I've never made a tiered cake before and was wanting to attempt to make one but I am confused about how many cakes it will take. I have square pans and was wondering if I need to make two cakes of each size to make one tier? And if so, using box cake mix, how many boxes would each square pan take (8", 12", and 16" pans)? The pans are 2" deep, but wouldn't a 4" tier be too tall? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! THNX 
I think the 4" squares would look nice. If you want a thinner one maybe just use 1/2 of the second cake. If I am remembering correctly the 8" takes almost a whole cake mix. I am thinking if you made 3 mixes up you could get your 12 and your 8 out of that. Not sure about the 16 I would guess it would take 2 whole mixes or almost 2. Sorry I don't guess I have been very helpful after all
Melissa
NO! a 4" tier is NEVER TOO TALL!!! they look great that way, and people love to cut into a piece of cake that is torted with several layers of filling. i did a 5 tier square wedding cake recently. for each tier, you will want to bake 2 of each pan (it comes in handy to have two of each size pans). cool and torte each one, one time, then fill and ice. it will have 3 layers of filling and 4 layers of cake, very pretty. as far as cake mixes, it depends on if you use straight mix or an extender recipe. a 4" will take about a cup of batter. a 6" maybe 1-1/2 to 2. an 8" about 3, a 10" one full mix or 6 cups, a 12" 1 and 1/2 mix (about 9-10 cups) i dont know about going larger than that, but i'd imagine a 14" would be 2 mixes, and a 16" about 2 and 1/2 mixes. dont forget to use baking cores or several flower nails in the center of the pans. you should use bake even strips and reduce the temp to 325 and be prepared for a LONG baking time. one rule to remember is to not fill the pans any more than half full unless it is a cake that doesnt rise much, then it would be more like a third full with batter.
I've been using a doctored cake mix and I make two mixes at once which will fill a 10" and a 6" (2" high pans) One cake mix for a 8" pan. I usually bake 2 pans of each and then you have four layers of cake. It makes a very nice looking cake when complete. It's tall but you cut the slices thinner. I figure a 10" and 8" would feed approximately 64 people.
Good Luck.
The 8" square takes 4 cups of batter which is approx 1 cake mix. The 12" square takes 10 cups of batter which is approx 2 cakes mixes. The 16" square takes 15.5 cups of batter which is approx 3 cake mixes.
HTH,
Chelle
Once I torted the 16" square, I would slide either a cake board or cookie sheet under the top "layer" of the cake to pick it up. Then when I was ready to put it back on, I would "shimmy" it off the board/cookie sheet and onto the cake.
~Chelle
I had never done square cakes until this past November and then I did 3 in 3 weekends!!! WHEW! They are in my photos.
In my "vast" amount of experience with the layers...I wouldn't torte them. You will have 2 2" layers with filling between which gives you a nice size tier. The first 16" I did, the layer cracked down the middle when I was placing it on the bottom layer. So, the second time..I FROZE the top 16" solid, then placed it on top of the bottom layer without difficulty. Of course, then I had to wait for it to "thaw" before I decorated it! LOL But, believe me, it was worth the wait!
Good Luck!
Beth in KY
I use only box mixes for my baking and I have to use a lot more mix than what everyone has said so far. I also fill my pans about 3/4 of the way full that way when they cool and settle they are still 2" thick and not 1-1 1/2" thick. I use about 1 1/2 boxes for 8", 3 boxes for 12", and 6 boxes for 16". I just finished baking this exact cake last night. I bake mine at 350 degrees for 50 minutes for 8" & 12" and 55-60 for the 16". My oven is not large enough to shut completely with the 16" layer in it so I have to bake it a little longer.
Does anyone have any ideas for why I am using more mix than everyone else?
It could be because you fill the pan more than I do. I fill to about 2/3 full. Other than that, the only difference I can think of is that I use my KA to mix my cake mixes and maybe they mix up higher than a hand mixer????
~Chelle
I have no idea shipleyc, but, I do the SAME THING. Use more mix and fill it 3/4 full. But, I bake my 16" in the church oven because my home oven isn't big enough either. Of course,that is okay, because the only wedding cakes I do are for "church kids" and I set them up on site. They have to travel at the most 20 feet! LOL Never thought about just cooking it longer in my home oven!
Beth in KY
That may be the difference! I live in New England and it's only humid in the summer (and I'm sure much less humid than AR!)
~Chelle
I have no idea shipleyc, but, I do the SAME THING. Use more mix and fill it 3/4 full. But, I bake my 16" in the church oven because my home oven isn't big enough either. Of course,that is okay, because the only wedding cakes I do are for "church kids" and I set them up on site. They have to travel at the most 20 feet! LOL Never thought about just cooking it longer in my home oven! Good idea!
Beth in KY
Beth in KY
Remember that a square cake pan uses more batter than a round one (the corners are filled in). This is one of the reasons some places charge more for a square than they do for the same size round - there's more cake in it. Here's what I use ......
8" round: 1/2 mix...... 8" square: approx 3/4 mix
12" round: 1.5 mix .....12" square: 2 mixes
14" round: 2 mixes .....14" square: 3 mixes
16" round: 3 mixes .....16" square: 4 mixes
I want to thank everyone for all your inputs. Believe me, they will definitely come in handy. I really appreciate it! THNX 
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