I've just started doing wedding cakes and I have a bride who has contacted me about doing small cakes for each table instead of having one large one. My guess is she will need at least 30 because she wants to feed 300. I work out of my home and I'm trying to figure out of there is any way I could do this with only one oven. And do you charge an extra fee for doing these? Thanks a lot for any advice you can give me.
Start early - bake 4-6 pans (assuming 6-8") at a time. freeze the cakes securly wrapped. No extra charge, if I normally charge $2.75 per serving (bc), then that's what she'll pay.
A 6" cake serves 12.
A 8" cake serves 24.
Whichever size she selects, she pays for the number of servings they are designed to serve. I dont' CARE that's there's only 8 or 10 people per table .... tuff. She's paying for the 12 or 24.
And that's why these smaller cakes are not cheaper for the bride. They don't understand this is how it's priced out.
So ..... let's assume a $3/serving rate, the 6" would be $36 each and the 8" would be $72 each. $36 x 30 = $1080. $72 x 30 = $2160 She's going to spend way more for these smaller cakes than she would for a traditional cake.
Definitely add a delivery and set up fee. It takes way more time to carry in 30 cakes than it does a 4 or 5 tier cake. It takes way more cardboards and boxes. Way more baking time (WAY more!).
I've just started doing wedding cakes and I have a bride who has contacted me about doing small cakes for each table instead of having one large one. My guess is she will need at least 30 because she wants to feed 300. I work out of my home and I'm trying to figure out of there is any way I could do this with only one oven. And do you charge an extra fee for doing these? Thanks a lot for any advice you can give me.
I do charge more for an order like this....you will need more icing that you will on a single tiered cake....plus you will need bases for each of these small cakes as well.....plus they are more work to deliver.
Normally I just charge $30 for delivery and setup but I'm thinking that I will a) charge more for setup and b) charge a fee per cake because of all the things pointed out like more icing, more baking time, more boards, more boxes, ect. Those things add up quickly!
Also think about where you are going to put all those layers of cake as you assemble and decorate them. Do you have safe place/room in your home to store 10-20-30 cakes until delivery?
Also think about how you will transport them to the venue. Do you have a van? Even a van might not be enough room 
You might have to make 2 trips!
Been there, done that.....not fun
Here's another happy thought for yah.
I think that 6 inch cakes look like so many rolls of toilet paper sitting in the middle of this gigantic table. 
To me even an eight inch cake is gonna look a little forlorn out there y'know?
Here's another happy thought for yah.
I think that 6 inch cakes look like so many rolls of toilet paper sitting in the middle of this gigantic table.
To me even an eight inch cake is gonna look a little forlorn out there y'know?
I agree ... unless they put them on some kind of stand with lots of floral decor around it. Cha-Ching again.
Another thing that no one has mentioned, is if you are doing 30 cakes, thats really 60 layers that need to be baked. Two layers per cake. And an 8" cake looks very small on probably a 60" table. Unless she has stands to raise them on and flowers or something to go around the stand.
I had to do 40, 8" squares for a wedding plus a 6 tier wedding cake, and I thought I was going to die before everything was done.
And if you figure an hour a cake to assemble, ice and decorate, thats thirty hours. Not counting all the time to get your boards ready, baking, and delivery. Do you have to have a box for each one?
I would charge absolutely NO less than $80.00 per cake. These brides that think the individual cakes are SOOOOO cute, have no idea the amount of work involved.
Another thing that no one has mentioned, is if you are doing 30 cakes, thats really 60 layers that need to be baked. Two layers per cake.
omg, excellent point that I totally forgot about! 
60 pans that need greased, prepped and washed. Figure 30 minutes per pan baking time. Figure you can get 4 of these in a home oven at one time. That's 15 baking sessions x 30 minutes each = 450 baking minutes = 7.5 hours baking time. That's strictly oven time. Doesn't count the in and out of the oven, flipping on the cooling rack, mixing the batter, (and if you're using a 5 or 6 qt KA, wow, that's a lot of batches to mix!), leveling the cakes, washing and reprepping the pans, finding a place to store the cakes while you're working on them......
THEN .... making all of that icing.
Wow.
I would bake sheet cakes, fill, stack and cut out the cakes using a cardboard circle as a guide.
A 16 inch cake pan fits in most ovens. Do two of those and you got 4 8" cakes. If you're doing 6" cakes bake off 12 inch cakes or use for real sheet pans if your oven will take it. Stuff like that maybe
Oh god, just the thought of the horror of prepping and washing 60 pans...I hope I don't have nightmares tonight...
<faint>
As far as presentation goes, When I did mine I put the 6" on a 10" dummy. Then I charged more because I had to decorate the 10" as well. But the bride was THRILLED with the end result. My original plan was to rest the 6" on over-turned wine glasses. That always looks nice. Glass blocks looks nice too. or a block of foam (like a dummy) covered in a colored cloth.
Could very well have been a problem on my end, but once I had to make 5" round cakes for a decorating party (buttercream iced). I baked sheet cakes and cut out the cakes with a giant cutter. The "crumb edges" were awful to crumb coat! And when I arrived, some of the buttercream was sliding off a couple of cakes. I'd not do it this way again. Good luck though! Just put yourself in "Robot-mode"!!! 
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