Hi, I've had someone request a kings cake for 200 and I have NO idea what to charge them. I've never made one before so I'm not sure how much work is involved in making it.
I've googled a few recipes that all seem fairly easy but a little time consuming.
Can anyone who has made this before help me out & give me an idea of how much time I'm looking at to make this many servings? Also, can this be made ahead & frozen or would I have to bake it the day before they want it?
Thanks in advance for any help!

Are you talking about a Kings Cake, like for Mardi Gras? We do them here in Louisiana before & up until Mardi Gras. I usually make mine fresh, but I guess you could freeze them. To serve 200, you'd have to make several.

Our church does a Mardi Gras with King's Cakes for about 150. I make about 13-15 cakes for that number--a plasitc baby from Wilton is hidden in one piece.

I don't make the traditional yeast breads/cakes for this number. I don't have that kind of time or freezer/refrigeration space.

My solution has been to buy good quality canned large sized 5 to a can cinnamon rolls. I use 2 cans of rolls per cake. If I get them on sale, that's about $6/cake in cost to me. I place each cake on a cardboard oval (cut from box bottoms) and covered with yellow, green, or purple plastic tablecloth .

I unroll the cinnamon rolls and using 2 strips, I wind and twist them together to form an intertwined "braid". I place one braid in the middle- sized Wilton oval pan (sprayed with Pam). I repeat that step, making a second 2 strip braid, put it in the pan opposite the other one and touching at both ends. I then pinch together any loose ends to form the whole oval. I repeat the whole thing, adding a second layer of double braids. Then, I take 2 strips and wind those around the braid to hold it together.

I bake the cake for the time recommended on the can. I set aside the icing packs, divide them into three bowls, color them yellow, green, & purple. I also color course sugar with the same 3 colors.

After the cakes are cooled, I find a spot to place the baby (I wrap it in saran wrap), carve out the spot carefully keeping the top of the piece intact, insert the baby, and stick a toothpick on the side of the cake so that I know the placement (and don't cut thru it later). I pipe the 3 colors in alternating sections onto the cakes and sprinkle each section with the same colored sugar.

I cover the cakes in boxes with saran wrap, making sure that the saran doesn't touch the icing.

I cut the cakes at the church and after our lunch each attendee takes a piece of cake from the center of their table. The one who gets the baby keeps a gilded "Alleluia" until Easter Sunday.

I've explained to the church that the cost and time to make that many "fresh" King's Cakes just isn't possible right now. They understand and everyone raves about them.

I don't know if this would fly in N'awlins, but it works out really well for such a huge group here in Cleveland.

HTH
RAe

I suggest you refer them to a Bakery that makes yeast raised products if you have never made one.