I have my 1st tasting in a couple weeks and was wondering if 4" double layer cakes were too small.

Would love some imput.


Thanks,
Amy

No. I use cupcakes for tasting. Ive seen bakers use slices of cake. So your 4" cake is kind of generous

I agree with 1nanette. The tasting for my wedding cake was a slice of cake and most decorators that I spoke with were a slice of cake also. A 4'' double layer is perfect.

Good Luck !!!!

I think that is too much! Tasting for my wedding cake was slices on a place. Two of each so we both could try them.

June

I was reading this month's Martha Stewart brides and the cake decorator she was featuring only used large coin sized cut outs and dollups of filling on a plate.

I agree it is too much

What do most of you do? I would like to do something other than a cupcake so that they can have the experience with the filling.

Thanks
Amy

I use one half , cut vertically, of a single 6" layer. I can then put 2 flavors next to each other on each cake board. this is probably the equivalent of a single layer of 4" not double. The couple can have a few friends or family taste, but not have dessert. I give the couple samples of cake in a box, this way they don't have to remember which one tiny bite they liked, they can have a second bite.
Interesting to see everyones ideas on this

I haven't gotten that point yet, and don't know if I'll ever start doing wedding cakes (I've done one with no samples - it was for a friend),
but I remember when I searched the bakeries in town for my own wedding they gave out double 6" cakes for free, and then a second cake to test would cost a small amount. Every bakery we went to did this. So I was under the impression that I'd have to do the same!

I think a 4" cake sounds like nice presentation. Plus, if you serve just a slice of cake to sample, don't you have to make a whole cake, anyway?

I also enjoyed reading a thread a while back about presentation alone, and liked the idea of setting up a nice atmosphere with linens and china.
Another CC member on that thread said that they do cupcakes, but they added a little touch to indicate the flavors: a coffebean on top of one for a Kahlua flavor, a raspberry on top of another,...

Oh my, I'm glad I seen this thread... I have definately been giving out to much free cake... I have been giving each bride, 2 6" double cakes only yesterday did I give them 2 6" single cakes with filling.

I just bought a 4" pan and thought it was so small, but from now on that's what they get. single layer... torted with filling.

My normal is to bake one 6" square .... cut it in half (now have two 3x6 rectangles). Tort both ... fill one with red raspberry filling and one with either white BC or choc fudge filling. Here's a pic: http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=248913

I have cut the 6" cake into quarters (four 3x3 squares), torted and iced (I just use a star tip with a zig-zag motion so it's very easy to ice these small ones). I've done this only a couple of times because the brides were requesting samplings of more than two fillings. (it's rare to get specific requests .... usually they sample whatever I choose to serve them.)

Thanks Debi

That's a great idea.

Kim

I read about someone baking sample cakes in mini loaf tins, so that they could freeze them and when a tasting was necessary, they would pull a small loaf from the freezer, slice it and serve w/ whatever frosting needed.

Well with me, it really just depends on what I have on hand. Normally, if it's something that I have to make up a batch of, something I don't have readily available, I make cupcakes. Large cupcakes and fill them with whatever they said they wanted to try. If I happen to be making a cake for an order which is a flavor that a bride wants to taste, I make a little extra and do a 6" round. It would be just as easy to do a cupcake with the extra batter also. But if they did get a 6" round, it would be only one layer, I do still torte it to add filling.

So I think your 4" would be fine and is just enough for two people to share. However, I do see the issue of changing your recipe to accomodate such a small pan. Or you could just make several little cakes out of a full recipe and freeze them.

I use either a small round or square cutter (about 1.5 inches) to cut out samples of cake. I actually use the Wilton round and square fondant cutters, the medium sized ones. I place them on mini cupcake papers and add a spoonful on filling. It's a really nice presentation and each sample is bit size (2 or 3 bites).

I make a 4" round, 1 layer, then torte into two layers. Ice. They are the cutest! Brides generally get 3 smaples, and they pick from a standard list I give them--all cake batter I have on hand. If they want fillings, then I jsut give them a spoonfull.

