My sister is getting married and it is a small 15 person gathering -- yet she wants an impressive large cake? Like a double 12, 8, and 4. She wants it grand but I think it is too much? Ideas? What would be a good size? Or can I dummy them???? heard of using styrofoam but never used it....

The cake will be a double chocolate cake with a layer of cheesecake with a filling of ganache. Then a WASC layer filled with ganache. I am going to frost in BC....

Thoughts

I would definitely do dummy layers, that's way too much cake (over 65 servings) even of you fed the staff and sent everybody home with some.
I have never done a styrofoam layer either, but it looks like you do it just like a regular cake. Only you don't have to crumb coat it, lol.

Does all of it have to be real cake? How about a cake dummy for the bottom large tier? The decorating work will be the same, but there will be less to waste.
Hammy

If you look in my pics, most of the multiple tier cakes are done with at least one dummy. They are really easy to work with and would be perfect for this. My only problem is that the dummies look so much cleaner than the real cake tiers!!! If I were you, I would read up on working with them and try one. A few months ago there was a big discussion on one of the boards here talking about the dos and don'ts of cake dummies. If I can find it, I'll post it for you!

I'd do the 12" as a dummy. The 8" alone will give you 24 servings (1X2X4 in serving size). If you wanted party serving sizes instead of the wedding you would still end up with 20 servings from the 8".


Here's Wilton serving guide (look under the heading baking time and batter amounts):

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/

two words..... cake dummy

Definitely some dummy cakes if she wants to enhance the size of the cake without having a ton of cake leftover. Wilton Wedding chart shows a 12/8 cakes serves 56/24 = 80 servings, so unless she's planning a big leftovers party ...... !

Definitely dummy cake - unless there is a tradition to send / give wedding favors even to neighbors, colleagues... as it is here. Than, you could "dispose" lot of cake this way, because as "wedding favors" we understand pieces of cake and desserts/cookies - not other small gifts.

Another point - it is nice to have big wedding cake. But with party of 15, it could easy "steal" the focus. Party of 15 means fairly small room and big cake will be even bigger center of attention as it normal would. It is something to take in account.

Absolutely use a dummy, or two, or three! Why spend lots of time and ingredients on a cake that won't get eaten
I had an enquiry for a cake this week in the shape of a ute (I think it's a pick up truck in the US) any way, this would be a big, dificult job with lots of cake carving etc and she wanted it to look like one in a photo... but only to serve 5 - 8 people. At first I thought she said 58, but nope 5-8. why would any one spend a couple of hundred bucks on a cake for 8 people But there you have it. Luckily, I was already booked for that day anyway LOL

if she really wants a large, impressive cake (and love the look, too!), she might consider paying your for a full size cake with the understanding that the larger cakes will be donated to a food kitchen or charity organization to feed the hungry/homeless. Just seems a shame to go to all the work to decorate a dummy cake.