I'm frequently asked to make sheet cakes. Unfortunately I have trouble making them level. Even when I use magic line pans and the cakes come out level and I level them a little more. When I fill and stack it still has that "homemade" uneven look to it.
Also I have trouble with getting the sides frosted evenly. I usually use the comb but even then the lines are not even, the cake may show through a little and again I have that "homemade look"
One last issue, my writing is pretty good on my cakes, but I have trouble keeping it straight, any tricks for that also?
Thanks for any help you can give me!
vww104 i do sheet cake all of the time and i use to have the same problem as you do with the leveling, i bought one one wilton samll cake levels which did not work at all so i invested in the Wilton cake levler the big one that is around 20$ and it was the best investment i made for sheet cakes, you can adujst the feet on it and it cuts those bumps off with no problem at all and it also works for every other cake as well 
, i also use the comb sometimes on my cakes and i use to have the problem of the cake showing, and a friend told me that its becasue i was pressing the comb to hard against the cake, so told me just to glide it and it worked, and when you come to the end let a little come over and then attach the comb to that and glide it through to get it even on the sides (hope i explained that right) as for the writing i am really bad at that too, sometimes i can get away with colored white chocoalte letters but that is usually only on kids cakes, other then that my writing on cakes is horrible too 
I don't do a lot of sheet cakes so I can't help you there. As for the writing, I take a ruler and place it lightly in place where i will be writing and with my exacto (sp?) knife make a light line to use as a guide. You could also use a toothpick or knife. I have found that the exacto knife makes a cleaner line and is less visiable.
HTH
Is your sheetcake rising high in the pan? If not, you may not have enough batter. I've never had a sheetcake NOT be level. What are you using to level the cake after it's out of the pan? If you cake is tall enough....using a leveling tool should make it perfectly level. I rarely fill a sheetcake, so can't help you there. Also...what size pan are you using? Mix or scratch? If mix, what brand?
Is your sheetcake rising high in the pan? If not, you may not have enough batter. I've never had a sheetcake NOT be level. What are you using to level the cake after it's out of the pan? If you cake is tall enough....using a leveling tool should make it perfectly level. I rarely fill a sheetcake, so can't help you there. Also...what size pan are you using? Mix or scratch? If mix, what brand?
Phoov...For a 9x13 pan I used one mix, one of three major brands. The cake usually bakes up nice and evenly in the pan, but once I fill (filling between 2 separate 9x13 cakes) it looks uneven. Maybe I should stop filling my sheetcakes.
to help keep your writing level lay a strip of paper towel on your cake, it wont stick, wont cut into the cake and leave a mark and it is easy to remove, you can add any tails on letters like g,y, after you remove it.
im sure you are using the bottom of your cake as the top, if so i expect its your icing that is making it look uneven, have you tried the paper towel or roller method to smooth. and on the combing you need to angle the comb closer to the cake so the teeth dont go deeply into the icing.
to help keep your writing level lay a strip of paper towel on your cake, it wont stick, wont cut into the cake and leave a mark and it is easy to remove, you can add any tails on letters like g,y, after you remove it.
im sure you are using the bottom of your cake as the top, if so i expect its your icing that is making it look uneven, have you tried the paper towel or roller method to smooth. and on the combing you need to angle the comb closer to the cake so the teeth dont go deeply into the icing.
great ideas! thanks.
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