Grocery Cake

[Deleted User]

OK, so initially I was planning on getting cupcakes, but now hubby to be wants an actual wedding cake because "I just want one because it's a special cake"
My dilemma is price. So I was debating a grocery store (Kroger/Gerbes/Schnucks) small 3 tier cake. 
Has anyone else gotten a cake from a grocer? If so...photos pretty please!
At a mere price of ~150 I'm so tempted.....

SP29

I have not personally, but it is a highly recommended option on here for those wishing to be budget friendly. As long as the cake you serve to the guests is the same cake you are eating (i.e. you don't cut and eat a fancy small cake but serve your guests grocery store cake), you are good to go. 

I'm not from your area, so I'm not familiar with any of those grocery stores, but I would go in and talk to their bakery department and see if they have pictures to show you of what kind of cakes they can offer. As long as the quality is the same, you could have them make you a smaller cake to cut/display and then have large sheet cakes in the kitchen that are cut up and served, thus saving yourself a bit of money on the decoration of a larger cake. 

lnixon8

Meet with both bakers and grocery stores. Say your shopping around what can you do for me for $150. 

I live in the suburbs (hour from dc, hour from baltimore) but a local baker was able to do what we wanted for less than the (higher end)grocery stores (250 people, simple 3 tier plus 2 whole double layer sheet cakes for less than $400). 

We loved our cake- same baker and same flovers H gets for his birthday every year since he was 13. Bakers know brides and grooms are looking for ways to save $ so they might price competitively. 

Jen4948

It's totally okay to consider both stand-alone and grocery bakeries in choosing your cake/s.  As long as the quality of the cakes you serve is the same as, or better than, the one you publicly cut, you'll be fine.

SP29

lnixon8 said:

Meet with both bakers and grocery stores. Say your shopping around what can you do for me for $150. 

I live in the suburbs (hour from dc, hour from baltimore) but a local baker was able to do what we wanted for less than the (higher end)grocery stores (250 people, simple 3 tier plus 2 whole double layer sheet cakes for less than $400). 

We loved our cake- same baker and same flovers H gets for his birthday every year since he was 13. Bakers know brides and grooms are looking for ways to save $ so they might price competitively. 

In this vein, I would also check out some smaller/independent bakeries that do not advertise for weddings.

I didn't end up going with them, but there was a bakery near me who didn't "do" weddings, but if I wanted I could have ordered as many dozen as I wanted of vanilla, chocolate or red velvet cupcakes for an excellent price. The only "catch" was that there was no input on decoration- they come how they come. I cared at the time (though I did end up finding a baker who makes cakes/cupcakes out of her home, which also gave me a great price and I could pick flavours/colours/design), but looking back, it was a great way to save money and who cares what colour the icing is as long as it tastes good! 

floridabride44

We got a basic two-tier cake from the local grocery store (Publix) and it was awesome and really affordable. Got our florist to add $20 worth of pretty flowers (much prettier than the sugar-created ones that bakeries make, IMO) and BAM our cake looked like a million bucks. I only ended up eating the one bite that H fed me (woops) but our guests said it tasted great, too! 

MesmrEwe

A few things to consider - who is delivering the cake from the store to your reception site?  Is there an up-charge for delivery?  What is the portion size (DO the geometry for what you get for the money! - cheap doesn't always equal cheap!!!)  Does it taste delicious?  If it doesn't taste as good as it looks, do not waste your money!  Good cake gets eaten, lousy cake - is money wasted!  One thing about real flowers that you don't deal with when it comes to sugar flowers is - sugar flowers aren't treated with pesticides like commercially grown flowers are... Just something to think about if you consider going that route to not let them come in contact with the cake especially since some blooms are toxic to humans anyway regardless of if they're organically grown or not...

spockforprez

One of the best wedding cakes I ever tasted was $80 from Walmart.

