Square cake vs. round cake. Price difference is because?

[SLJ6974]

Looking into getting my daughter a two or three tier sweet sixteen birthday cake in a few months. Nothing over the top, just simple but really cute. I have read that square cakes cost more than round and I am wondering why? Do they have to use more cake batter in a square pan than in a round one. That is what I was thinking. We may just have to go with a round one to keep the price down.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Yes. They have to use more batter if you're comparing cakes of similar dimensions.

The nerdy explanation...

The volume of a circular cake = pi x radius squared x height
The volume of a square cake = length x width x height

So... if you're looking at a round cake that has a 6 inch diameter (ie 3 inch radius) and is 4 inches tall you're looking at 113 cubic inches. If you're looking at a square cake with sides that are 6 inches long, and the cake is also 4 inches tall you're getting 144 cubic inches.

More cake = more expensive. Happy Sweet 16 to your DD!

 

[MrsPete]

I used to decorate cakes as a little side-business, and I assure you that a square cake is MUCH MORE WORK than a round cake. Sure, it's not evident to the casual observer, but here are a couple reasons:

- As the previous poster said, a square cake contains more batter; however, that's the least of it -- the cost of flour, sugar, and eggs is low.

- A large square cake is just plain hard to bake; it doesn't compare to a one-box cake at all. (Actually, all large cakes require extra baking expertise.) I only made ONE square wedding cake ever, and I had an awful time getting it done. It wouldn't rise evenly, and the corners burned. I ended up re-baking the biggest layer about four times before I got a nice, even, sell-able cake. I had to bake it at a very low temperature and used less baking soda. Yeah, I know, that doesn't stand up to common sense, but it's true. I ended up losing money on that cake, and I gave it a name: That @#$@# cake that I'll never make again for any amount of money. I didn't put the picture into my cake album because I don't want to explain to people why I won't make it for them.

- When you buy a professional cake, you expect a nice deep layer -- not a piddly little thin cake. Round cake pans are available in 5" depths, which means you don't have to layer the cake, don't have to put icing or other filling in the middle. That saves both time and money. In contast, square cake pans are only available in the typical 2" depth; thus, the baker has to bake two layers and put them together. More time for the baker = more money for you.

- A round cake ices up super-quick. Pop it on a turntable, whiz the icing around it, and you're done. In contrast, a square cake requires perfectly honed corners, which take TIME. An analogy: Suppose you set out to paint your living room. Which takes more time and care? Painting the large flat walls, or painting the corners? Icing is no different. You can fly across big surfaces . . . corners take effort, and I was never willing to put out a shoddy product; my corners had to be perfect.

- Square cakes are typically done in fondant icing, which costs more than buttercream and requires expertise that many people don't have.


Seriously, this is one of those things that isn't apparent to people who haven't worked with the product . . . but square cakes are difficult to create.