I am going to be making my first wedding cake for a friend this summer and was originally planning to purchase the Fat Daddios 3" high pans (10" round, 12" square, 14" round, 16" square). I am putting an estimate together for my friend and I went off of the batter amounts given by Fat Daddio's. After reading reviews on Cake Central, many people prefer the Magic Line pans over the Fat Daddio's brand. I am trying to find a chart that has how much batter goes into the Magic Line pans because I need to make sure my estimate for my friend is accurate. 

According to the Fat Daddio's site the 10" round takes 11 cups of batter, but the generic chart I found on here and Wilton's site stated that a 10" round (3" high) pan should only be filled 1/2 full and have only 8 cups. The 12" Square FD pan takes 20 cups and Wilton states 14 cups. The 14" Round FD pan takes 21.25 cups and Wilton state 15. The 16" Square RD pan takes 35.5 cups and Wilton doesn't even have that size of pan on their chart.

The reason I was going to go with 3" high pans was to get a cake layer as close to 3" as possible. The decorations my friend wants on the tiers are 5.75" high so I need 6" high tiers and I really didn't want to bake 3 cakes (2" each) to achieve this. I based my estimate/ingredient list off of higher amounts of batter that was listed on Fat Daddio's. 

Does anyone have a chart that they could share for the batter amounts, temp and bake times for the Magic Line pans? I looked online and can't find anything and I need to have the estimate to my friend this week.  I would hate to have to scrap all of the numbers I put together for the estimate for the 3" pans and have to create one with 2" layers instead. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

AFirst off, good Lord that is a lot of cake!!! How many servings do you need?

Honestly, I'd figure out a rough estimate, over estimate if you can and go from there. If you end up with extra left over, give it back. Better than asking for money or shelling it out yourself. She doesn't need to know. :grin:

6" tiers are kinda high, have you thought about doing double barrel instead? I'm only asking this because cutting and serving the cake may get super awkward since the slices will be 6" tall.

I prefer to bake in 3" tall pans, but I NEVER try to bake 3" tall layers. 

I put in only enough batter to create a nice, full, 2" layer.  I use the Wilton batter charts [http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-party-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm] and I weigh my pans when filled so that when I bake more than one layer of the same size, it takes the same amount of time to bake and comes out the same height.

For me, in my home oven, 3" tall layers take too long to bake and come out with dry edges & tops.  I always use Ateco heating core nails [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061UGRIC/?tag=cakecentral-20+heating+core] in ALL layers--multiples in cakes larger than 8".  I use bake-even strips on cakes over 12", too.

For me, a 6" tall tier will always be a "double barrel"--2 3" cakes with a board and supports between the 2.  Not only is it more stable, but it is also easier for cutting and serving.  6" tall slices do not fit on regular sized dessert plates.

I'd love to save time baking 3" tall layers, but I prefer the consistency and quality of 2" layers.

The cake proposed:  16"+14"+12"+10", 6" tall tiers IS OVER 700 WEDDING SERVINGS OF CAKE..................Even with 10 years of decorating under my belt, I would personally never even contemplate such a cake without a custom made, industrial support system, either.

AI third the "holy moly that's a lot of cake" sentiments above. Methinks some recalculations are in order. First among them, will a 16" pan fit in your oven?

Please know that there aren't many industries where people are quoting out jobs down to the ounce.  You just estimate, and if you found a chart with either 8 or 11 cups, always go with the higher number.  In any project, there is something you might forget, and if you don't have some cushion built in, your profit gets eaten away.  Just give it your best shot and give her a number. :)

Liz

Thank you everyone for your replies. I understand that a double barrel will be easier to cut and fit on the plate better, but she would like all buttercream so what do you usually put between the board and top of cake underneath so the frosting doesn't come off on the board? I've had this happen with cakes I have done for family in the past and it is always a mess. My friend needs about 300-350 servings. If I double barrel the cake I will have double the servings as as maybenot suggested, she wanted a 4 tier (originally it was a 5...ugh) and  heart picks that go onto the sides and they are 5.75" tall, that is really the only reason I went with that tall of a cake. I measured my oven and 16" pan will fit. I also plan on using the cakestacker system for this. There is no way I would make a cake this size without it. Transportation would be a disaster. Also, thank you for mentioning making 2" layers. That is what I have always done in the past and it is good to know that just because there is a 3" pan, that doesn't mean a 3" cake will cook nicely in it. I wanted to save time, but it will waste more time if my cakes do not bake right and I have to start over.

If she only needs half that much cake, I'd do the bottom half of each tier as a dummy.  That would also eliminate any worries about the BC coming off.

I charge 80% the cost of real cake for each dummy, so that would be about $900 for something that wouldn't be eaten, but, hey, if you want the drama, you gotta pay for it.............

Using a dummy is a great idea. Thanks!