Hi all, I am hoping you can help 

I was just wondering how bakers, especially for wedding cakes, go about offering samples and tastings at sit down consultations. Especially if you do not have a bulk load of appointments at current, or within the same week of each other? 

Obviously having to bake various sponges for each consultation is expensive, time consuming and a waste when there are whole cakes to be eaten. 

How do you go about providing cake samples? 

All the info and help you can give would be much appreciated

my idea is a little different -- i don't give samples -- i make two 4" cakes from the scraps of the wedding cake from leveling it out or baking leftover batter in 4" pans, whatever and deliver them with the cake in boxes and one is designated 'honeymoon cake' and one is designated 'anniversary cake' -- i tell them that it is my gift to them and in that way they can serve every portion of the bride's cake and still have a bite to eat that night and for the one year later thing --

like you say, it's too hard to make samples -- counter productive -- 

because larger shops can play tea party with the b&g more power to 'em but it's just too much for the smaller operations huh -- and i've always said who doesn't know what vanilla, chocolate and strawberry cake taste like anyhow --

so a completely different idea than you were asking for but if you do a search you will find zillions of threads on other ways to do the samples --

some peeps box them and give it to them 'to go' -- what if they leave them in their car or wait too long to eat them -- idk-- some do a monthly thing -- some do the tea party, some charge for it, some freeze cupcakes from leftover batter and whip them out of the freezer --

best to you

Thank you. That is a really lovely idea with the honeymoon cake. 

I am still only taking few and far between orders as ive only been going a few months, so i really never have left over batter. 

I may look into the tea parties if i can drive enough interest and then just get people to sit down over a few days and book there cakes. 

Thanks for your advice.

I charge $35 for my tastings.  It will go toward the total if they book with me.  I wrap and freeze individual size cake servings and individual size frostings and just thaw them out the night before I need them.

AI charge $20 for tastings and don't credit the fee toward the cost of the cake. I try to schedule everything on the same day or the same weekend to minimize time spent prepping and baking.

I have 2 different tasting options to choose from. Baker's choice means I have them in the freezer and I pull them out and serve them, so that is free. 

Custom tastings are $5 per flavor, they get small portions of each flavor they choose up to 4, and this charge does not go toward anything. I bake enough weekly that if they give me their flavors ahead of time I can easily customize their cake flavors. 

I also bake them in 6" cake pans- 2 very thin layers. Put the filling in the middle, take a biscuit cutter and cut out 2" coins. That way the cake is perfect all the way around, looks great because they can see the filling, and there is no crust. Big hit. 

Thanks for the advice.