 
Tug
aobodessaNow it makes a little more sense. I believe I've got it.
indydebi-just wanted to say that I read your website like crazy last night. You have so much information on it! I learned lots about weddings, most of it common sense but I just never thought of it before. I'm not in a business at all, just for fun right now, but if I ever decide to I'm using you as a model. [/b]
I have pics on how to do this from my wedding on the 30th. I had 2 weddings to cater that day so please give me some unwind time to get them posted. (My feet! My poor aching feet!!). Both went well and one of the brides gave my crew a $300 tip to split among the 3 of them! They did a great job for me! I am so blessed to have them on my team!
If I can share a funny story: I accidently took the trashbag that had the linen napkins in it to the dumpster. You should have seen me hanging over the edge of the dumpster, my big 'ole butt sticking up in the air, trying to retrieve that bag! One of my crew was holding my ankle so I wouldn't fall in and she told me later that she was laughing so hard at me that had I taken a tumble she wouldn't have been able to hold me anyway! But I found the bag!!!
fmandds, thanks so much for the great review! My 20-something daughter says my site is too wordy ".....20-somethings dont' read, we scan." I keep reminding her that this is WEDDING info and brides are thirsting for any info they can find. (And every time a bride tells me how helpful my site is, I make SURE to relay it to my daughter!)
OK, I've just posted the pics. I had no idea they would show up backwards (wrong order) so I'm glad I numbered them! 
There are 5 "how-to" pics plus a pic of the cake before I started cutting it. Just click on "Photos" below. The photos are labeled "Red Ribbon Cake ...." cutting photos 1 thru 5.
OK, I've just posted the pics. I had no idea they would show up backwards (wrong order) so I'm glad I numbered them!
There are 5 "how-to" pics plus a pic of the cake before I started cutting it. Just click on "My Photos" below.
Thanks so much for going to the trouble of posting pictures. Now your explanation is perfectly clear. Very helpful!
Tammy
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It all makes sense now. Now I need to get me a comb, it looks like it comes in handy. Thanks again!
The comb I had for 20 years came up missing at a wedding last year! I HURRIED to eBay to get another one! I just can't do a wedding without one!
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