Ok I am making individual cakes for a banquet this weekend. Im planning on making 50, 3 in round cakes by making large cakes and then just cutting them with a ring cutter. But how do i figure out how much cake to bake!? Im afraid of running short but also dont want to have a buttload of cake leftover....TIA

I did this once, but I didn't have to make 50 of them. I baked a 12x18 cake, then cut out the 3" individuals with a ring cutter. i was able to get 15 circles out of the 12x18 (3 across by 5 down) with just a little space between each. I would suggest that you bake three 12x18s, which would give you 45. Then I'd bake a 10" square that I could cut 9 more out of - for a total of 54. That way, if one breaks or something you have some extras.