Satellite Tiers, Need Help With The Math
Decorating By FromScratchSF Updated 8 Jul 2011 , 10:44pm by CWR41
Hello CC, this is a new one for me, I just booked a cake for a wedding that I want to make a satellite base like this cake:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1401411 (I randomly just saw this on another thread and it's exactly what I'm looking for).
I want to do 6" cakes, then have a 12" tier above them. My question, how do I do the math to make sure I have as many 6" cakes that I'll need? Do you think I need 5 or 6 cakes so that there is no space between each and still have a nice 2-3" lip to be uniform with the cakes above it? Or do I need to just play with my pans? This is making my head hurt trying to work this out!
Any help you could offer would be great. 
Jen
My question, how do I do the math to make sure I have as many 6" cakes that I'll need? Do you think I need 5 or 6 cakes so that there is no space between each and still have a nice 2-3" lip to be uniform with the cakes above it? Or do I need to just play with my pans?
You could play with pans or cake circles. Here's a thread where I helped someone figure out a large configuration of that cake... some of it might apply: http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-697077-satellite.html
Seven 6" cakes will fit under the 12" (with a 7" dummy in the middle), but only 1-2 inches will actually be under the 12".
Six 6" cakes will fit under the 12" (with a 6" dummy in the middle), with 3 inches beneath the 12". If using this setup, it will span 18" so I recommend a custom 22" base board if transporting the satellites together. (If not transporting together, they can be arranged directly on the display table at the venue, but keep in mind if they're on their own boards that are larger than 6" the boards will show and the satellite cakes will be spaced farther apart from one another.)
So if i have 6 under a 12" tier that will span 18", won't that look weird? Well wait, lemme tell you the cakes above - I picture a 12", 1/2 10", 9", 1/2 8", & 6". So if I do 6 x 6" for the base that span 18", would that look weird since the above cake is more of a tower?
So if i have 6 under a 12" tier that will span 18", won't that look weird? Well wait, lemme tell you the cakes above - I picture a 12", 1/2 10", 9", 1/2 8", & 6". So if I do 6 x 6" for the base that span 18", would that look weird since the above cake is more of a tower?
I don't think so, if 1/2 means a 2" tall tier, your setup will be taller than it is wide including the 6" satellite base cakes, so it won't look short and squatty. I'm more curious about the 1/2 tiers and the 9"... is it necessary to choose these sizes to meet a serving goal that's fewer servings than using full-size tiers and/or the look the bride is going for?
So if i have 6 under a 12" tier that will span 18", won't that look weird? Well wait, lemme tell you the cakes above - I picture a 12", 1/2 10", 9", 1/2 8", & 6". So if I do 6 x 6" for the base that span 18", would that look weird since the above cake is more of a tower?
I don't think so, if 1/2 means a 2" tall tier, your setup will be taller than it is wide including the 6" satellite base cakes, so it won't look short and squatty. I'm more curious about the 1/2 tiers and the 9"... is it necessary to choose these sizes to meet a serving goal that's fewer servings than using full-size tiers and/or the look the bride is going for?
no, it's my design. i've seen a few cakes lately with this look and love it. I only need 180-200 servings (they are getting me final head count still) BUT, if I need 7 cakes on the base then I'll have way too much cake by doing the 2x2" tiers and the sizes I've picked. So, back to the drawing board 
!
Thank you for your help!
no, it's my design. i've seen a few cakes lately with this look and love it. I only need 180-200 servings (they are getting me final head count still) BUT, if I need 7 cakes on the base then I'll have way too much cake by doing the 2x2" tiers and the sizes I've picked. So, back to the drawing board
!Thank you for your help!
Sounds like your design will work out perfectly for the serving goal. If they need more servings for the final count, adding a seventh 6" satellite cake would only be 12 more servings--not way too much cake. I think this design is very flexible to accommodate for more or fewer servings. Have fun making it and let us see how it works out!
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