Need Help With First Sheet Cake!
Decorating By SFcakelady Updated 11 May 2009 , 8:45pm by SFcakelady
I need help! I've never done a sheet cake before and a customer wants a 1/2 sheet cake. First, what size pan do you use for this? Second, in order to do 2 layers, do you split the batter between 2 pans or bake one and tort it in half? Third, how many servings can you get out of acke this size? Thanks in advance.
Some people have different sizes they consider a 1/2 sheet cake but my half sheet cake is 12x18. There is actually a pan that size but is you don't have it you can use a 9x13 cake pan and bake 2 cakes and lay side by side. I use wilton cutting and serving charts so if you want to do a 2 layer cake you can either use a 3" deep pan and tort and fill or use 2" deep pan and do 2 cakes and stack to make a 4" deep cake. Most sheet cakes are only 2" tall but it is up to you. For a 4" deep 2 layer cake 72 party size servings or 98 wedding size servings. For a 3" torted and filled cake 72 party size servings or 108 wedding size servings. Hope this helps you.
My half sheet cake is a 11x15 i went to a local bakery and i looked at what sizes they had a half sheet cake looked like my 11x15 so thats what i consider a half sheet cake for me
In bakeries a 1/2 sheet cake is 2 cake mixes or a double recipe scratch cake. You can bake it in whatever size pan you want.....the amount of cake will remain the same. A 12x 18 would give you a more shallow cake and an 11 x 15 would give you a taller cake....but the amount of cake would be the same. When you are figuring the total servings, the taller cake would be cut smaller but because it is taller, they would be getting the same amount of cake.
A 1/4 sheet serves 12 to 24...that is roughly 12 pieces cut 3x3 or 24 pieces cut 2x2.
A 1/2 sheet serves 24 to 48...that is roughly 24 pieces cut 3x3 or 48 pieces cut 2x2.
Check this thread
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-3803-sizes.html
I use:
1/4 9x13
1/2 11x15
3/4 12x18
Full (2) 11x15's next to each other
Bottom line..use what you like. Customers are going to ask for "x" servings-lets say 30, then you will say "I have a 1/4 sheet that feeds 24, or you can get a 1/2 sheet that serves 35..then they can choose which suits their needs best! Maybe there will be quite a few kids who won't get a full piece of cake,etc.
In this area, a sheet cake is a single layer of cake, 2" tall. A serving is a 2x2" square.
Stop using the terms "half" and "quarter". Cake civilians have no idea what size they are. People who make cakes all the time have no idea, as indicated by the post above where someone said "that's what I consider a half sheet for me".
Guys, you can't just "make up" what a half sheet is "to you". It is what it is. And when people who live and breathe it can't agree, then why do we assume clients have any idea?
Just ask them, "How manys servings do you need?" and tell them what size cake they need.
Servings: For sheets it's easy to do the math: Standard serving size is 2x2x2 (single layer). So for a 12x18, you'd cut the cake into 6 rows by 9 columns (12 divided by 2" pieces = 6 rows, etc). 9x6 = 54 servings.
When I saw that the local grocery bakeries were calling an 11x15 a "half" sheet, I just figured it was another example of how to have a price increase without raising the price......they just made the product smaller. Price didn't go up ... people are still paying $15.99 for it. they just didn't notice it's 20% smaller now. (Envision the management planning meeting in the backroom: "Pssst!! We'll CALL it a half sheet, but they won't notice it's really just a one-third sheet! More money for us! Woooo-Whoooo!") 
so, do you all think it's okay to split the batter between two pans?
The client wants 50 servings. If I use a 12x18 pan, should I use 2 or 3 mixes for 50 servings? Use 1 pan or split it into 2?
Ok, so I think i have it figured out. I will use 3 mixes in a 12x18 pan and tort it for 2 layers. Thanks for all the advice everyone. 
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