One Cake, Two Cakes Or Mini Cakes?

Decorating By IgemZ Updated 8 Dec 2010 , 9:45pm by IgemZ

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IgemZ Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 5:48pm
post #1 of 11

Hi everyone..

I hope I put this post in the right thread but I really need some suggestions, ideas, input from more experience people like YOU. icon_biggrin.gif

I'm fairy new to the site.. Have been doing a lot of research on cake decoration lately and I have an event at work Christmas eve that I need help with.
To give you a little history, I am not new to cakes however I am new to fondant and decorating. Besides your regular glaze, bundt cake icing and small decorations I did not know much except I wanted to try.

After many weeks of googling lol ...I made some trial MMF just to get familiar and see if it's something I can manage and I am confident that I can do a pretty good job...

Anyway, to make a long story short. I have an office party where I was going to make my already asked for rum cake and some people cannot have the rum one and asked for chocolate. That's not a problem.

The problem is I REALLY want this cake or cakes to stand out for a few reasons.. I thought of many options and I am still debating which route to go.


Idea #1

I first thought of doing the cake in one pan, half rum, half chocolate using this tilt method to keep the two separate..More of a rectangular cake covered with MMF, with some Xmas trees (RKT with fondant maybe? opinion welcome).. a snowman, snow, edible glitter and a candy candy style fondant as the border. So basically a rectangular cake with two flavors and a snow scene on top. Would have to buy alot more supplies for this one and although I am creative I would be scared of something going wrong with this busy scene.


Idea #2
The second seems like alot more work for me which is two cakes. One chocolate, one rum. This would not be a tiered cake as I am not ready for that. lol I would probably do two "gift box cakes" with royal icing snowflakes as decorations, big bow on top and fondant "gift tag" with the name of the flavor on it. Just to be unique.

Idea #3
The second would be doing a bunch of mini cakes *not bite size* which I have to say sounds less intimidating, more fun for me although more tedious, easier to decorate, bake etc. However I would like to also make these special and elegant. I have some ideas of covering with fondant and doing different designs on all of them just because it would be more fun for me... Still not sure on the shape. Would mini bundt be harder to decorate then square? I assume so... Also the only thing stopping me from this idea is transportation. What would be the best way to transport 30 mini cakes? icon_eek.gif


The good thing about this event is I can do what I want as long as one is rum and one is chocolate so it's all up to me. The bad thing is it's all up to me. I am SOOO sorry. I know this is long and if you are still reading I appreciate it. The fact that there are two flavor cakes makes me definetly lean towards mini cakes..They're easier for me except for the transportation part and would be nice for an office event so people can just pick their own without having to slice through a big decorative scene.

Any and all advice is welcome!!! As you can see I am still undecided and nowhere near an expert but I make good cakes, I am creative and I think I can do this. icon_razz.gif

10 replies
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artscallion Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 6:11pm
post #2 of 11

I'd pick option #2.

Option # 1 will always leave you with people who are unhappy because they got a little of the wrong kind of cake in their slice.

Option #3 is not easy. Mini cakes will kill you...literally. They seem easy and fun until you try it. There are things that make it difficult that don't occur to you until you're doing it. For instance, a regular cake has weight that holds it still while you frost it. Mini cakes have no weight, so they move all around while you are trying to frost them. They move if you rest them in one hand. They move if you place them on a turntable. They move if you place them on a counter. And that's just one of the difficulties.

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IgemZ Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 6:33pm
post #3 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by artscallion

I'd pick option #2.

Option # 1 will always leave you with people who are unhappy because they got a little of the wrong kind of cake in their slice.

Option #3 is not easy. Mini cakes will kill you...literally. They seem easy and fun until you try it. There are things that make it difficult that don't occur to you until you're doing it. For instance, a regular cake has weight that holds it still while you frost it. Mini cakes have no weight, so they move all around while you are trying to frost them. They move if you rest them in one hand. They move if you place them on a turntable. They move if you place them on a counter. And that's just one of the difficulties.




Thanks for the reply! icon_smile.gif The thing is I wouldnt be frosting, except for crumb coating before the fondant. There's just only a handful of people that cannot have rum..Some pregnant and some for other reason. Either way, it's just not really enough to do a whole cake for. I don't know.

Any ideas on transporting mini cakes? Safely.lol

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TrixieTreats Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 6:39pm
post #5 of 11

I have to agree that though mini cakes are great presentation wise, be aware that the smaller the cake, the more work it ends up being. Though you think that it is less decorating, it is actually much harder to achieve the simple things like smooth frosting, etc on a small cake. Even if you are only crumb coating and fondanting, it is much more time consuming.
Anything less than 6 inches is a pain in the rear. So always give yourself much more time than you think it will actually require.

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leah_s Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 6:54pm
post #6 of 11

There's a *very good reason* big name bakeries charge $35 EACH for mini cakes. Do a few and you'll discover why. Biggest PITA ever!

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tigachu Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 7:03pm
post #7 of 11

I agree, go with option #2. I think you will do well with whatever you decide to do but just make sure you are able to enjoy the festivities. Baking, decorating, and transporting 30 mini cakes can burn you out very quickly icon_eek.gif.

Good luck and have fun!! thumbs_up.gif

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NanaSandy Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 7:25pm
post #8 of 11

I vote option #2...easier..and have fun decorating!!

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LisaPeps Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 7:38pm
post #9 of 11

I'd vote #2 as well.

1) The transportation of 30 mini cakes will bump up your costs a whole lot more than if you just transported 2 large cakes.

2) As Leah stated, they are a PITA to decorate. Just think its 1 cake, divided by (for example) 5. That means it is 5 times more work, more fondant Eg. You have 1 big square cake to ice with 4 sides - you have 5 small square cakes to ice with 4 sides.

3) It will be tedious, by the time I'd finished number 10 (if it were me) I'd be saying "that'll do" for the next 20!

If you are adamant you want to go with mini cakes, have you thought about tall cupcakes?

http://alsoheaven.com.au/blog/?p=689

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Cakechick123 Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 7:44pm
post #10 of 11

have to agree with Lea, mini's are a mayor PITA, everythime I do them my price goes up for the next order.
I would do option 2, make the chocolate one a small gift, maybe a 6" and the other one a larger one.

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IgemZ Posted 8 Dec 2010 , 9:45pm
post #11 of 11

Thanks everyone! You guys are great. Thanks for the reality check. I got so caught up in how the presentation would look that I completely ignored the reality of all the work. For me the time would not be so bad (I say that now lol) but transporting alone seems to be a pain!

I do wana thank you guys for helping me decide! The little present and big present idea seem wonderful! Its perfect. I will post a pic when I'm all done for you.

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