I was asked by a friend if I could do a cake that looks like a VW Jetta. I said I've never done it before but I'd be willing to try. All I ask is that they cover the cost of ingredients.

Now the questions...

I assume baking a few quarter sheets and stacking the carving is the best way to go? I know to use a fairly dense cake and to get it real cold before carving - am I right?

If I were to charge for this type of cake, what would I charge (ballpark figure - I'm just curious)? I don't even know how many servings I'll get out of it so I can't go by $x/serving.

Thanks for your help!

You need a rectangular ~3 inch high layer/tier for the main body of the car, and a smaller rectangular (possibly square) ~2 inch high layer for the upper part with the windows and roof. Choose the size of your rectangles based on the size you want the finished cake to be and the proportions of the car model you're aiming for.

That way you don't have as much "waste" as if you just carve down from one big "block" of cake. Fill and stack the rectangles, then freeze the cake before you carve; it's much easier to work with that way.

I've seen the pros here say that for a carved cake they do charge based on a per-serving rate, but the "servings" are what you get in the amount of cake you have to BAKE, instead of the amount that will actually end up in the finished cake after you carve some away which will of course be a bit less.

I found an old Wilton 3-D car pan that I might get and see if I can use that as a starting point to add onto to make the Jetta. If it doesn't work, I can always use the pan for something.

Now that I told some people about this cake, they all want to know what I would charge if I was a pro. I have no idea - I guess around $200? Some said "oh that's it", so maybe more. I don't know and it really doesn't matter since I'm not selling it - it's only for a friend. Glad I have over a month to plot it out