Why do they bother me so much?

I have a few reasons, but I don't know. I dread it when some asks for them...

They take up SO much room in my fridge, some barely fit
Boxes are next to impossible to find for the full 18x26 sheet
They are a pain to bake
They are never as pretty tiered cakes, no matter how hard I try...
They are almost ALWAYS last minute orders
They are a lot of work but you can't charge that much

Arggggg. just ranting...

Thanks for listening CC!

XOXOXO

Then they explode all over the place when trying to get them on the cake board......

I agree completely! I prefer to work vertically I guess, lol.

speaking of... I'm doing my first large cake (12"X18") tonight for a friend's tailgating party. I am going to use boxed mixes and the extender recipe. Since I've never done this before, I was wondering:

1. Do you add the extender recipe to each of the two separate cake mixes, and then add the two cake mixes (each with the extender) together?
2. Do you still add the ingredients called for on the cake box in addition to the extender ingredients, or is the extender instead of those things?
3. Will the 2 boxes of cake mix plus extender be enough for a 12"X18"?

Thanks for your help in advance!

I had a thread about this a few months ago. I hate, hate, hate sheet cakes. They're big and flat and you can't be as creative* as with stacked cakes, and every mistake you make is right out there on the vast expanse of surface for everyone to see.

I've gotten so busy lately that I'm seriously considering not doing them unless they accompany a wedding cake order of 100 servings or more.

Ok, *I* can't be as creative with them as I can with stacked cakes. Some people are geniuses with them and my hat's off to them (check out the photos of my sister, BarbaraF).

for the 12x18 I actually use 4 boxes. That's just me I like a full cake with plenty to cut off the top, this leaves leftovers for cakeballs . I have never used the "extender" though...

I use just two boxes plus the extender for the 12x18. Yes you mix the box as directed, plus adding the stuff from the extender. I usually put a piece of aluminum foil in a long crumpled piece in the middle of the pan and then poor the mixes in and then remove it, that way it stays about an even proportion of half and half. If you aren't doing a half and half cake then you don't need the foil. Mix each mix and extender separately. I learned this the hard way. I mixed two together once and had a horrible mess

I love sheet cakes, cause there is so much room to work with, you can do anything with them. There is no reason that you can't be as creative with a sheet as you can with a stacked cake.

BTW: If it weren't for sheets i probably wouldn't be doing any cakes at all. Noone here wants anything else, unless its for a wedding.

I have made many sheets & now I pretty much use the same design on them. If I can make my flowers ahead of time, they go pretty fast.

kdhoffert- Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate the tips on using an extender. I can't wait to start baking!

You're welcome

I was referring to it filling my whole mixing pan when I did 2 and then the batter going everywhere.

I have to say that I have had great success with the super enhanced fomula from CC. If it needs to be 2' tall, I use 2 cake mixes(DH), put the flower nail in the middle of the pan to help it bake evenly and also put the baking straps around the pan. They come out of the oven perfectly, I do not even have to level them. I agree that the boxes and the boards are way small for the actual cake. I think the ideal size will be 3/4 of sheet if thereis such a thing. Oh, and I use an oven rack to flip them since the other racks I have are not big enough.

Sheet cakes is all I make these days! I've made so many of them that the last cake I made (the hideous pink round one) I thought should be my last. I couldn't frost that sucker to save my soul. It was so warm and my layers started to slide!!!!

I acutally prefer doing sheet cakes now! They are a pain in the bum to torte and fill but I like being able to have sharp corners on my cakes. I'm so picky that way. Right now I'm working with a potential bride about a cake for next August. I hope that she'll decide on me to make the cake but she's asking me all sorts of questions about wedding cakes. She watches my kids at the gym so she gets free advice!! Anyway, I had better re-learn how to ice a round!!!

Amy

sheetcakes tend to overwhelm me at first because it is basically a blank canvas that you can do anything with. I go through tons of ideas and never know which one is best. I love sheet cakes, but I need to stop overthinking the designs. I stress myself out too much. Does anyone else do this???

jstritt~ I just looked at your pictures and somehow I missed your Coast Guard cake. I saw it in your gallery and I was like, Wow!! Cool! I clicked on it and I really love how you did your anchors. How did you get them so shiney!!!!!! I'm glad you like the rope idea. It was my husband's suggestion for a retirement cake I made for someone last year! It has really taken off! Everyone seems to want it now!!!


Amy

I have one tip to share about the sheet cakes...
DON'T EVER MIX two different cake recipes in the same pan! I had an order for 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 yellow cake once and I mixed each one separately (2 different- one from scratch and another was an extender recipe), put a divider in the pan and watched one side rise quicker than the other which totally pushed one cake over the edge of the pan. WOW, what a mess in my oven

Okay what is the extender recipe. i'm confussed.

I like sheet cakes. You can be creative with them, I think. And they're great to stack character cakes on, which people like to do. And I charge plenty for them, too!

Hmmm.. I was under the impression that the cake extender and enhanced cake recipes were'nt added to the ingredients called for on the back of the box.

Unless the extender and enhanced cake recipes are used differently?

I've been using the "Enhanced Cake Recipe" and completely IGNORING what the back of the box says and using the cake mix as an ingredient, following the directions in the recipe exactly. Cakes have come out great so far...

jarjam1026, cake extender recipes or enhanced recipes change the way you mix up the cake mixes. Different ingredients are added. Usually it gives you slightly more batter, so the pans can be fuller and bake up taller. They change the taste a bit to taste more like scratch cakes. You can find several in the recipe section here.

jstritt : that is so true.

I too feel totally overwhelmed at first and then when I start the cake it turns out perfect but before that I spend days throwing ideas around and that drives me nuts. Sort of like wanting to use all the neat ideas on the same cake but knowing that it will not work.

I hated sheet cakes at first but now that is what I do most of the time and am enjoying doing them.

Thank you Czyadgrl.

I hate sheet cakes for all the reasons listed. I think people order them because they think they get more servings from a sheet cake. If you explain to them you can get just as many servings from the right sized round, stacked cake and it will be much nicer looking you can usually change their minds.

Yes! sheet cakes can be boring...

Oh man! I thought I was the only one that hates sheet cakes! For some reason they really intimidate me! And I have one to do this weekend! I am sooo not motivated!

I guess it's a good thing I don't let these sheet cakes get to me being that's what eveybody wants. It's either sheet cakes or the bassinette. Can I do something else PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend wants me to do her baby shower cake and of course she wants the bassinettte, I'm still trying to talk her out of it! i'm begging her to let me do something different, so far it's a no go, wonder what she would do if I showed up with something different? Do I dare mess with an 8 month pregnant chic

I really like sheet cakes too, you can be so creative with them! I like the extender recipes because they are quick, but the homemade batters are still very hard to beat. Funny how most customers really do not know the difference???