Baking cake in sheet pans and forming cake layers for tiered cake?

[saffronalice]

My head has been spinning for the last few weeks about how to make and assemble a tiered wedding cake. OK it's actually my wedding cake. My head already spun from trying to figure out what flavor the cake should be, how to transport it up a mountain on windy roads, how to store it before ( I'll be renting a refrigerator!) and yes I did think if it will be a stupid decision to make my own cake?

Cutting to the chase - I am pretty much a home baker so my supplies are basic ( ok maybe above average basic) and I really don't want to acquire a whole bunch of cake pans that I'll barely use. So the idea is since I have a ton of half sheet pans that I can bake the cake in sheets then use cake/pasty rings to cut the sizes. I have to purchase these rings but I know I'll be using them in the future to assemble molded desserts - heck I can use them to make other desserts for the wedding. Also I am thinking in terms of efficiency (baking will be faster, may not have to level) since I'll be making a couple more desserts for the reception and I'll be hosting a brunch the day after and will be buried with prepping, cooking and such and I'll have a house full of family staying with me as well.

Am I making sense??!!! like I said my head is spinning with this and other things going on.

If you're curious I've decided on a nut sponge cake (hazelnut or almond) - filling is raspberry jam and whipped white chocolate ganache ( about 4 layers for each tier). It'll be covered/iced with whipped white Choc ganache. The cake stacked sizes will be 12-9-6 inches. I would have preferred using SMBC but I am afraid that a majority of the guest won't like it since they're used to the American style BC and I also absolutely dislike the taste of fondant unless it's on a traditional marzipan covered fruit cake but fruit cake will likely be worse to serve the guest since again they aren't accustomed to the taste. Although I welcome any other suggestions? I think I have time - wedding reception is about 10 wks away! Yikes!

[HungryC]

Does the cake HAVE to be round? You'd save yourself plenty of work/trouble/wasted cake if you went with rectangular layers. Baking in half-sheet pans sounds quite practical to me. Since efficiency is important, bake those layers ahead of time, cool, and and freeze. Just make sure they're at room temp before you start icing.

[RWood]

I worked at a bakery where we didn't have cake pans larger than a 10-inch. So, anything larger had to be baked in half or full sheets and cut to the larger diameter (and square too since we had no square pans). Sometimes piecing them together as well. I just used a cardboard the size of the round I needed, then used that to lift the cake round. It works fine, and sometimes you get a cleaner edge than having to trim the edges of a cake baked in a round pan.

And since it's your cake, use the buttercream you like .

[StephMac]

I made my own wedding cake, too, so I've been there! Mine was a 12/9/6 topsy-turvy - I loved the style of cake and knew it would (rightly) cost a lot from a bakery, plus I wanted to use my mom's icing recipe and didn't want it covered in fondant. It came out OK:

Cake rings should work fine, especially if you will use them for other things. Another option would be to see if there are any cake supply stores or restaurant supply houses in your area that rent out pans.

My first bit of advice would be to practice - do a whole test run before the wedding to see how long it really takes you to bake, stack, ice, decorate, etc., as well as how much room you'll need to store the cakes, how you're going to set them up, etc. I did a test run a few months before my wedding and it was absolutely invaluable in working out all the little "oops" moments that you really don't want to be thinking about right before the wedding when everything else is going on. Extra cake can be given away to friends, family, community groups if necessary (my officemates made quick work of my leftovers, and one of my mom's friends actually used the practice top tier as an impromptu birthday cake

I had to transport my cake up a mountainside as well, but I was lucky enough that the location allowed me to bring the cake up the day ahead and store it safely in their refrigerator. I took it up in layers and assembled on-site the day of the wedding. This made me feel a lot better about transportation/storage, although I did have to make sure I accounted for time the day-of to assemble the cake before getting dressed at the site, etc. Are you thinking about transporting the cake stacked or unstacked?

It's nice of you to consider what the guests might prefer, but I agree with RWood - it is your cake. Don't come away from the day feeling like you "settled" for something that wasn't what you really wanted. After all, you're putting in the sweat and tears to make the cake, so it's clearly important to you. Plus, you mentioned that there will be other dessert options, so guests can choose to eat something else if they really don't like the cake. That said, if you've got a warm location or if the cake will be outside, ganache might hold up better than SMBC?

It's not a stupid decision to make your own cake. That said, if you're also making other desserts for the wedding and hosting a brunch the next day and having guests in your house - that's a lot of stuff going on that doesn't even count the flurries of getting yourself ready for your wedding. Are there any tasks for any of these things that you can do ahead of time or "outsource" to trusted friends and family in the area? I suggest making lists... lots and lots of lists!

[Darienne]

Just love your cake, StephMac. :wub:

[saffronalice]

Thanks for all the replies. I suppose it's a common practice not all too ordinary for professionals. HungryC - that is a good question and I did think about that but I already have a round cake stand I'll be using although I would love an excuse to get a square one! I am not worried about leftover - because it's sponge based, I was thinking I could make a trifle of some sort for the day after brunch and I'll have house full of guest a week before that would eagerly eat any crumbs!

Rwood - I was torn but decided that White Choc Ganache is pretty tasty and the combo with the raspberry jam will be a crowd pleaser. I am just concerned about serving decent food and find most bakery cakes too sweet for my taste so I am compromising in a way.

Stephmac - OMG! OK! Wow! That is gorgeously stunning. I would be happy if mine will transport in one piece. Speaking of that, I should check with the venue, that is a great idea to see if they'll store it the day before. Wow! May I ask what icing did you use to get all those lovely patterns? I'll actually be baking up a sheet this weekend to see if I need to make changes to the oven temp. I'll also be whipping up a batch of White Choc ganache which I haven't done before. I've only done dark and milk choc and with the white choc I've made it a little differently - usually fold in whipped cream to the ganache but that doesn't make a very stable frosting and definitely can't sit out in room temp for several hours at least my recipe doesn't. I've lots of planning to do as far as food prep goes and 10 weeks away, I am already getting nervous! Most girls dream of their wedding gown or whatever (I am not even wearing one), all I want is to make my own cake! and hope it will taste great.

[StephMac]

Aw, thanks for the compliments. I'm a hobbyist/home baker myself, so it's nice to hear

The stripes on the top tier and diamonds on the bottom tier are a mix of rolled buttercream for flavor and fondant for elasticity. I think it was like 75/25 in favor of the rolled buttercream. They're painted with luster dust. All of the borders, the dot patterns on the top tier, and the swirls on the middle tier are piped buttercream.

Definitely check with the venue and see if they can store the cake, it's a load off your mind if you can put it in a safe place and not have to worry about it for a while (just make sure it's not next to the onions/fish/garlic/gorgonzola). If you're going to transport it stacked, though, make sure they know that it will have to have a very tall shelf available. I don't have a lot of transporting tips for stacked cakes, other than I've heard that taking the cake chilled and putting your AC on in the car helps. Other folks here may have tips for that, if you want to start a new thread. The internal support structure will be key, as I'm sure you already know.

Good call on trying out the ganache recipe to find one that's stable at room temp for a while. The other option, if you can store the cake at the site, is to bring it out a little while before serving vs. having it on display all night... but that might end up with you having to cut into cold cake.

Take a breath, enjoy the process as all the pieces fall into place. Trifle and such sounds lovely for cake leftovers - if there are any!