Could some of you who have retail experience PLEASE post some tips that will make me instantly able to frost a sheet cake? Any tips would be much appreciated.

I'd love to hear too - I HATE sheet cakes!!!!

You know when I started out I hated them too, but now its about all I do but a few weddings.

One good tip is I bake my cakes a few days ahead and freez them, then that way they are so much eaiser to get on the cake boards. I use all plywood for my cakes boards too since sheet cakes are heavy. If you have any questions just ask me. Ill try and help you. Sandy

thanks campbelland, I guess my main question would be how to handle the corners quickly and smoothly. Also, how to square the tops off nice and flat. I have a good eye for level, but somehow when it comes to smoothing the tops of a quarter sheet, I seem to lose my way as I go around the cake.

On the sides/corners, push the icing out past the edge, then push the excess around the corner.

For smoothing .... Melvira method all the way. In my pics, check out the Daffy Duck (12x1 and the one next to it, the Governor's cakes (18x24). I think these turned out pretty good and they were both Melvira'd.

I also want to jump in on this one...I have a 1/2 sheet cake pan, 2 in, and it just doesnt seem thick enough for me.. am i crazy? or do people put 2 on each other?

thanks!!

Ok I dont have many problems with level cakes since I started using the bake even strips ( some people hate them) and I use a upside down flower nail in my large cakes too ( in the big ones I use 2). That way the heat gets to the middle better. You do use the bottoms for the top of your cakes? That makes for a smoother cake and I also always let my buttercream crust over some then smooth with the Viva paper towel. I just smooth with the paper towel around the corners too. Hope this helpes. Sandy

Yes I have the 2 inch sheet cakes too and only do one layer, I have never used 2 layers. I put 2 cake mixes in the 11x15 and 3 cake mixes in the 12 x 18 I guess after you get the icing and borders on they look much higher. ha

Depends - sometimes I do one big layer (no torting) and sometimes I do 2. If I am only doing one, I use 3 mixes in my 12 x 18 pan. If I am doing layers, I bake two thinner layers of only 2 box mixes each, freeze each one, then fill and stack when I am ready to decorate. I just think it is too hard to torte something that big.

great! thanks everyone!

i always do 2. and those suckers are heavy!! LOL

Wow, I've always wondered how bakery make sheet cakes.
I never thought to ask because they are so big and seem like
to much trouble to find a pan that big to make one.

I would like to take a stab a making one.

What size pan to use?
How many boxes of cake do I need.
How many cups of icing would I need.
What size box would I put it in.

Ok, enough already I'm starting to make myself have a panic attack just
thinking of what it would take to do.

I only do 3 sizes since I bake them in my kitchen oven. I do a 9x13, 11x15 and 12x18. I put 1 1/2 in the 9x13, 2 cake mixes in the med size and 3 in the big one. My cake shop sells boxes to fit each one. My butter cream uses a 2 pound sack of powder sugar so I usally have to make it a couple times for the bigger cakes.

Here is a tip if your doing the 16 inch square pan. I was doing a square wedding cake a few weeks ago, that big 16 inch wont fit on the big cooling racks that I have, so we came up with a old shelf out of a fridge, it worked wonderful, it made just the right size cooling rack!!

I used to work in a bakery as their cake decorator. My record high for decorating sheet cakes was 52 full sheet cakes in one day (mostly scored cakes with a rosebud on each piece). Their full sheet cakes are 24x 36, so you can't make one of those in your home ovens. The closest you can get is a half sheet using a 12x 18 (as far as I know).

If you want to torte and fill a sheet cake, freeze it first. Then after it has mostly defrosted, torte it and work a cake board (card board) in between the layers of cake. You'll be able to lift the top half off without any damage. After filling it, slide just a about half an inch of the cake off the board and line it back up with the bottom layer of cake. When the top is lined up, then you can slowly pull the board out and gently scoot your top layer back on. With a bit of practice, you will learn how to get the top half of a cake off and back on relatively easily.

As for frosting the cake, I do the top first. Pushing the frosting slightly over the edge of the cake. Then I use an "icer tip" to decorate the sides. Sometimes I have to do two rows of frosting with the icer tip, but when I smooth it out with my spatula you can't tell. Once the sides are smooth, I go back to the top and get it as smooth as I can.

As for the side corners, there is a tutorial on the boards here that describes using a spatula flush against the cake and using a second spatula to create the corner. Here is the link: http://www.cakecentral.com/article51-How-To-Frost-a-Square-Cake.html?osCsid=2f35cd03a65ab935e341dda3ad407d21

Good luck. It sounds like you're getting a lot of practice, so it should only be a matter of time until you're a pro!

Wow, so many great tips already!

I'm doing my first 11x15 for tomorrow, and I hate them already! I can't get the dang icing smooth, and it just doesn't seem like it's going to be much fun at all to decorate. This huge hunk of cake has been staring at me all day asking to be decorated, and I us tcan't bring my self to start on it yet! I really like doing 3D stuff, but dh told me I have to stop turning away sheet orders, or I may never get another order! My brain just doesn't think flat rectangle when it comes to cake!

I know! I mean, I haven't done much 3-d , but have done "shaped". I can't stand sheetcakes! It took me forever a couple of weeks ago to come up with a way to make this sheetcake my mom wanted for a co-worker special!! Man - I keep having to re-type, I am so tired!!!

The best suggestion I can give you is to put lots of icing on your cake knife. I have seen so many people struggle to ice a sheet cake because they are not slopping on enough icing! You can always go back around and take off the excess as you smooth it out. Crumb coats are huge time savers! Chill the cake following your crumb coat and I guarantee you won't believe how easy it is to apply the final icing. Freezing your cakes makes them easier to tort, level and ice. I am also convinced that IF you store a cake (short term) properly in the freezer the final product is more moist. My two cents worth after 16 years! Good luck!

Thank you to everyone who replied. This was very helpful.

Ok I have a question. I have found when a cake is frozen, it is easier to ice. However the icing gets cold and I can't smooth out with a paper towel b/c it sticks to it. Do I have to completely let it defrost and get to room temp before smoothing with a paper towel? If so this will take forever with a frozen cake. Help....am I doing something wrong? Thanks for your imput.

You are right, it sort of freezes the icing. I wrap mine in plactic wrap then foil to freeze, and then I take them out at night, unwarp them and place them on the board I want to ice them on, then I rewrap them in plactic wrap then I can ice them in the morning. Sandy