They get to take their samples home, too.

I did my first tasting about a week ago and was trying to figure it out too. Here's what I came up with. I made a 1/2 batch and baked it in a 7 in square. I then cut that in half so it was 3 1/2 x 7. I torted each layer. So they were 7 x 3 1/2 by 4 in tall. I then iced the entire thing after I filled it. I cut a slice that was 1 in x 1 3/4 in, one for bride and one for groom. I had 5 flavors to sample so it was plenty of cake. I then froze them and covered in saran wrap and they are in the freezer now, well there are only 3 flavors left as my husband had no problem helping himself to the chocolate chip pound cake. Plus we had guests for dinner twice and I jsut asked everyone what they wanted before dinner, cut it and it was room temperature by the time dessert rolled around.

i try to line up several tastings in the same evening so i can get them out of the way. for three tastings tonight, i have a double layer 6". i do one layer white, one layer chocolate, and raspberry filling since these are my most popular flavors. if they want to try something else, they will have to come back and pick up another small cake which they pay a small fee for. sometimes i also do the dolop of filling on a plate if they want to try more than one filling, they can then just fork up a bit of filling and try it with the cake on their plate

and to add to leahs, brides LOVE to take samples home. whoever has my last appointment gets any leftovers (we are burnt out on cake at my house!)

I think the 4" cake is a great sample. I like to send people home with some cake so for the tasting I did I made a 6" single layer cake which I torted and filled. I piped a BC dam down the center and marked the bottom of the cake board to let me see where the line was after it was iced. One 1/2 was one filling and one 1/2 was another (mango and pineapple curds to be exact). Then I iced it and piped a bead border with a small star piped on each side (at the base of the cake) where the mark on the cake board was for a reference line. I also made 6 cupcakes and filled them with fillings and used a #12 round tip to ice the top and put a star of the fillings (both flavored buttercream) to indicate flavor. I put the 6" cake in the center of a nice cake plate and arranged the cupcakes around the cake and had it on my table with tea cups and plates all waiting for them when they arrived. I also had a 6" cake box ready to go lined with a doilie so they could take the samples home with them. I like letting them take it home so they can sample more later and really make a good decision. I charge for tastings though so it isn't a huge loss if they don't book with me. I like having them see a frosted cake with minimal decoration and the cupcakes are just cute. They were quite impressed and loved the presentation.

I wish I had snapped a picture of it.. next time I will for sure.

I use 4" springform pans, and I bought about 8 of them...When I'm baking wedding cakes, I bake any leftover batter in these mini pans and freeze them, so I have them on hand for last minute sample requests.

My brides get 3 of these 4" cakes in their choice of flavor/filling, torted, filled, and iced, and I put a reverse shell border top and bottom with a curlicue letter or two on top, so they can tell which flavor is which. They fit nicely inside a 12" box, so they take the samples home to taste and share, and they LOVE it.

It's just the right size for the two of them to try, and with three cakes, they can have their friends or parents (who often are paying for it, don't forget) try them and help decide as well. Plus, they all get to taste and chat in the privacy of their own home and be honest about what they like and don't like, without me hanging around wondering what they think.

I'd do my samples this way even if I had a bakery for them to come to, because the whole point is that they want to see and taste what their wedding cake will actually be like.

So I vote no, 4" cakes are not too much.

I have not done many tastings as I am just coming into this wedding cake business myself, but my good friend who designed my wedding cake bakes sheetcakes (1/4 sheets I think) of her most popular flavors, then uses a 3" biscuit cutter to cut rounds, tortes them and places 1 single layer 3"round on a plate of up to 3 flavors and then dollops of fillings on the plate (she actually has special plates with sections for this...i'm gonna have to askl her about this...) so the taster can dip the cake into the filling to see what she likes best. She freezes the remainder to use until she needs to bake more and make more. If I can get her to send me a picture, I will post this method.