I do need to add I'm not a huge cake fan, though, and I despise fondant, as do many others. So a simpler buttercream style from a grocery store sounds like a crowd pleaser to me! And if it helps your budget that's even better.

princessleia22

I don't see any problem with grocery store cakes.  I've had some pretty tasty grocery store cakes. And they may surprise you on decorating they can do.  But, it is possible to customize it afterward also.  My cruise ship wedding cake only came plain white with generic decorative piping on the sides.  We added ribbon to each tier (same ribbon we used on our invites and bouquets) and then added some flowers to the top (Real Touch silk flowers, which we also used in our $10 bouquets).  It looked great (similar to photo below, except we did blue and only had 2 tiers) and the customized items were so simple and quick to add ourselves.

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downtondiva

Some grocery stores have fabulous bakeries; my family has gotten some delicious cakes from one near us. I think it's definitely worth checking out; as long as the cake is good, who cares where it's from? 

Of course, you need to decide which grocery store has the best bakery, so this could require sampling cakes from a few different places.... 

CMGragain

Be sure that you are clear about delivery.  This is the hardest part of having a tiered cake.  I have seen the layers fall apart when moved.

[Deleted User]

I looked into the grocery store cakes, one was $300! 
So now I'm looking into Sam's Club instead, where I can get a $60  3 tier cake.....which makes me feel both concerned and elated at the same time... 

MesmrEwe

 

Knottie1446384818 said:

I looked into the grocery store cakes, one was $300! 
So now I'm looking into Sam's Club instead, where I can get a $60  3 tier cake.....which makes me feel both concerned and elated at the same time... 

SITB...

Please remember to do the geometry - Sam's/Walmart/Super Target use a far smaller slice than most bakers or even Wilton charts.  Basically - double the size of slice...  All guests need to be served the same type/portion of cake!  If some of your guests are getting a two-layer slice of cake, they all need to get that same quality portion!

The thing you need to know about Sam's... 1) Use their Whipped icing!!!  It creates a great flavor profile with the cake - Chocolate and white are your best two for "crowd pleasers" and there is no comparison - use the whipped icing!! (it also doesn't stain fabrics as easily or leave a nasty greasy aftertaste)...  2) They do not deliver - delivery is the HARDEST part of the cake process and why you're getting it cheap.  If you drop it or someone puts their finger into the icing, it's yours!  If something happens and the structure wasn't solid, oh well!  That's the trade-off.  3) Just like any other baker, it's all dependent upon the skill of the individual decorator charged with decorating your cake.  Remember, they're doing your order QUICK, it won't have the same time that your local baker would put into the cake, keep your expectations in check!  4) Factor in that transport needs to take place in a vehicle with a strong AC that ideally has a hatch by someone who can drive like a professional.  There's an old joke for how to deliver cake... "Drive like a trucker with a 52' trailer!"  Slow down early, no abrupt stops, no solid hard stopping, watch the corners, etc.

CMGragain

Knottie1446384818 said:

I looked into the grocery store cakes, one was $300! 
So now I'm looking into Sam's Club instead, where I can get a $60  3 tier cake.....which makes me feel both concerned and elated at the same time... 

Gosh!  My cake was $250 in 1976, and that was for a small wedding!

The Sam's Club cakes here in Grand Junction are delicious.

[Deleted User]

CMGragain said:

Knottie1446384818 said:

I looked into the grocery store cakes, one was $300! 
So now I'm looking into Sam's Club instead, where I can get a $60  3 tier cake.....which makes me feel both concerned and elated at the same time... 

Gosh!  My cake was $250 in 1976, and that was for a small wedding!

The Sam's Club cakes here in Grand Junction are delicious.

My thoughts exactly^
I mean, on some level I'm worried, but on another level I'm just amused by cake prices. I used to bake a lot (including cakes, cookies, fudges, etc), so I know what the costs look like. I was expecting to be able to find a small cake for $150 at the grocer, but no such luck. 

I did actually meet the Sam's Club 'baker', she was nice and personable, told me she would work with me to design it, and would make it look as professional as possible.

