Hi everyone,
I found loads of helpful info here and there's so much you all know... I can read CC all day and keep learning new stuff every minute!
I am making a huge birthday cake for my son's first birthday. There's going to be about 200 people.
I am looking for a good from scratch cake recipe. I read a lot of good reviews for A Better White Scratch Cake (http://cakecentral.com/recipes/2165/A-Better-White-Scratch-Cake)
Do you think it would be advisable to make the cake for 200 people? The recipe says it will yield 10 cups of batter. I have the Wilton 12x18 pan (http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=2105-182)
I was thinking of making 2 - 12x18 cakes side by side and topping them with a 13x9 cake.
Will I have to double the cake recipe? Or do you think I am better off making the cakes from a cake mix (Duncan Hines?)
I was also thinking of making the cake a day in advance so I was going to let it sit out on the kitchen counter. What buttercream recipe would you guys suggest that will stay out overnight and not spoil?
Can you also please suggest some good fillings? I was thinking of making the white cake with a filling of Cheesecake flavored instant pudding. I haven't tried that combo but if anyone has, will it work? What fillings can I use that will stay good if the cake sits out overnight?
I really appreciate any advice. Thanks so much for reading!
Hi. I'm new too, so I don't know how much help I'll be. I've always used cake mix for my cakes. I fill my pans half full to make a full two inch high layer. Here is a link from Wilton concerning batter amounts for the two inch pans:
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-party-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm
To make my batter go further I use a cake mix extender that I found here on CC. I love it. It seems to make my cakes moister.
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-651941.html
As for my fillings, I tend to use the sleeve fillings. Not too creative, but it works for me.
Good luck !!
Wow, that's more people than I had at my wedding!
You need 15 cups of batter for each layer you bake in the 12x18 pan.
A 1 layer 12x18 serves 50, if you make it 2 layers, it serves 100.
If you stack a cake onto another cake, you will have to have the top cake on a cake board and dowels inside the lower cake to support the top cake, otherwise the top cake will sink into the bottom cake.
All buttercream recipes can be stored at room temp for at least a week without spoiling.
If you use pudding as a filling, the cake will require refrigeration. You can use jam or ganache as a filling and it will not require refrigeration.
Good luck! That's a huge cake!
Hi,
That is a mighty cake. I am making a wedding cake for 200, calculated with the chart it is a 8, 10, 12 round stacked cake, plus I will need an extra 10 and extra 12. I have made the Better White Scratch Cake in the 12 inch round tin, the ten cups was great I found, I made two, leveled, torted, filled, iced, and they came out the right height. So maybe if just the one cake it would be 8, 10, 12, 14? or 16?
@krzykakes: Thanks for letting me know about the cake mix extender recipe. I didn't know such a thing existed! So I guess I'll use cake mix for the cake.
What are sleeve fillings? Can I use them without refrigerating the cake? Are there any alternatives?
@prterrell: I had 900-1000 people at my wedding!! 
So 1 layer would be the cake with one layer of filling inside?
I was considering ganache as well but do you think it would be a hit with the kids and adults alike?
Are there any recipes on CC that you have used and don't need refrigeration?
I'll appreciate all of you guys' guidance on this!
Thanks so much!!
You're going to need (4) 2" tall 12x18 cakes to feed that many people. Maybe if you told us the design you're thinking of we could help you plan the sizes and amounts 
One layer is just one layer of cake, no filling.
Two layer is a layer of filling sandwiched between two layers of cake.
Ganache is very yummy, but very rich and (of course) chocolatey.
I don't even know as many people as you are inviting to the birthday, let alone to your wedding!
Thanks for responding!
Here's the idea that I have in mind - http://www.wilton.com/idea/Ariles-Splashy-Celebration-Cake
Since it is my son's bday... there won't be Ariel of course but I was going to make an octopus and a small fish that will sit on top of the cake.
I was planning to make the royal icing decorations and the molded shell and starfish candy in advance.
So as foxymomma521 said that I'll need 4 cakes 12x18 in size, I was thinking of keeping 2 side by side and topping that with a 13x9 cake and place the octopus and fish on the 13x9 cake.
Thanks for all your help!
I'm a newbie myself so I don't have all that much info for you. Just a crazy idea. Someone said you'd need 4 sheet cakes to feed that many...what if you put them side by side and iced/decorated them as one GIANT sheet cake? You wouldn't have to worry about stacking and it would be a crazy huge cake for your crowd. 
I can see how a jagundo cake would be a problem to move. But now I want to do one! I could make one at work and decorate it where it would be served...hmmm.....
Anyways...
I recently tried Sugarshack's recipe and really liked it. I've had consistency issues and this one was really great to work with and OK to leave at room temp. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a fussbudget about food safety. Occupational hazard - I'm in healthcare foodservice.
Thanks dsilbern! Where do I find Sugarshack's recipe? Do you know of any fillings as well that will stay good at room temperature? I know ganache is an option but any others that you know of?
It'll be great if it will stay well at room temperature. It will be impossible to refrigerate the cake once I fill and assemble it!
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