Hi.  I'm doing a wedding in a couple of weeks.  The bride ordered 3 sheet cakes in addition to the wedding cake.  I know a lot of you just do very plain, no frills sheet cakes as they will only be seen by the servers.  I want these sheet cakes to not be totally plain and was wondering, do any of you have a simple way of dressing up a sheet cake without spending a lot of time on it?  I had a friend that used to take a bounty paper towel, the ones with the design, and she would smooth it over the top to impress the design onto the cake.  I wondered if anyone has any other ideas. 

Thanks!
C~

if i do an extra cake i layer it like i would the tier cake -- typically 4 layers of cake  so all the cut servings are identical -- no decor other than a bottom border maybe 

Really? Patterns from…paper towels? On purpose? Interesting. No, I don't dress up kitchen cakes (don't make sheet cakes, but I'll make kitchen cakes, which are filled and tall like the wedding cake, sans decorations). Ill put a neatly done rustic icing effect on it, and that's it.

AIf they pay for it, sure. Like the other ladies though, I don't do sheet cakes, my kitchen cakes are 4" high layered cakes, a slice of that doesn't risk looking boring on a plate :) No offense to your friend, but I've never been a fan if the paper towel look, I'd suggest running a texture comb quickly over the top if you want a pattern.

Paper towel patterns, just say no. If I did sheet cakes or kitchen cakes (which I don't, the venues generally don't appreciate having people show up with extra stuff they have to store in a working kitchen, and some health departments have rules about having outside food in them to begin with) I'd just pipe a border on the edge or something. Nothing earthshattering.

My kitchen cakes look as though they came from the main wedding cake--and I charge the same price per slice.

If it's fondant covered, then the kitchen cake gets fondant, etc. 

I do this because I initially had people who thought they'd be saving a ton of money ordering kitchen cakes.....since I torte & fill those 4" tall cakes, I had no plans to discount them.  Now, people only get kitchen cakes when they need just a few extra servings because the style of their cake limits the size options of the tiers.

All very good advice.  Personally, I don't normally do much as far as the kitchen cake goes, I never liked the paper towel look.  Kinda goofy looking, actually.   I'm doing these cakes for a friend's daughter and was just wondering, what do other people do?  I think I'll just pipe borders on top and bottom, score them to show the cut path and call them good. 

Thanks!
C~

Athat sounds perfect

I don't do anything other than ice them.  No border and minimal smoothing.  They are in the kitchen and not meant to be seen.  They are only there to provide enough servings.  I charge less per serving (like half)  than for the wedding cake since it takes me almost no time at all and very little work to do.

AEverybody has their idea of what looks nice. I like the looks of paper toweling. I've used it often.