I am wanting some insight from your veterans out there!!

I am wanting to offer small cakes like 2 in round 4 inch round things of that nature to make mini cakes...my question is....should I just get small round pans or should I get the ring cutters and just make a sheet cake and cut them out?

I am leaning towards the cutters because I can make the cakes quicker and have only one pan to clean and store! But I will be having scraps of cake......

Thanks for the insight!!!!!

It's easier to frost the sides of the mini cakes when they are baked in the size you want. Frosting open crumb sides is harder. Sometimes when you press down on the cutter you don't apply even pressure and your circle can be on a slant.

If you avoid doing smooth sides, the smaller ones can be easy to work with. Here are some pics of some 3" sample cakes I made using an up-and-down-star-tip; a poured ganache; a mini german-chocolate; and 2 that I iced but made NO attempt to keep them smooth:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/3863342985/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/3863342857/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/3863342819/in/photostream/

I like the pans better, takes longer but no waste

Ok indYdebi what is dreamsicle frosting?

baking: i've tried using the jumbo muffin tins and put 2 layers together, but way more time to clean up. the other way was put the sheets in freezer for a bit and cut with rings. this was faster, just cut close so less waste. most i've done is 30 minis (2 layers each).

icing: the larger minis are easier to ice. the 2" took more time cause they're so light, they wouldn't stay in place. i saw a neat technique where they used fondant and cut a strip to go round the mini, then a small ring for top. different style, but still looked good.

i,ve made orange cream cheese icing (no shortening in it). add fresh squeezed orange juice to it. for carrot cakes with pineapple filling. so delicious. i think this recipe was in souther living magazine

Yummy, thanks for the info. I try to avoid cream cheese based frosting because it requires refridgeration but I may make an exception for this one...maybe when I make a cake just for me

Not sure I'm hitting the mark here, but check this out:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00188HVXW/?tag=cakecentral-20