I am making a full sheet cake on Wednesday and I sure could use some advice. I have two separate 12 x 18 pans that I’m going to bake and then put together to fit on a 15 x 24 cake board. I am worried about how to put the two cakes together so that they stay flush so I can decorate the top. I didn’t want to cut the two ends off and put them together with frosting because I didn’t want to lose the length because the two baked cakes will fit nicely on the 24” part of the cake board. Will it be ok to just butt the two ends together, as is, with maybe some frosting to glue them together? I will also need to trim 1.5” off each side to fit the 15” side of the cake board. Then I have some ends cut and others not, but I didn’t want to lose more cake. Maybe it’s not a huge deal to have some edges cut and some not? It is for my granddaughters 3rd birthday but we do have a crowd with people waiting to see what I do with this Paw Patrol cake. lol I could use someone’s opinion on what to do with this? I am a novice for sure. Also, should I be frosting the top or bottom of the cake? I’m making a road out of the number 3.
Beginner needing advice
- Thread starter SRP67
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The first rule in event cake baking when you’re a novice is bake a test cake in advance.
Cake should be baked at least one day before it is to be iced to allow the cake crumb to settle. This is particularly important if the cake is to be covered in fondant. The cake must be degassed overnight. Otherwise air bubbles will form under the fondant.
Most likely the cakes will dome and possibly crack during baking if proper technique is not used. The sides will over bake and set first, but since the center is still raw, it continues to rise, creating the volcano effect.
This is common with regular round cake pans, but even more of a problem when baking larger cakes given the long bake time.
If you have a domed cake with dried out brown crust, you will have to level it, and you will have to trim off all the hard dry crust.
If you’re using an anodized aluminum pan, a nonstick pan a dark metal pan you need to reduce your baking temperature by 25°F. Lower baking temperature will reduce the chances of doming.
Use cloth baking strips to doming and prevent a dry crust from forming. See link below on how to create baking strips for a level cake if you cannot purchase them.
Line the cake pan with parchment paper.
Heating cores are always advisable when baking a cake more than 10”. Unfortunately at this late date you won’t be able to purchase them. But for future reference.
Cloth baking strips for a level cake
preppykitchen.com
This is a heating core. For a large cake pan, use 2 - 3 heating cores
Place under the parchment paper. The heating core heats the batter in the center of the pan, providing more even baking for large cakes.
Cake should be baked at least one day before it is to be iced to allow the cake crumb to settle. This is particularly important if the cake is to be covered in fondant. The cake must be degassed overnight. Otherwise air bubbles will form under the fondant.
Most likely the cakes will dome and possibly crack during baking if proper technique is not used. The sides will over bake and set first, but since the center is still raw, it continues to rise, creating the volcano effect.
This is common with regular round cake pans, but even more of a problem when baking larger cakes given the long bake time.
If you have a domed cake with dried out brown crust, you will have to level it, and you will have to trim off all the hard dry crust.
If you’re using an anodized aluminum pan, a nonstick pan a dark metal pan you need to reduce your baking temperature by 25°F. Lower baking temperature will reduce the chances of doming.
Use cloth baking strips to doming and prevent a dry crust from forming. See link below on how to create baking strips for a level cake if you cannot purchase them.
Line the cake pan with parchment paper.
Heating cores are always advisable when baking a cake more than 10”. Unfortunately at this late date you won’t be able to purchase them. But for future reference.
Cloth baking strips for a level cake
How to Get Perfect Flat Cake Layers
Baking flat cake laters with pillowy soft edges is so easy with one simple trick! You'll never had to trim cakes again if you just pick up or make a set of cake strips that give you a nice even bake!
preppykitchen.com
This is a heating core. For a large cake pan, use 2 - 3 heating cores
Place under the parchment paper. The heating core heats the batter in the center of the pan, providing more even baking for large cakes.