Plus...I'm kind of curious to see the snobby distant relatives taste a Sams Club cake.....I suspect they'll say it's delicious 

MesmrEwe

Knottie1446384818 said:

CMGragain said:

Knottie1446384818 said:

I looked into the grocery store cakes, one was $300! 
So now I'm looking into Sam's Club instead, where I can get a $60  3 tier cake.....which makes me feel both concerned and elated at the same time... 

Gosh!  My cake was $250 in 1976, and that was for a small wedding!

The Sam's Club cakes here in Grand Junction are delicious.

My thoughts exactly^
I mean, on some level I'm worried, but on another level I'm just amused by cake prices. I used to bake a lot (including cakes, cookies, fudges, etc), so I know what the costs look like. I was expecting to be able to find a small cake for $150 at the grocer, but no such luck. 

I did actually meet the Sam's Club 'baker', she was nice and personable, told me she would work with me to design it, and would make it look as professional as possible.

Plus...I'm kind of curious to see the snobby distant relatives taste a Sams Club cake.....I suspect they'll say it's delicious 

DO NOT SAY A WORD about where it came from - let them enjoy the humble pie LOL...  For a friend's retirement I did the cakes - bought a box of frozen Sam's cakes, iced them up with a tub of the whipped icing (did them double-layers), and people had ZERO idea!  (Sort of like my husband's cousin who used KFC after her caterer got sick and cancelled out of doing the food for her wedding on short notice! - no one had a clue it was "Just" KFC!)

Really the reason it's cheap is when you've got the buying power of billions, it makes it a little easier to produce in mass such that the cakes and icings are all shipped in premade, the only thing taking place at the store itself is the final assembly/icing/decoration.  In some cases they're now beginning to use machines to do the actual decorating part so they can truck them in to locations to just get set out on the shelf.  Yes, there are still some ways that it can get messed up but the variables are taken away and it's a relatively consistent product for a great price... 

[Deleted User]

MesmrEwe said:

Knottie1446384818 said:

CMGragain said:

Knottie1446384818 said:

I looked into the grocery store cakes, one was $300! 
So now I'm looking into Sam's Club instead, where I can get a $60  3 tier cake.....which makes me feel both concerned and elated at the same time... 

Gosh!  My cake was $250 in 1976, and that was for a small wedding!

The Sam's Club cakes here in Grand Junction are delicious.

My thoughts exactly^
I mean, on some level I'm worried, but on another level I'm just amused by cake prices. I used to bake a lot (including cakes, cookies, fudges, etc), so I know what the costs look like. I was expecting to be able to find a small cake for $150 at the grocer, but no such luck. 

I did actually meet the Sam's Club 'baker', she was nice and personable, told me she would work with me to design it, and would make it look as professional as possible.

Plus...I'm kind of curious to see the snobby distant relatives taste a Sams Club cake.....I suspect they'll say it's delicious 

DO NOT SAY A WORD about where it came from - let them enjoy the humble pie LOL...  For a friend's retirement I did the cakes - bought a box of frozen Sam's cakes, iced them up with a tub of the whipped icing (did them double-layers), and people had ZERO idea!  (Sort of like my husband's cousin who used KFC after her caterer got sick and cancelled out of doing the food for her wedding on short notice! - no one had a clue it was "Just" KFC!)

Really the reason it's cheap is when you've got the buying power of billions, it makes it a little easier to produce in mass such that the cakes and icings are all shipped in premade, the only thing taking place at the store itself is the final assembly/icing/decoration.  In some cases they're now beginning to use machines to do the actual decorating part so they can truck them in to locations to just get set out on the shelf.  Yes, there are still some ways that it can get messed up but the variables are taken away and it's a relatively consistent product for a great price... 

If anyone asks I'll just tell them it came from "a local bakery" LMAO! 
It's true....I mean, sort of
It's like positive psychology. If they know where it came from, then it would a big problem.
But from a "local bakery" they will say it's the best!
No to mention, my  foodie fiance approved it, as he put it: "Wait....this means I can have more cake cause' it's cheaper?! Heck yeah!"