What equipment do I need to bake a giant cake?

July 19, 2006 4:38 PM

What sort of stuff do I need to bake a big sheet cake?

I need to make a cake for about 40 people. I am planning on making a large carrot cake in sheet form but, obviously, I don't have a gigantic sheet pan floating around my kitchen. I am sort of ruling out the large disposable aluminium pans as I think it will be hard to get the cake out of the pan neatly and I really want to frost the sides so it looks nice (it's for a special occasion). What sort of equipment does a place like Costco use to create their large sheet cakes? Also, what sort of techniques do they use to split and fill them? I can't imagine splitting and lifting the top off of a giant, moist carrot cake is an easy task. Is there a cheaper method to produce this cake than buying a ginormous sheet pan? I am up for advanced baking technique.

posted by Foam Pants to food & drink (14 comments total)

Use 4 square, or 2 or 3 rectangular cake pans and frost the seams together.
posted by theora55 at 4:46 PM on July 19, 2006

I've made carrot cake for around 40 people, but I didn't frost it. (I have a slightly odd carrot cake recipe with cardamom and I use an orange glaze on it). Let me recommend a food processor for grating carrots. Your life will be much much better. Also, I cannot recall having seen a filled sheet cake before; I thought that having one large, flat layer was kind of the point. So maybe you don't have to split the cake. And with careful flouring, you might be able remove a disposable pan from the cake by cutting up the pan but I've never tried it.

On another note, you might try making several smaller cakes, and essentially frosting them into a whole. On a large tray, put together various sections of cake to form the shape you're going for, and frost them to each other where the edges touch. Then frost the whole thing so that you can't see the joint. I was made a woolly mammoth birthday cake this way once, but you could try more sedate shapes if it's just not that sort of gathering. You could even just make a couple square or rectangular cakes and put them together to form a bigger rectangle. There'll be some trimming and measure of cake pans involved, but it should be doable.


On preview: or what theora55 said. Although I'm fond of woolly mammoths.
posted by matematichica at 4:53 PM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

I was always under the impression that costco cakes were made by making two thin sheet cakes and stacking them, with the filling between. Probably because that's how my mom made the circular cakes with filling between the layers.

Love to know how this turns out. Good luck.
posted by routergirl at 4:56 PM on July 19, 2006

You probably will need a good oven so that you can get a consistent temperature throughout so as not to burn the corners while leaving the center uncooked. I would just make several batches of smaller cakes, myself.
posted by beerbajay at 4:58 PM on July 19, 2006

Commercial quality sheet pans are cheap - about $14, and a couple of them will turn out 2 layer sheet cakes likkety-split. Just don't let 'em get used as broiler pans or cookie sheets, and you'll be "party central" anytime you have a couple of boxes of cake mix, and a half hour.

For decorating and serving ease, go with a precut and covered cake catering tray for $1.20 each (or $11.75 the dozen, if you're planning ahead).
posted by paulsc at 5:29 PM on July 19, 2006

If you don't have time to order the one paulsc suggested, check in your Yellow Pages under "Restaurant Supply" for a commercial-kitchen supply store. Just call before you go to make sure they sell to the public (most do).

Or just bake a bunch of small cakes. It's going to be cut up anyway and this method is probably best for ensuring an evenly baked cake in a home oven.
posted by chickletworks at 6:51 PM on July 19, 2006

I've seen large sheet pans of the non-disposable variety at our local iParty store, and many local crafts stores have cake decorating aisles that may also have useful supplies.

One girl who used to work in my office sometimes made gorgeous sheet cakes for special occasions (mostly baby showers). She always made 2 13"x8" (or whatever the standard rectangular cake dimensions are) and set them next to each other, and frosted them so that you could not tell they were two separate cakes. Our office is over 50 people, and the 2 regular cakes were plenty for the group.
posted by tastybrains at 7:58 PM on July 19, 2006

I think the idea of making smaller cakes is probably the best. I don't know why I didn't think of it but Costco probably is making two jellyroll style cakes and stacking them. If I make several smaller ones, I'll get better quality and, if I totally mess one up trying to get it out of the pan or on another cake, I can easily whip up another. I was thinking of doing a sort of candied walnut and orange zest filling in between the two. It was just an idea but I think I am being too ambitious.
posted by Foam Pants at 9:10 PM on July 19, 2006

