How do I do this. I know you can cut the tiers w/cookie cutters, if using fondant do you still ice between mini cake layers? I want them to look like a regular cake but not sure how to do this using 2" & 3" layers??? Help please my sons wedding is in 4 weeks and I need to do 100, the poured fondant thing didn't work out and now I am back to starting over!!! How is the best way to do a mini cake, have it look professional and be done on time??? I know, I am asking a lot??? Please help w/suggestions....

I've done them and they are the biggest PITA on Earth. I charged $16 each for a 3 tier mini if that gives you any idea.

You make them pretty much just like a regular cake. Only start with a sheet cake, cut out the cicles/layers, put together with frosting, and then fondant each one. Yes, fondant each layer separately. I've tried it fondant-ing the whole thing and it just doesn't work. You may have seen a Charm City Cakes episode where they also tried it. It looked like crap.

Once you get all your tiers fondanted, then stack up, put a skewer through the whole thing, trim the skewer and border between the tiers.

You'll soon find out why they cost so much to buy.

Another idea is to do the chocolate molds. I mean I don't know any way to remove the pia factor I mean you're gonna be doing 200 tiers but doing the chocolate molds makes it more of a production line eliminating all the smoothie smoothie doing the fondant.

Kathy Scott has molds and cutters but Wilton had el cheapo molds for a three tier cake. I have one but I can't find any of those for sale anywhere. If you could find a few of those that would help with the time factor and ensure a nice product. You can make them in advance more. Stuff the cake in and stack at the last minute. So instead of a fondant covering it's a molded chocolate covering. And fondant is whiter than white chocolate but it's another idea.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Wedding-Cake-Round-Molds-Only-Cake-Decorating_W0QQitemZ290221252055QQihZ019QQcategoryZ79631QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You make the molds, pipe in a little dab of buttercream, stick in a piece of cake fill in the sides with butttercream or chocolate and wa a la stack 'em up. The link takes you to the round molds and there's different shapes and cutters to match too.

Mini tier cakes put the labor in the labor of love.

I have never done these, but have seen ideas on this link:

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/whatshot/minicake.aspx

Maybe the Petit-Four icing would work for you...

HTH

..OH LORD!.. I do hate making these lilttle cakes..They are so tedious..I made 180 of them..and now I say Is $20 per each one..I want people to stay away from them.. Is decorating a mini wedding cake 180 times!!!...Nuhuh!!..
I tell them to go better for cakes on each table.
They are beautiful little things..just too much trouble for my taste!..
Edna

I just did a 3 tier mini cake to accompany a cake order. It is tedious. I wouldn't do them for less than $20 each for a 3 tier with minimal decoration.

I would bake a sheet cake.. 1.75" tall after leveling.. and then torte that into 4 layers so you have two cakes with 1 filling layer (and only do BC for filling). Chill the cakes.. cut out your tiers.. freeze them.. do a BC layer and chill again.. then fondant. You could get away with not doing BC under the fondant if you wanted to.. but I like the BC.

Icing a mini in buttercream is a nightmare! I did 5 mini's for my daughter's birthday and I thought I would kill myself before I did another! I don't think my sanity is worth even the $20 each if I had to do more than 10.

I'm so glad I found this post. I had a bride want 100 2-tier mini cakes made to look like "sand castles". I only quoted her $10 per cake. After some thought she didn't want to spend that much...or should I say the groom didn't want to spend that much so I told her I could make 100 single tier "sand castle" cakes for $8.00. I was obviously a little on the low side with these quotes. I have since quoted her for 1 large wedding cake to look like a sandcastle. She's currently getting other quotes from other bakeries so I'm still waiting to hear her response.

Mini cakes are really a pain to do. The more I do it the more I want to increase it price.

So far I just did single tier, with and without a layer of buttercream in between. I used crusting butter cream to layer as well as a base coat. No chilling/freezing needed. Covered the cake with a thin layer of fondant followed by another layer of fondant. Brush the first layer of fondant with some water before covering the second layer. I find this way it looks real smooth and no problem with broken edges.

oh gosh have fun! sounds like you're going to need a break after all that.

The reason for the fridge is so after you do a layer of buttercream the edges stay stronger so they dont get as round when you put the fondant
Edna

The easiest way to ice the minis is to do it on a cake board and stick a toothpick through the center into the cake board so it is secured to it and won't slide around.. then ice the top. Do this while they are frozen and it's a piece of cake.

Ok.. let's add another "WONT ever do this " in my book LMAO

lol Christi....Amen!
Is not the fact that they are difficult..is the amount of cakes what I dont like jkalman!..

The way I do them:

Make a sheet of the cake and filling the height you want each layer to be, ICE THE TOP SMOOTH, chill, then cut out with round or whatever cookie cutters. Stack the layers, ice the sides, chill, then fondant the whole thing. The problem you run into with this is stretching and air trapped where the layers meet. SOlution: use a sharp paring knife to cut around the bottom of each tier then cover with a border. All of these cakes done this way:

http://www.spdak.com/pictures/mini%20cakes.htm

These sound like such a pain! But if you have to do them anyway, what about lining a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and bake, then after the layer has fridged a bit, you could cut them with cookie cutter?

Thanks KoryAK for the great tips. How much do you charge for your mini's?

Sometimes I miss Alaska! I'm from North Pole orginally. My parents and brother are still in Fairbanks but it's been a while since I've been up North.

Oh believe me.. I know they are a pain in the ass.. just giving tips for the OP. Anyone who has done them doesn't need to be told what a PITA they are.

That's why I charge so damned much for them.

$30 for the round one and $25 for the square. The only times I have had orders for them, it has just been for one. If someone was ordering a mess of em, I'd probably come down a bit, maybe $22 and 18?

Hi There, I will be baking 100 mini cakes for my bro in-laws wedding. the thing is I will be travelling approx 600 Km for the wedding. what it be possible for me to bake them a week early,cover with fondant, decorate and travel with them.when I get to my destination, keep them in a cooled room? please help...thx

Just had a customer ask for a quote for 90 of these...