Wedding Cake Help Please!
Decorating By cakesbycathy Updated 14 Sep 2006 , 11:03pm by fourangelsmommie
My SIL has asked me to make her wedding cake -- for 150 people.
She wants 3 tiers (pillars), round cakes, with chocolate seashell accents.
Questions:
I'm making myself crazy trying to figure out what three pan sizes to use to get 150 servings. I've been looking at the Wilton chart, but still can't seem to get it. I either end up way too short or way over for servings. The largest pan I have is 14'' round. I refuse to buy a larger cake pan since the cake is her gift (DH's idea NOT mine - long story), and I'm spending enough time and $$ on the cake.
Also, what makes the best "sand" - brown sugar? vanilla wafer crumbs? graham cracker crumbs?
Thanks for all your help!
I would do a 14,12 and 10. According to Wilton that gives 172 servings but they are thin and that really is not that much left over. What size pans do you already have if 14 is the largest??
I have done brown sugar and graham cracker sand. The brown sugar was way to sweet with the frosting so I will only do graham crackers again!
Tracy
I use Earlene Moore's cake serving chart (you can order it from her web site www.earlenescake.com). It's the most accurate. I did a quick figure with the chart and the best you can do with a 3 tiered cake is to use a 14", a 12", and a 10" round. This gives a straight 140 servings, meaning no anniversary tier.
To have an anniversary tier, you would have to buy a 15" pan, then the sizes would be 15", 12", 9", and 6". This is a total of 150 guest servings and 8 for the anniversary tier.
Personally, if she wants an anniversary tier, suggest that she pay for a fresh cake on her anniversary.
As for the sand, I like to use cinnamon graham crackers. The sugar gives just a little bit of sparkle. Vanilla wafers do make great sand.
Best of luck to you.
Michele
keeping in mind that wedding cake serving sizes (approx 1 x 2 x 4) are smaller then celebration cakes, using a 14", 12" and 10" round cake will give you about 172 servings. Better to have too much than not enough. (this is all assuming they will not be keeping the top tier for their anniversary).
a 4 Tier cake would be 14", 10", 8" and 6" Round for 150ish.
and i would go with the brown sugar... much more like sand than the other choices.
HTH
Ok...since I too am new at the wedding cake thing...when you figure servings is that a two layer tier? Or just one cake for each layer. Thanks you guys.
I love this place for all the quick replies 
The top tier will be served. Long story short - she got married in Jamaica last May (2005) to a guy she met once. She has been living here and he's been in Jamaica. All his paperwork finally went thru with immigration and he's now here in the States. This is their "American wedding." It's turning into a huge production, but that's another story!
Going by Wilton's 10, 12, 14 inch pans gives me 172 servings, but Earlene's gives 140 servings??
No wonder trying to figure out servings makes people crazy 
Mac, I saw that. He took cake and crumbled it up and cooked it in the oven until it was just a little crisp so that it had some texture and some browning on it. He said that he used that all the time and was good. I haven't tried it, but it is an option.
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