Looking for homemade b-day cake info

[JTsMom]

I'm a fancy cake making virgin, but some crazy force has compelled me to try to make one for Jason's first b-day on the 20th. This same force also has me hand-painting farm animal frames for favors, and turning my dining room table into a cow, but that's another story. :)

1. Anyway, I'm looking for a good chocolate cake recipe for the 12X18 sheet pan I bought, and also one for frosting.

2. I'm also wondering if I should do 2 layers, just for looks. I have NOWHERE NEAR enough people coming to eat all of this cake, but will it look stupid with only one layer? Here is a link to the cake I'm going to attempt:

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/picture-of-cakes.html

It's the first cake shown, but I'm going to tweak it a little. It looks like the baker only used one layer, but it's hard for me to say how it looks irl without any experience with this stuff.

3. When you make a cake like this, what do you put it on? I saw 12X18 cardboard things, but that didn't seem like a good option b/c the cake would cover the whole thing anyway, kwim? There was no extra room, and I firgured I'd end up having a hard time picking it up and would get icing on everything that it came near.

4. When do you usually bake/decorate the cake?

Thanks for any advice.

[juliasmom05]

Very cute cake :-). I think we all the stuff on top of the cake, a single layer cake would look better than a double layer cake.

I usually just cut up a piece a cardboard box that I may have around the house. That way you can make it bigger than the cake so you can move the cake easily. I usually just cover it with aluminun foil to make it presentable. If you don't want it to show, you can cover it with green colored shredded coconut to make it look like grass or something like that.

I'm definitely not an expert, but I usually I put the cake in the fridge for awhile (sometimes even overnight) so that it is easier to frost.

Sorry, I don't have any great chocolate cake recipes.

Marci

Mom to Julia 4/05

[beckyr88]

The recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa is fantastic! It is really tasty and moist. After trying to make several different chocolate cake recipes (Cake Bible, Joy of Cooking, etc), this one is by far my favorite!! The frosting is good too. (hint: make a double batch of the frosting if you ever make the chocolate frosting.

[JacksMommy]

Wow, you are really going all out! Given all that you are planning to do, if you can make the cake a week in advance and freeze it (undecorated), that would probably be the way to go, just to save you time closer to the big day. IMO, the frosting and all should be done the day of but you can do it in the morning - it will keep the day just fine (unless it's really hot!).

I agree that one layer will be fine given the decorations you are planning.

I've never made a sheet cake but I would think that a platter or large cutting board would work if you don't want to use cardboard. The box idea the PP had is a good one if you have the materials.

I don't have any good recipes since the ones I've made are for smaller pans, double layer cakes, etc. The Cake Bible might be a place to look. Although frankly having made cupcakes from scratch for DS's first three bdays, I just made them from a box for DD's bday and they tasted pretty much the same - especially since I had homemade buttercream frosting - yum! My recipe was from the cake bible - it's called neoclassic buttercream and it's both easy and delicious and also looks similar to the texture for the "grass" in the picture in your link.

Happy baking!

[newnana]

Okay, this is my mother's chocolate sheet cake recipe that is typically done in a 9x13 pan. It is amazing. You will probably have to do something with the portions given the size of your pan. The bonus is that it's no fail. I'm a terrible cook and have never screwed it up. My mom makes amazing cakes: black forest, red velvet, carrot, you name it, but for our birthdays this is still the one we all request.

For the cake:

mix in a medium bowl
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of sifted flour (yes the sifting is important unless you purchase cake flour instead of all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

in a saucepan, melt and continue stirring because you don't want it to scorch:
4 Tablespoons Hershey's cocoa
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of water

Pour the melted stuff from the saucepan over the stuff mixed in the bowl and stir it up. Now add to the bowl:
1/2 cup of buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk pour a little vinegar in your regular milk until it curdles)
2 beaten eggs
1 Tablespoon of vanilla

This works best in a metal pan. If you put a dollop of butter on the bottom of the pan and put wax paper in it, then do the grease and flour on the wax paper you can pull it out of the pan and just peal that off. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a greased and floured pan.do the toothpick test.

For chocolate frosting:
Sift 1 box of 10x powdered sugar into a bowl

Saucepan (the order is important)
- melt 1 stick of butter or margarine (to boil)
- add 4 Tablespoons of cocoa and beat with a fork
- add 4 Tablespoons of canned milk (like milnot)
- turn off the flame
- immediately add 1 tablespoon of vanilla

Pour over the sifted powdered sugar and mix with a fork. Keep adding Tablespoons of the canned milk until the frosting is shiny.

That's it. I swear, it's really easy despite how long this post is! Good luck and please show us pictures! I'm intrigued by this cow dining room table
Michelle

[newnana]

Okay, this is my mother's chocolate sheet cake recipe that is typically done in a 9x13 pan. It is amazing. You will probably have to do something with the portions given the size of your pan. The bonus is that it's no fail. I'm a terrible cook and have never screwed it up. My mom makes amazing cakes: black forest, red velvet, carrot, you name it, but for our birthdays this is still the one we all request.

For the cake:

mix in a medium bowl
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of sifted flour (yes the sifting is important unless you purchase cake flour instead of all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

in a saucepan, melt and continue stirring because you don't want it to scorch:
4 Tablespoons Hershey's cocoa
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of water

Pour the melted stuff from the saucepan over the stuff mixed in the bowl and stir it up. Now add to the bowl:
1/2 cup of buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk pour a little vinegar in your regular milk until it curdles)
2 beaten eggs
1 Tablespoon of vanilla

This works best in a metal pan. If you put a dollop of butter on the bottom of the pan and put wax paper in it, then do the grease and flour on the wax paper you can pull it out of the pan and just peal that off. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a greased and floured pan.do the toothpick test.

For chocolate frosting:
Sift 1 box of 10x powdered sugar into a bowl

Saucepan (the order is important)
- melt 1 stick of butter or margarine (to boil)
- add 4 Tablespoons of cocoa and beat with a fork
- add 4 Tablespoons of canned milk (like milnot)
- turn off the flame
- immediately add 1 tablespoon of vanilla

Pour over the sifted powdered sugar and mix with a fork. Keep adding Tablespoons of the canned milk until the frosting is shiny.

That's it. I swear, it's really easy despite how long this post is! Good luck and please show us pictures! I'm intrigued by this cow dining room table
Michelle

[alleyoop]

Huge ditto for the "perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake and frosting recipes on the Hershey's Cocoa can. Very easy recipe, which ALWAYS comes out wonderfully. Peope always ask me for the recipe!

[alleyoop]

Huge ditto for the "perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake and frosting recipes on the Hershey's Cocoa can. Very easy recipe, which ALWAYS comes out wonderfully. Peope always ask me for the recipe!

[kransden]

Here is my fablous cake recipe - 1 box of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mix. Follow directions on the box :)

As for the rest, I would make your cake a week in advance and freeze it. That way if you screw up you have time to remake the cake. I would also use wax paper on the bottom to get the cake out of the pan easier. You can ice the cake the night before if you want, it won't hurt anything. A single layer will look fine. Have fun! I just love to decorate cakes!

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[kransden]

Here is my fablous cake recipe - 1 box of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mix. Follow directions on the box :)

As for the rest, I would make your cake a week in advance and freeze it. That way if you screw up you have time to remake the cake. I would also use wax paper on the bottom to get the cake out of the pan easier. You can ice the cake the night before if you want, it won't hurt anything. A single layer will look fine. Have fun! I just love to decorate cakes!

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[JTsMom]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely post pics when it's all done.