When making lots of small cakes, you shouldn't make all the batter at once (this should be obvious) since you'll be using chemical leaveners that will let out a good deal of their gasses immediately upon contact with moisture. What you can do, however, is pre-mix all the dry ingredients and all of the wet ingredients and then just combine fixed amounts of them for each cake you want to make. This takes a bit of careful calculation, but it'll save you time in the long run.
posted by beerbajay at 1:45 AM on July 20, 2006

What about doing a bunch of cupcakes? You can then line them up so they're touching and frost the whole mass. To serve, just reach in and pull out a cupcake. It looks really cool and you don't have to worry about cutting the cake.
posted by onhazier at 6:21 AM on July 20, 2006

if I totally mess one up trying to get it out of the pan

Parchment paper will help insure the cake comes out in one piece. I've worked in a bakery and for a caterer; in both kitchens, when we prep a pan with a delicate or crumbly batter, we first brush the bottom lightly with oil or clarified butter, then slip in a piece of parchment (not waxed paper) cut to fit, then brush parchment and sides of pan with oil/butter. Then you're ready to pour in the batter.
posted by Elsa at 6:29 AM on July 20, 2006

OK - I've done this lots of times, and while I simply bought the pans, here is my advice.

Its always neater to bake the individual layers than to try to split a cake horizontally. In your case, and for the least expense, I'd recommend the disposable cake pans you saw (make sure they will fit in your oven !).

Second the suggestion for using butter and parchment paper - but the tip that is missing above is to get yourself some cardboard cake circles (misnomer they also come in rectangular shapes) the same size as your disposable pan. This is the easy-peasy way to transfer cake layers. You'll need three boards to bake and turn two layers.

Don't be surprised that the cardboards are a little bigger than the baked cakes (which shrink). This difference will make it easy to get the frosting even.

So after you have baked your two layers in your giant disposable pans (turn at least once during baking and watch carfeully since the layers are thin), let them cool on a rack.

Then invert each onto a cake circle/rectangle (they will now be upside down). Invert one onto another board to get it right side up and properly centered on the board. If you wish to be super secure, sneak a little frosting under the cake to cement it to the cardboard.

OK - then you load up your delicius-sounding filling on top of this cake layer, being careful not to get too close to the sides, since the filling will spread once the second layer goes on top. (If you want - you could first pipe a retaining wall of frosting around the edge of the bottom layer, but perhaps I'm going overboard !).

Take your remaining upside-down cake layer and gently slide it off the cardboard on top of the filling. By using it upside down you are putting the most-even side "up" on the finished cake, which is one of the professional secrets to a smooth cake. You can press lightly on the top cake layer to make the cake even. The filling will have some give and balance out any uneveness in the layers.

Next step - frost that cake !

If you are not experienced at doing this make sure you have lots more frosting than you think you'll need. Frosting covers a lot of mistakes !

Really useful equipment for this: offset spatulas - they make all the difference ! I think you should invest in 2 sizes (since you seem devoted to making this look really good !). Any brand is fine, here is what they look like. I like the 9" size for loading on the frosting and the 4" size for final smoothing and detail work.

Use your frosting at room temperature, and plan to attach the finished cake/board combo onto a bigger tray or a larger piece of cardboard (covered in tin foil if you like) for the final presentation.

So here's the plan: you want to completely load the space from the edge of the cake to the edge of the cardboard with frosting (its about 1/3"). You do this by scooping up large amounts of frosting on the BACK of the offset spatula and gently slapping it onto the cake. Then you'll use the side of the spatula, perpindicular to the cardboard to smooth out the outside edge of the frosting. I recommend actually doing the top of the cake first and then the sides. You always want to put large amounts of frosting on and then scrape off what you don't need. This keeps you from getting too close to the cake and picking up crumbs.

So do the top and then the sides, using the small spatula to sharpen up the edges as best you can. The ideal way to do this is using a Lazy Susan to hold the cake unless you have very strong wrists !

OK - good luck on this, and feel free to email me (in the profile) for more detail than this already long post includes.
posted by AuntLisa at 10:22 AM on July 20, 2006

AuntLisa is clearly a pro.

I'm just piping up to amplify what beebajay said: for a cake, you can run into problems if you double or triple a recipe. Carrot cake batter is heavy -- for the mixer and for the leavening agent. Also, cakes bake better if air can circulate around the pan, so leave space between them or bake in more than one go.

Also, for a big rectangular cake, your temp should be the same as for smaller pans, but the baking time will be longer.
posted by wryly at 1:43 PM on July 20, 2006

Foam Pants - how did it turn out ? I'd love an update.
posted by AuntLisa at 10:58 AM on July 25, 2006