Cake Cutter for a Wedding

My brother and I were the cake cutters at my uncle's wedding, and I think I was 16. You literally just cut the cake. If someone doesn't take the top tier off, take that and set it aside so that no one eats it. Then, just cut the cake into thin slices. Leave the plates on the table since people usually help themselves to the pieces.

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/cake-cutting-guides/wedding-c...

I think this is odd...wouldn't her caterer take care of this? Why so many to cut a cake? Maybe they will serve it to the guests?
Hmmm.....After they do the "cake cutting pictures" I guess you can go ahead and get started....good luck!

I bake wedding cakes and use this guide: http://www.earlenescakes.com/cakeservinst.htm . There is a lot of good information on this site!

Something to remember, the cut for a wedding cake is about 1" x 2", much smaller than for a party cake, which is 2" x 2". An easy gauge is to put your index and middle fingers together... that's about how wide the piece should be.

Good luck and don't stress out. The cake will taste good, no matter what it looks like on the plate. :)

I've cut many cakes and have helped cut many cakes in my lifetime. (My mom has made wedding cakes all my life. Something she does on the side for family members/close friends.)
Anyway, after they do their cutting of the cake is when you should be around to cut the cake. Depending on how they do it. At most hall weddings its a self serve, but it depends. If they want it served. I would stick with cutting it and letting the others serve.
One word of advice, if your not using gloves, be prepared to get a little messy.
Definitely make sure you set the top aside and expect it to take close to an hour.

I'm a baker and have made many, many cakes and wedding cakes and I absolutely hate the wilton way of cutting a wedding cake! lol

Here is a link to a different way to cut the cake:

http://www.earlenescakes.com/cakeservinst.htm

Follow the advice earlene gives-have a glove for your hand to move the slices of cake to the plates, have a clean, wet cloth to periodically wipe off the cake knife so the slices stay neater, have others to help you serve or have space to place the slices of cake.

Wedding cake slices are traditionally smaller than party cake servings so no one needs or expects a big chunk of cake.

Have a small cake box for the top tier if they are going to save it. When I do a wedding cake I leave one for the couple.

Use a spatula or large knife to get under the cardboard under the top tier so that you can lift it off using your hands.

Then you can gently start cutting the next tier down. No reason to try to take the whole cake apart for cutting.

There will be some kind of support system in the cake if it's a tiered cake so keep an eye out for wooden dowels and remove those from each tier as you serve.

And yep Mom OTGO is right-cake will come a bit after dinner has finished and the couple will cut a small piece off the bottom tier. Hopefully though they will do it without smashing cake in each others faces. That is one of my biggest wedding pet peeves. I absolutely hate it!

I personally would have the bride ask the baker what size the pieces would be...since they bought a cake sized to serve everyone, you want to make sure everyone gets a piece.

OK -this is what I do...
I have a cake knife in my right hand (I'm right-handed) and the cake server in my left hand. I set aside the top tier in case the bride & groom want to keep it and have it later. The other tiers are generally large, so I take the cake knife and I cut a large circle right in the middle of the cake leaving about 3"- 4" (depending on how big the cake is) of cake along the outside. This is the outer circle that I start cutting into first.

I cut a slice into the outer circle and then another slice next to it at about a half inch thick and gently pull it out with the cake server. The rest is easy then. For my next cut, I set the cake server flat against the cut side of the cake then I use the cake knife to slice another piece. Once that piece is cut all the way through, the cake server and cake knife is actually holding it upright. As I'm pulling the cake slice out, I turn my cake knife to place the cake onto the cake server and then set it right onto the plate (all in one fell swoop). I continue this until the outer circle is gone.

Then the inner circle is like a regular round cake size. I usually slice that circle directly in half and then start to cut slices from one of the halves. Again using my cake knife and cake server as guides to hold the cake slice upright until I get it onto the plate.

I also have a wet towel to wipe my knife off occasionally. Especially if one tier is chocolate cake and another tier is white cake - people may request a certain slice and I have to go back and forth. If you do have different flavors, I separate the two tiers and place them next to each other on the table if there's room, so that I can cut into both flavors of cake simultaneously if need be.

It sounds like she wants a lot of people assisting you to pass the cake out to the guests rather than having the guests come to you. But you usually get one or two guests still coming up to you.

I do ask the bride if they will be doing the cake slicing ceremony. At my last wedding the bride did not want to do this, so I did ask her beforehand when was she wanting the cake cut. They opted to have the toast done after dinner and before the cake. Then I knew once they were finished doing the toast, that was my queue to start cutting the cake.

You'll do great!

I've served cake and found it easy to use the server to slide under the cake and a fork to help guide it to the plate so your not touching the cake with your hands, but also not dropping the cake! Good luck!

I was the cake cutter for my grandma and grandpa's 50th anniversary party. What you need to make sure, mostly, is that the pieces are the same size. We made little notches along the side so we'd know where to cut, which helped. Good luck!

My 2 cents...

Do it after dinner/the meal. It is dessert afterall.
Usually, the bride and groom are cued by the DJ or SOMEONE (maybe you) to cut the first slice, and do the obligatory face smashing and kiss.
Then you step in with napkins.
They leave, you get busy cutting.
I agree, have a box to put the top tier in first, if applicable.
Then if the next "layer" is HUGE you may have to cut a circle through it, about the size of the top tier. That makes slicing "normal" sized pieces easier.
You may want to ask if there will be separate table to put the plated slices on, or if you "cake cutters" are expected to deliver to all guests. In that case, you may ask for a rolling cart of some sort. I'd lean towards the "dessert table", and have them put some flowers on it so it looks nice.

Depending on the "delivery" may decide the roles for your "helpers". If I were you, I'd cut exclusively. Let the other girls deliver/put them on the table.

I hope this helps!

Great tips from Naomi! The only other thing I'd mention is that the DJ and photographer usually have the timeline information. So to avoid having to ask the bride about when it will happen, let them know your duty when you first arrive and ask if they will be making an announcement about the cake or not. You make a good point about possibly needing to be available for your child, so I would come up with a game plan with your husband and the other cake servers. After you talk to the DJ, gather the other cutters and husband and let them all know that you plan to cut the way Naomi suggested (or whatever you decide), but if the baby fusses, you'll have to transfer cutting duties until you can return. Choose one of them to fall in line so there's no standing around debating how to keep it going. Also see if your husband can signal you and then maybe take the baby outside for a few minutes until you are able to escape at a good time. I'm sure it will all go smoothly! Have fun!

One other thing - keep the knife with the top tier or the toasting glasses. Usually the knife is not provided by the caterer. We lost ours after the wedding because it didn't get kept with the top and I don't think people realized it was ours.