Wedding Cake For 500.... (Yes, I Am Serious)
Decorating By CakeDiva73 Updated 1 Jun 2009 , 3:14pm by soccermom17
I got a lead regarding a wedding cake for 500 and am supposed to call the bride tomorrow morning to discuss shapes. She said octagonal (in the lead info) but when I emailed her, she said she just put down anything since she wasn't sure.
I have never done a cake quite this large before so prior to calling her, I wanted to determine if it was unrealistic to stack all the servings. I looked at the square serving guide and I think if I do a minimum 2" difference between tiers and start at 18" for the bottom, I can come close to the 500 servings.
I wanted to know, is this what is normally done. If some of you more experienced wedding cake-makers got a request like this, would you steer them to a smaller cake and then provide sheet cakes for the back?
In case you were wonderng, her budget is $1500 which just falls within my $3 per serving BC fee ( I would kind of have to eat 60 miles of delivery but for a cake that large, I would do it.....)
thanks in advance for any and all advice
oops, forgot to ask, if I am using the SPS system, would I plan on delivering this puppy partially stacked? Like 3 different stacks that I assemble onsite? Because I think it may end up being 7 tiers - 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8 & 6. tx
I can't offer any advice except great choice in using the sps system. But all I can say is good luck!!!
Why not offer to do 250-300 in the main cake then do kitchen cakes for the rest. You could also do 250-300 in the center cake and then do satellite tiered cakes to make up the balance. 500 is an enormous cake. If you did the smaller cake with kitchen cakes, she could have a little more leaway in the design.
Wow, crazy! I would also say so a few less tiers and have some extra cake like someone else said to make up for the rest of the servings. I have seen 7 and up tiered cakes though. Good luck whatever you decide!!
Why not do the big cake? If it fits in her budget and within your pricing. What I like to do is also have a few options available for her. So i would work up the big cake, then a cake with satellite cakes, and smaller stacked cake with kitcfhen cakes, etc. And if you do the big cake, stack a few of the bottom tiers and then stack the rest on site. hth
I did a 6 tier round cake that served about 400 last Oct. I used SPS and delivered it with the bottom 4 tiers stacked and then added the top 2 once I got there. The cake traveled beautifully over really horrible Oklahoma country bumpy rock roads. I only had to replace one curlique on the top. Since your cake may be square, I'm betting that you'll be able to come up with a combination to equal 500 servings. Definitely use the Wilton servings chart when figuring servings!!!! I'll attach a picture of that cake in a second, but SPS will leave you with zero worries and I love to deliver my cakes mostly stacked already if possible!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1272309.html
I so envy you being able to do a cake this big!! Awesome!
As a bride, I would much rather have a 7 tier grand cake, than a dinky 3-tier cake and some hidden sheet cakes. As a decorator, I'd MUCH rather have a photo of a huge 7 tier cake in my file than just another 3 tier dinky cake.
Go for the big one!!
Cautionary advice on pre-stacking. Be sure it's not too heavy for you to carry. Even the 18" one by itself is going to have some significant weight to it.
How about something like this cake I saw on Colette Peter's site (http://www.colettescakes.com/wedding_cc.html#)? Do several rounds on the bottom and then stack up the center so it's not so high and the bottom rounds look like one large petal shaped cake at the bottom.
My dd and I did a cake with 508 servings 2 yrs ago. This is what we did
The main cake had a fountain on the bottom then using clear crystal pillars and plates we put a 12", 9" and 6" above. There was fake flowers between the tiers.
Then around that cake using different size heights we put 6 14" cakes around the base.
I wish I could get the picture off of my external hard drive but I haven't been able to. It was one of the best wedding cakes we did so far. It was only our 2nd wedding cake to boot.
What Debbie said!!! Esp. on carrying a cake that big. It took my husband and I together to carry in those 4 bottom already stacked tiers (of the above mentioned cake) and I might mention that although my husband and I do everything exactly the opposite way the other one would do it (MEN!), we managed to deliver this cake without too much angst !
The SPS system is a support system made up of plates and columns that was designed for the average gal or guy to pick up their wedding cakes from a decorator and transport the cakes themselves. Each plate has a little knob in the center of the plate which will poke into the cardboard that a cake tier is sitting on which makes the entire cake unbelievably stable during transport. The support columns go into the cake and are very sturdy....really a great system! Do a search on it and you'll get more info on it than you ever wanted !
Ok, I'm pretty new and this may be a dumb question..what is the SPS method?
It is a method of stacking cakes that in my opinion is much more hygenic and easier than using the dowel rods. It is called single plate system. Leahs has a stick with information in it. Great information I might add. Here is the link :
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-603925.html
HTH
Also I would think that a cake this big would require a ladder or something in which you can stack the rest of the cake on site??? Please if you do this post pictures as I would love to see it
Why not do the big cake? If it fits in her budget and within your pricing. What I like to do is also have a few options available for her. So i would work up the big cake, then a cake with satellite cakes, and smaller stacked cake with kitcfhen cakes, etc. And if you do the big cake, stack a few of the bottom tiers and then stack the rest on site. hth
I really like this suggestion. Give her options and let her decide.
I got to do a big momma cake once and I did tiered satellites --it was ginormous. Three fountains...back in the day of fountainmania.
Two of the fountains were on top of two of the satellites.
I would do a work up of all her options INCLUDING delivery and set up. Then its up to her what to add, subtract, etc... If she goes over the 1500.00 then its up to her to pay more or to cut a layer or two and have sheet cakes or whatever. it may surprise you, she may be willing to go over budget. The worst she will do is say no and pick something different.
satallite cakes: smaller cakes that are part of a cake but not attatched to it. They are on the table and put around the base of the main cake. Think of several small cakes in a circular patterrn with the larger teired wedding cake in the center...
i would offer a big cake but do alot of the tiers as dummies. then have some sheets in the back as we.. it may be that she wants the look of a huge cake and with the dummies its a little more to do but easier and less stressfull to deliver.
Congratulations on such a fantastic opportunity! Definantly go for the big cake. As a previous PP said "as a decorator, to have this huge cake in your portfolio would be fabulous!!
I have seen cakes similar to what kyhendry suggested - great alternative to the tall tiers. Give her all the different suggestions/senarios and see what she says.
Can't wait to see your cake.
ok, I called her but had to leave a message so I still have no more details. This cake would be for next month. (don't even want to think about waiting until 4 weeks prior to a wedding for 500......)
I appreciate everyones suggestions and thank you for mentioning the weight. Duh! Was I even thinking of how much this monster would weigh? Or that I might need a ladder for stacking?
I sort of am leaning toward making the large tiered square cake because I sure would love to have such a cake in my albums. Rather then start to have cardiac arrest just *thinking* about this, I am trying to break it down in my head and see it as 3 smaller cakes that can be assembled onsite.
I will post as soon as I hear back. I am the first to respond to her lead so I have no idea if this will actually come to light but I sure would love it!
thanks for the words of encouragement.
(forgot to say.....) I really adore the look of sattelite cakes but doesn't that need a separate plate system? Or perhaps I am thinking of something else......
I will have to see what she has in mind.
PS - I am totally in love with the SPS system and have made several cakes in the last couple weeks using it. And I owe a debt of gratitude to whoever mentioned using carpet tape between the tiers! The hassle of getting the stickiness off the plates it totally outweighed by the peace of mind of (hopefully) knowing that it won't go anywhere.
Well, crud.....just got a hold of her today and she got a cake yesterday. Oh well. Thanks for all the help......
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