I have a bride request a cake tasting and I've never done one.
I'm home-based and only do about 2 cakes a month because I work full time and am a novice. I was nervous about cake testing so I tried to dissuade the bride from requesting the taste test by telling her it was $25 for the tasting, but if she went with me I would apply the $25 towards her cake cost.
Help! I need ideas about how to do a taste test. How large should the samples be? How many? Do I fill and frost the cake sample or have them separate for the bride to mix and match? Help!
Bake cupcakes. Make your best chocolate cake, your best vanilla (standard flavors people usually go for) and letl the BTB choose 2 flavors of her choice.
Make icing and fillings that compliment the cakes; vanilla, cream cheese, etc... raspberry and strawberry fruit filling etc.
Leave them un iced and put them on a large plate with dollops of icing and fillings (make it look nice, presentation is everything) so that the BTB and GTB can mix and match.
Make sure you have bottled water to clean their pallets, napkins, plastic forks and knives. Send them home with samples. HTH
Cupcakes are easy. Bake them and freeze them. They're there when you need them and if you don't have tastings on a regular basis, they are individual so you could give away as many as needed (kids snake, dessert, neighbors, coworkers) without having a whole cake to try to get rid of.
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You could also do mini cupcakes. You should try to do all your baking for this in one day. Decide on how many (per flavor) you'll need just for the tasting and take home samples. Don't forget to find out how many is coming to the tasting. It's usually the bride , groom, and maybe one two or all four of their parents; sometimes it's just the b and g.
Put all the cupcakes you'll need on a cake board and double wrap in plastic then foil; put in a plastic bag and freeze. (I wait 5-10 mins. after I take out the oven and freeze while still hot, makes cakes more flavorful and super moist)
Make all icing and fillings the day before tasting (you could do them at least 3 days before. It all depends on your schedule)
Cream cheese and whipped cream fillings need to be refrigerated. Buttercream can stay on counter in airtight container.
Morning of the tasting take out of freezer and thaw on counter (leave wrapped) they'll be thawed within an hour. Unwrap and let the tops air dry (you could skip this part and just level the tops) then wrap back until you're ready for them.
Ararnge cakes, icing and fillings on nice plate or cheap platter (I would take the wrappers off the cupcakes to be eaten during the tasting so the b and g doesn't have to) Some even put their icing and fillings in piping bags without tips and just squeeze out what is needed or you could get the smallest cookie scoops (makes a nice ball of icing and fruit). Get some labels and write the cake and filling flavor down to identify what's on the plate.
For take how samples you should invest in those 1 oz. clear plastic cups with lids that they put condiments in for take out orders. Restaurant supply stores sell them real cheap less than $4.00 for about 150-200, lids less than $2.00. Place icing and fillings in them and place in cake box with cupcakes.
I always have 6 inch cakes in the freezer of different flavors (from left over batter from cake orders) I cut a 2 x 2 inch square of 4 different flavors, put it on my nice white rectangle platter (from crate and barrel). I use the little ceramic cheese labels to write the cake flavor on and stick into the cake sample. I have matching plain white egg cups that I put a dollop of frosting or filling in and put those on the platter too. I write on the outside of the egg cup with erasable marker what it is. It makes a nice presentation and I also charge $25 for the tasting to be applied to the price if they order from me. I also don't give them a choice of what they will sample, it is my choice of flavors to see if they like my baking.
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