I am doing my first wedding cake in July and have some questions...the couple wants me to be there to also cut the cake...do you typically suggest having sheet cakes so that it can be served quickly then do dummy cakes for the real cake or how do you suggest getting it out quickly?? Thanks for any input or advice you can give me on setting up the cake, cutting, and / or serving the cake!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
See my link on how to cut wedding cakes: http://cateritsimple.com/_wsn/page10.html
I frequently cut my own wedding cakes and can cut 100-200 servings in about 15 minutes. By myself. If I have a helper who is laying out the cake plates, I can do it even faster.
Disassemble the entire cake, like in the pics in the above link. Because .... if there is ANY cake leftover, it will be the smaller, uncut upper tiers, which are easier to store in mom's freezer. (Having 3/4's of a 14 or 16" round is a PAIN to transport home and store for later!)
I think a dummy display cake and sheets is WAY more work than I'd want to go thru.
Also know that I dont' whisk the cake away to the kitchen to cut it.....I cut it right there on the cake table. In my area, if you do that, people tend to wonder why you are "sneaking" the cake out of the room and they wonder what you're trying to hide. Watching the cake being cut is almost as much of a reception ceremony as the tossing of the garter and the first dance.
And no, it doesnt' make me nervous to do it with peopel watching. Heck, if I had a say in it, I'd tell the DJ to tell everyone "Gather round! We're cutting the cake! Watch how she does it! Woooo-Whooooo!" 
Good question Sabz!! I would like to know the "nice" way to do that too! Any help to make this a smooth transition would be wonderful!!
Since the dowels are right at the surface of the cake, it's really no big deal to just grab them and pull them out. Sometimes they are protruding 1/8" inch or so, which makes it easier. I always have the food safety gloves on anyway, when I'm ready to cut a cake.
See my link on how to cut wedding cakes: http://cateritsimple.com/_wsn/page10.html
I frequently cut my own wedding cakes and can cut 100-200 servings in about 15 minutes. By myself. If I have a helper who is laying out the cake plates, I can do it even faster.
Disassemble the entire cake, like in the pics in the above link. Because .... if there is ANY cake leftover, it will be the smaller, uncut upper tiers, which are easier to store in mom's freezer. (Having 3/4's of a 14 or 16" round is a PAIN to transport home and store for later!)
I think a dummy display cake and sheets is WAY more work than I'd want to go thru.
Also know that I dont' whisk the cake away to the kitchen to cut it.....I cut it right there on the cake table. In my area, if you do that, people tend to wonder why you are "sneaking" the cake out of the room and they wonder what you're trying to hide. Watching the cake being cut is almost as much of a reception ceremony as the tossing of the garter and the first dance.
And no, it doesnt' make me nervous to do it with peopel watching. Heck, if I had a say in it, I'd tell the DJ to tell everyone "Gather round! We're cutting the cake! Watch how she does it! Woooo-Whooooo!"
man i wish i had seen this about a month ago, we were cutting a cake with the circle method or whatever u want to call it. ugh what a mess.. this lookes like it works awesome! 
.... we were cutting a cake with the circle method or whatever u want to call it.
I call it "The Dreaded" Circle Method!
We have a saying around here: "Paper is a wonderful thing. It will lay there and let you write ANYTHING you want on it!" Meaning, you can draw a pretty little chart showing a circle cutting system and it looks SO nice on that piece of paper. But that paper never stops the pen and says, "Hold up, dude! How are you going to stand on one side of the table and reach around and cut the FRONT side of a 16" round cake? HmmmmmmMMMMM????? 
"
Paper is a wonderful thing ...... !
.... we were cutting a cake with the circle method or whatever u want to call it.
I call it "The Dreaded" Circle Method!
We have a saying around here: "Paper is a wonderful thing. It will lay there and let you write ANYTHING you want on it!" Meaning, you can draw a pretty little chart showing a circle cutting system and it looks SO nice on that piece of paper. But that paper never stops the pen and says, "Hold up, dude! How are you going to stand on one side of the table and reach around and cut the FRONT side of a 16" round cake? HmmmmmmMMMMM?????
"Paper is a wonderful thing ...... !
OMG!! That is priceless!! I have shredded many a cake that way. Never again. Do you hang around the whole time, or come back to cut it? Do you charge extra? Is this just for people you know?
And no, it doesnt' make me nervous to do it with peopel watching. Heck, if I had a say in it, I'd tell the DJ to tell everyone "Gather round! We're cutting the cake! Watch how she does it! Woooo-Whooooo!" Very Happy
I wish you would do this!! Maybe it would help us all out. I do a lot of wedding cakes for people at my church and saw one getting cut in huge choke-a -mule pieces and it was gone before everybody got a piece. And mine was cut so tiny I had 3/4 of of it left. I sliced it and put in baggies and froze so my husband could take them in his lunch for two months.
Wow, Debi! I so needed this way a long time ago!!! You are always so amazingly helpful!!! Tops, in my book!!!
Do you hang around the whole time, or come back to cut it? Do you charge extra? Is this just for people you know?
If they buy a catering/buffet, then I cut the cake at no charge. (uh, you spend $3000 on food, heck yeah I'll cut that cake for ya!) Otherwise, it's a D&R (Drop & Run). If they want me to stay and cut it, they pay a hefty hourly rate, 4 hour minimum.
I've only had one bride pay my 4 hour minimum in the last 2 years. I had one couple who called me and hired me to come in JUST to cut their cake. I tried to tell them they could have a relative cut it by using my How-To page, but they felt better having a "pro" do it. So I showed up at the wedding, in my chef jacket, carrying my cake knife and my cutting comb! (figured if they were paying me JUST to cut a cake, the least I could do was LOOK like a "pro" for them! 
)
Indydebbie-That is so funny! Only one more question, what is a cutting comb? I just checked out your website, beautiful cakes and very informative. Sent you my own true story!
Indydebbie-That is so funny! Only one more question, what is a cutting comb? I just checked out your website, beautiful cakes and very informative. Sent you my own true story!
See my "How to cut a wedding cake" link for a pic of the cutting comb.
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