Math geniuses...I'm calling on ya!

If I take a 6" round tier and taper it down to 3" (mad hatter style) and taper an 8" down to 4"....how many servings do I really have? Before tapering, of course I had the standard 36. I'm a doof with math. And I hate having to explain serving amounts and the pricing with these styles of cake.

Help? Thanks in advance.

Oh math geniuses..then you won't be needing my help, I still count on my fingers.

Oh! You! I thought I had a genius on my hands.....eh, ...lol!

I thought about that when I posted, I was thinking yep she's gonna think she has a answer but it's just gonna be me, how dissapointing is that.

opps did it again

Well, you could just average the two - so for the 8" down to a 4" cake I would add the two and divide by two to get 6" - use the 6" (which is the midpoint) to calculate # servings for that particular cake - if the cake is a standard height. Does that make sense?

OK, I wouldn't call myself a math genius but this should work:

x = b+(a-b)/2

Where:
x is the servings in topsy turvy
a is number of servings in larger cake size
b is number of servings in smaller cake size

I agree with Toptier, add the bottom and top diameters together and divide by two and you will get the midpoint serving size to go by (that's how I do it anyway!), I only taper mine by 2, maybe 3in though - 4 would make me scared that it will collapse under its own top heavy weight!

I would use 75% of what the cake would be without being tapered.... I think that will give you the same result as the equation, but is easier to figure out.

HTH

Jen (degree in math hehehe)

Oh what the....I wasn't being notified, thanks for the replies guys, I'll read them now. Urgh!

I would first ask how tall your tiers are going to be? Ifthey are 4" tall which I dont think would look right I would quote 75% of what the full sized cake would of been, but if they are taller then I would quote them as being an 8", 6" 4" and 3" hope that makes sence.

I make my Topsy Turvey's using 2.25 - 2.5in layers baked in 3in deep pans, so when I have cut and flipped the top of each tier, the taller side is approx 6in and the shorter approx 4in - hope that helps!

Glad you asked 'cause I've wondered too. So, do you charge for what you bake or how many servings are left after carving? And I usually do 6" (3 layers) tiers for TT. But if I don't understand, don't know how a cake muggle would

When I do tapered tiers, I add a layer so they are 6" tall. You are adding 50% more cake for the height... and carving it away from the sides. I just call a 6" tall tapered 8" tier the same servings as a normal 8" tier and charge more for it. That makes up for any losses on my end.

Happy to be of service.

I think you need the taller tier for the tapered effect to look proper. It doesn't look right on smaller tiers. I always start with a solid tier of cake, I don't like fussing to make the sides flat. Starting with a solid tier assures your sides are all flat and even and it makes icing them easier... for me anyway.

Yes-totally agree, needs to be TALL for good effect. I hate the squatty look.

Jeanne (still want to call you JKalman ). So what size 6" tall do you say has the same amount of servings as an 8" round? Are you saying a 6" round that is 6" tall? If so, you would say, ____ servings (I'm too lazy to see how many) & charge your sculpted/3D cake rate? And then blame them if they don't get that many servings

And dummy me doesn't understand what you mean about getting the sides flat. Would you care to elaborate?

Sure...

I am speaking on an 8" round. If you add an extra layer making it 6" tall... then shave down the sides to taper to 6" then you are pretty much taking off that extra layer so you are left with the same amount of cake as a normal 8" round... it's just taller and thinner at the bottom. Does that make sense? I know sometimes I get to blabbing and don't always come across clearly. (oh... and I still want to sign in as jkalman most of the time... LOL ) An 8" tier that is 4" tall is a teeny bit over 201 cubic inches and a tapered 8" tier that is 6" tall and 6" at the base is a little over 232 cubic inches... close enough for me. So I charge more for carved tiers like this.. it makes up for the cake lost by carving so I am covered... and they get the same amount of cake as a normal tier of the same size.

I always start with a solid tier of cake so when you carve it there are no spaces left like when you use graduated sizes of layers. It makes it MUCH easier to ice. The sides are nice and smooth and you don't have to build up any areas to get it even. I attached a picture to show what I mean.

I get ya now! Thanks for explaining it. Now I can't wait to try another one, especially since I have SPS to make stacking easier

Thats what I decided as well. 6" would give a better look as well as make it easier to figure out servings.