Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Small wedding cake with sheet cakes a bad idea?

Okay, so my aunt is making our cake for a gift and I have a slight dilemma.

I'm having around 200 people at the wedding and I'm thinking a tiered cake for that many people is going to be HUGE!

I was thinking that if we have a small 3-tiered cake and two half-sheet cakes, that should be enough for everyone and it's all the same cake really.

Is that tacky? Will people complain about not having a slice of the "wedding cake"?
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Re: Small wedding cake with sheet cakes a bad idea?

  • edited December 2011
    I think a lot of people do something like that.  As long as they get cake (or some dessert) and it's tasty, I don't think guests would be reasonable to insist on getting a slice of a particular cake.  
  • heyjude23heyjude23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm actually doing this.  The 3-tier cake is basically just for photos.  I can't see guests getting upset because they got a slice from a sheet rather than a tier.  The staff usually cuts the cake in the back and then brings out the servings so no one would know which cake it was cut from anyway.

    HOWEVER. Please make sure the sheets and the tiers are all the same flavor/quality. 
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  • soozy87soozy87 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think it is fine. Though the layer cake might not need to be as big as you think. We had about 170 people and a 3 layered cake. We had the top layer to keep for ourselves and there was plently of the largest layer left over for my parents. I guess it all depends on how big the layers are.
    ~May 21,2011~
  • Bett2012Bett2012 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Yea, my aunt makes cakes and you'd be surprised at how many servings a cake actually is! :)
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  • MelissaC315MelissaC315 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    It's not tacky at all... becoming much more common. It's a great compromise because you can have a pretty cake to cut into but save some money. Most people will have no clue if they're having sheet cake or a  piece from the tiered cake. I honestly wouldn't care anyway... yummy cake is yummy cake.
  • edited December 2011
    I wouldn't mind, as long as it was still good. I went to a reception once where "the cake" was beautiful and amazing and the sheet cake was super dry with sugary frosting (grocery store cake). I've also had amazing sheet cake at a reception, though.
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  • edited December 2011
    We did the sheet cake/smalll "show" cake thing.  If it's all the same flavor, same bakery, same quality I see no issue.  Guests will have no clue.
  • kmmssgkmmssg mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    As long as they are the same cake, same quality I think it makes great sense.  Now if you have a nice filled, layered cake from the tiered cake and those kid birthday slab sheet cakes to serve with it, that's where tacky comes in.
  • rascal17rascal17 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    A wedding cake for 200 people is actually not that big. A 3 tier cake would be enought to feed them all (depending how big each tier is).. remember that and regular 9" round cake recipe will feed 12-16 people comfortably (and thats only about 2"high where a wedding cake tier is 3-4" high). A wedding cake with tiers 8"-10"-12" and 3-4"high should be about enough to feed all your guests. 
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  • edited December 2011
    If you are looking at a square cake, an 8/12/16 feeds 200 exactly
    For a round cake, 6/14/18 feeds 224; 6/9/12/16 feeds 234; 8/10/12/14 serves 172; 6/12/18 feeds 202
    Let me know if you want sizes for a different combo or shapes.
  • harpsdesireharpsdesire member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I went to a wedding that did this, and the sheet cake that I got a slice of was HORRIBLE, incredibly cheap, worse-than-from-a-mix stuff with an uneven smear of whitish crisco icing and a couple rainbow sprinkles on it.  More of a 'slab of cake-like substance' than a piece of cake.

    (The wedding cake itself was chocolate and raspberry with pale pink icing.)

    I didn't complain, but I sure would have preferred a dessert that was actually edible, at least... 

    On the other hand, you can always order a tasy sheet cake from the same bakery that makes the wedding cake, and at least your guests will enjoy eating it!
  • slmadisonslmadison member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    If you do a sheet cake in the back make sure it is a DOUBLE LAYER sheet cake, which is 2 layers of cake with a filling, just like your display cake. A half double sheet serves approx 80, and that is still about a 1/2-3/4" thick and 4 1/2-5" high - perfect size serving!!.

    With using the double layer sheet, there is absolutely know way for your guests to tell, AND it is significantly cheaper to have the sheet cake, rather than those servings being added to the main cake.....
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