Hi,
I need to make a sheet cake to serve about 150 people (it’s a 5th grade graduation).  Does anyone have thoughts on how large a sheet cake would have to be to serve this many?  I rarely make sheet cakes so I’m trying my best to calculate exactly how much of what to make.

Elise

I have just made a full sheet cake, and what a horrible feeling.  Small servings, according to Cake Bible, a half sheet or 18x12 feeds 80, a full sheet 18x24 would feed double that.

It is a horrible feeling to make such large cake, so flat, so common.  How about you make a half sheet and tier a smaller sheet or shape over it?

I believe a sheet cake from Costco is supposed to serve 48 2"x2” pieces, but they are only one layer tall. 

I think you’ll be happier with the appearance of a “taller” cake - easy to stack several layers together until you get the desired height you’re after.  To determine what size you will need, first decide what size cake slices you want to serve.  Example: if I were to serve 1wx3dx4h-inch slices, and I needed a cake for 50, I would make a 4-inch tall cake that measured 10x15.

hectorwong - 11 May 2008 09:38 PM

I have just made a full sheet cake, and what a horrible feeling.  Small servings, according to Cake Bible, a half sheet or 18x12 feeds 80, a full sheet 18x24 would feed double that.

It is a horrible feeling to make such large cake, so flat, so common.  How about you make a half sheet and tier a smaller sheet or shape over it?

lol hector! you make it sound like you’ve let the cake world down by making such a mundane cake!

i agree with patrincia that you should torte it and make the cake taller ( i always do). i recently made a large cake for a birthday party. it was supposed to serve 70 but i went overboard and it was twice as much cake as they needed because it was tall. so here’s what i did. I baked 5 11x15 layers ( i don’t torte, i bake thin layers and stack) and made 2 and 1/2 cakes with 2 layers each. Then i arranged them on a masonite board covered with contact paper for a cake 15x25 x 4 inches high. don’t forget to trim the edges where the cakes meet to avoid dips and be sure to CHARGE enough! a cake that big takes a lot of handling and can’t be done in advance because it won’t fit in the fridge.

if you want to see mine go to ellavanilla.com and check out the little mermaid cake.

also, there is a video on youtube that shows a great way to torte sheet cakes. if i can find it i’ll post the link.

jen

I agree, I do find the whole idea of sheet cake uninspiring.  But they are looking to serve a group of elementary schoolchildren and their families so they want something simple.

I find the layering idea intriguing; have been floating around the thought of doing a checkerboard version, that way they can get their chocolate and vanilla together.

Since I only have half-sheet pans, and am not interested in investing in equipment for this job, I’m thinking the 5 half-sheet pans could do it.

Thank you all for your help!

Elise

Since this is for a 5th grade graduation, can I suggest cupcakes instead?  If this is for a party at school after the ceremony (my experience last year and the year before), the kids are running around and having a great time with friends, teachers and parents - no one at last year’s celebration was very interested in cake slices.  The cookies, cupcakes and individual fruit skewers were the first things to go - people could pick up a cookie and walk around with it; you didn’t need a fork, plate, napkin, etc.  It’s less of a mess - no cutting, plating, etc.  Pick up a cupcake and go!

Before the display gets devoured, you might even be able to line up the cupcakes and spell out something - or use frosting in the appropriate school colors (hopefully not black and red!  Dark colors can stain teeth/tongues, which in the 5th grade might be seen as cool…!)

If the cupcakes or other individually portioned goodies won’t work for this celebration, I’d say go with the rectangular cakes, baked in 2” or 2.5” pans, split once (so there’s one layer of filling in the cake) and do several so you can have one chocolate, one vanilla, one yellow…. variety is the spice of life!

I love the idea of cupcakes - however transporting 150 of them might be a challenge.

You could do a couple of cupcake sheet cakes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxmad/485073685/

Not sure how a non-crusting icing would work…maybe quite well.

K

I like the idea of cupcakes, too, but here’s another option. Make “crayon” cakes. Cut each sheet cake lengthwise, fill and stack the two layers. Cut one end to make a crayon tip. Frost the cake in a crayola color, and pipe the word “crayon” on it. You can do as many cakes as you need, making a collection of different colored crayons. Serving should be fairly easy, too, since you can just do straight slices.

Jen, your mermaid cake looks very nice!!!!!!  You must be a good drawer.

My baker at Sweet Nothings tortes the full sheet cakes in this manner:  First, he cuts the cake into two half sheet cakes!!!!!!!  Then, he tortes each individually, and puts it together on the cake board.

I love cupcakes.  You can buy these very very inexpensive cupcake carriers…disposable…from the following website:  http://www.wesellcoffee.com

I can get approximately 30 jumbo (texas) size cupcakes in a half sheet box (19x14x4 or 5 inches tall.)  If you are doing standard size cupcakes (like your muffin tins at home), you can get 45 into the same size box.  Maybe you can buy these boxes (and the half sheet boards to keep them sturdy and from flexing and sagging) from a local bakery (they’re about a dollar or so each) and use those to transport the cupcakes.  So at most you’d need 5 boxes if you’re doing the bigger cupcakes.  If you are a careful driver, you can stack these boxes (two high, don’t go higher); at least three will fit side by side in the cargo area of an SUV or station wagon.

I love the idea of cupcakes, too.  For a large crowd that will all be ready for treats at the end of the ceremony, cupcakes are “grab-n-go”, no waiting (sometimes there isn’t even any plating necessary!).  And you only need one cupcake holder/tree, the rest can be arranged around it on the table.

good luck,
Julie