I make cakes for friends and family and not for a living. I guess if I tried to make money off of it I would not enjoy it as much. It would become a job not as fun. No matter how much my friends tell me to go into business for myself. That is not what I came to say.

I have many times recommended the size cake for parties and people are just parnoid and end up with a HUGE cake. I tell them how many a cake will feed and I still end up with half a cake. Is this normal? Why do people always want so much cake. I even cut larger size cake than just 2x2.

By the way, I do charge people the cost for ingredients if I am not making the cake for a gift.

I think that is human nature. No one wants to run out of anything for a party and risk having the guests think they do not have a good party. I am a little bit that way myself! I always overbuy if I am hosting the party.

Cindy

If the party has served food, there will always be people, sometimes A LOT of people that won't eat cake, or will have just a small piece. You just never know what will happen. I've made cakes that disappear quickly, and some that only get half eaten. The recipes are the same, it's just a function of something else. Who knows????

Ali

Hmmmm is there such a thing as TOO MUCH CAKE?? I think not..LOL
Liz

If some of it gets thrown away, there sure is! What a waste.

Ali

I did a greek column cake (directions from Earlene) for a debutante toga party. The people hosting the party wanted it to feed 225 people, they also had it catered buffet line. The hostesses and hosts did not want anyone to start eating until the girls were presented in their togas. And being girls they were late--people were geting snockered (open bar) and kept asking when to eat. By the time the food and cake were served, only half were interested in eating. Too much food and cake left over.

Ok, maybe I won't complain again. When I hostess parties at my house, I would rather have too much food. I will have to think of this so I don't get frustrated when so much cake gets thrown out. Too many people are on diets. I do try to send cake home with people!

I always ask how many guest there will be (and add 10 servings) and thats what I reccommend as a serving size. I tell them that I use a little bit larger cake portion and that if there are more guest than expected then they can cut smaller and noone would notice.
this works most of the time.......

Hello, I guess people are just afraid of running out of cake. I know I hate to run out but then I'm a hog sometimes when it comes to good cake. LOL... It's worse than potato chips! Seriously, I think people not working with cakes find it hard to believe the number of servings any given cake will yeild. Also they, more than likely, cut them in square chunks or wedges rather than the way we would. I was at a wedding once and happened to be near the cake table, just happened to be, really! when the servers were trying to figure out where to start cutting the first cake into wedges. Noone wanted to touch it. I ended up stepping in and cutting the whole first cake and then turning it over to the servers. They were soo thankful I'd been close by. They probably would have cut it into slabs and THEN run out. I felt sorry for them because noone gave them any kind of instructions. These were college girls who were friends of the bride. They'd never paid any attention to how the cake was cut, naturally, as a guest.

I would never throw cake away.. It can be frozen or given away to freinds.. There was lots of cake left over at my daughters wedding..She wanted 3 cakes.. and most of it went home with freinds and family..
I think you are right MiamiSweets..better too much than not enough..
Liz

Yes, there is no such thing as too much cake! As the hostess, I think cake is better after the party is over! And people don't often refuse to take cake home, which I consider a compliment!

I was at a wedding this past weekend and the cake looked like it would have feed 140. There was probably 50 or 60 people there. I don't know if they got that much cake on purpose or what. The ladies cutting the cake were cutting pieces bigger than party size pieces. I saw quite a few people that did not eat all there cake. I hated to see that cake go to watse.

I would definitely want to make sure I had enough, but more than twice as much is a little overboard. I'm sure they paid per slice. I just hope their cake decorator did not suggest that much cake. When I left there was still four satelitte cakes that had not been cut.

well it did happen to me. we were having a birthday party for my daughter at a local skating rink when she was younger and they insisted on using there cakes, you were not allowed to bring your own(yuck). well we told them how many people were going to be there and they said no problem we have a cake to feed that many well. 10 people did not get cake because they were short. felt bad for those kids so we went to the snack bar and got them each candy to make up for it. worst part was the rink did not even appoligise for running out of cake. they said it happens sometimes. that was the last time we ever went there

I have experienced this before too. I would also rather have too much cake than not enough; and if the customer is paying for the extra cake then i guess you just have to look at it as more money for you! (that is if you don't undersell yourself!)

If you are charging them only for the materials why should they care if they ordered to much ??? They are getting a great bargain but if they had to pay for your time they will order what they need ...unless they want leftovers.

I have made wedding cakes where they ordered too big of a cake.

1. they wanted the LOOK of a large cake real cake is cheaper than dummies

2. the room was large so a small cake would be lost

3 they had eaten my cake and wanted leftovers.... one family wanted 4 sattelights that were not needed... Two for the brides parents to feed guests and for them later one for the grooms parents and one for the bride an groom when they got home the next week ( they froze it)

I always print direction for cutting a wedding cake and place for the servers to see... I will also instruct them how is they want to be there when I deliver.