First Wedding Cake Order. Please Help!!
Decorating By heathercarnold Updated 20 Apr 2006 , 7:59pm by Sharon1964
Hey everyone, I need a lot of help with this one. I've recieved the offical wedding cake order for a weeking and the end of May. I have a LOT of work to do. This will be my first wedding cake. The cake needs to serve 250 people. (approx. 300 will be at the wedding) and the flavors she wants are : Lemon Poppy Seed with raspberry filling, a dark choc. cake, and a spice cake.
Okay, here are my questions.
The size of the cake? I did the math using the wilton chart at figured 5 tiers, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16. Does that sound right? I think the total serving is 278 or something?
What frosting would go good with all three cakes? Don't all the cakes need to be frosted with the same kind of icing?
Sorry for all the question! But thanks for any advice. and I NEED it! 
I forgot one more question. How much should I charge?
what type of cake does she want?? decorations, flowers, ribbon, bows??
oh sorry, I forgot to add that. Just a very basic design. No flowers, just frosting with some texture to is. it's hard to explain, but it's like taking a spoon and swaying up and down from top to bottom.
Just a note about the poppy seed: This will cause someone to test positive re a drug test, up to 30 days. With that number of people, there's a good chance that someone might be affected. You might want to mention this to her. My job, and my husband's, are subject to drug tests on demand. We always avoid poppy seed for this reason.
Yes, there is an issue with poppy seeds. There was even an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine was getting tested positive because she ate so many poppy seed muffins.
If all layers are going to be stacked, then I would think they should all be iced in the same frosting. If the layers will be placed individually on a stand alone pedestal, you could ice each in different flavors. That may be another idea if the bride insists on having the poppy seed cake to keep it separate. Maybe have one central cake and the poppy seed on pedestal around the cake.
A few pics from the gallery. This is the kind of setup I'm was mentioning.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos_display_84_-29253.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos_display_84_-14495.html
sweetbaker,
Oh thank goodness someone else used that Seinfeld reference! I was making my lemon cake tier last night and had the poppy seeds in my hand ready to pour, then the image of Elaine in that episode stopped me. My husband asked me what was wrong, and I told him about it- he thinks I am crazy, but I too don't want to take chances, so I left them out!
Okay....I always have to laugh a little when I see "Poppyseeds". For one, think of the Wizard of Oz...they "fall asleep" in a field of poppies...not!!! they are drugged.. ha ha...But here is the reason poppyseeds show up on a drug test. Opium, the drug, is made from poppyseeds. I also agree that poppyseeds are a very very very very bad idea for a wedding cake. Some people have severe allergies to poppyseeds. Myself being one of those people. I found out that I was allergic by cleaning up poppyseed bread crumbs off of a table in a bakery. Wrong choice. I balloon up like a marshmallow and my airway closes off. This happens even if I get near them and inhale. Ask the bride if she wants to have an ambulance at her wedding for the bridal party or her guests. I need one every time. I can not offer poppyseeds at all. I cant even eat something that is sitting next to a poppyseed something. Chances are she will either have unhappy positive drugtest guests or an ambulance carrying them away. BAD IDEA!!! Ask her to change her mind!!
The tests may have changed to be more sensitive now, but maybe 5 or so years ago, poppyseed cake or muffin would not give a positive drug test. I was involved in administering a drug testing program at a workplace, and to get a positive it had to be something like poppyseed salad dressing, which generally has a much higher concentration of poppyseed. We distributed a pamphlet to all employees warning about this (and other aspects of the program).
So unless the tests have changed dramatically since then, I would worry more about allergies than positive drug tests.
Sharon
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