Well, of course I could’ve bought a half sheet pan, but you know me...

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
I really did go to Michael’s to buy the half sheet pan. Because you know at Michael’s you can always use some coupon or another and sure enough they actually have a half sheet pan. So no matter that it was 90° out I got in the car and went. Sure enough there it was right in the bin, but a couple of bins over…

There was this pan. Then I thought well that looks a whole lot more interesting than a boring sheet cake pan now doesn’t it? What if I were to make a sheet cake round instead of rectangle like every other sheet cake you’ve ever seen? But then I thought how are you going to do the math? Will it even bake in the center? Somebody must’ve use this pan before. So I wander around Michael’s clutching both pans close to my body. There was only one of the 16 inch round pan. Nobody better pick it up! I don’t dare set it down for fear that some other idiot would come along and go look a 16 inch round cake pan I’m gonna do something with that! And of course the coupon for 50% off is one item only, which means – I can’t buy both. But why should I buy both when I can just use this round pan and not give into the siren call of this is going to work better rectangular pan? So I did it. I got the round pan. Because for all that is holy let’s not be boring! I submit to you this photo of the pan sitting on the cushion of my recliner, so you can see it truly is: a wide ass pan.

Now if I can only figure out how much batter to make and not turn it all into a disaster.

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/swap-photos/5673EFB7-6F43-43B7-879A-35845CD4D280.jpeg

 
okay...deep breathe because you're gonna need to play with this puppy.

The center of your batter is 8" away from the metal walls which means far less heat transference. This means the edges and batter close to the edges will finish baking long before the center mass of batter.

Most big wedding cake bakers use a metal pin in the middle to transfer heat. Do you have one of those Royal Icing rose piping gadgets? It's a rod with a flat disk on the top that you pipe a rose onto and then slide it off??

Are you with me? It's called a FLOWER NAIL or ROSE NAIL.

You place one upside down in the center of the cake batter. Its metal transfers heat to bake the center batter at the same timeframe as the edges.

see attached link for this concept. They're using it to keep the center batter from doming because its edges bake first. You'll be using it to actually help bake the batter in the center of the cake.

I'd recommend testing out the method using boxes of cheap cake mix before the party and your special cake. You can always crumble that baked cake and use it for cake balls. That way you'll have more confidence dealing with a cake that big.

Another helpful hint is to partially freeze the baked layer to manipulate it easier with less chance of it cracking.

Another another helpful hint is to use a large 16" cake board to transfer it from cooling rack, etc. Don't even think that you can do this with two spatulas. I speak from painful experience.

Another x 3 helpful hint: use damp cake strips. They really do work well.

https://www.cakecentral.com/tutorial/20232/cake-baking-flower-nail-method-tutorial

 
Also, the back side of the label should tell how much batter you need for...

...your a$$-wide pan. Wilton says it's 16 cups of batter or 4 boxes of cake mix.

 
Have you met me? You know I go all in without a net...

According to this I don’t need no stinking heat core. I know I have a flower nail, but I don’t remember if I have a flat one. If I do I’ll use it, if I don’t I’m going to just lower the temperature like suggested By several in this link.

See? Right now I’m all brave about this because I don’t have to actually do it yet. Lol!

https://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/727665/heating-core-is-it-really-necessary

 
Nope. I have yet to own a pan that even says its dimensions on the back.

The back of the label just says how to wash it in three different languages.

 
I’m going to use this pan conversation info...

Thank goodness for Helen’s Great info. The only thing is it’s looking like we might have 50 (45 have rsvp’ed yes so far) and of course this size feeds less than a half sheet. If I recall a half sheet feeds 40-45 in party size 2x2 pieces.

Going by this info an 8 inch round cake equals 50 in.², so my three layer 8 inch round cake recipe equals 150 in.². Which is not enough for this pan, but if I make one and a half recipes I’ll have overage. So I’m not sure whether I will make the Cake a bit thicker – this Wilton pan is only 2 inches deep and I think true bakery pans are 3 inches deep. Either way I plan to split the layer, because I’m daring like that, and fill it so that should allow the pieces to be a little on the smaller side and still feed plenty. I make I might throw in a few cupcakes with the leftovers batter. However, girl twin was adamant she didn’t want to cake with cupcakes and went all pouty face on me when I suggested it.

https://pastrieslikeapro.com/tag/pan-size-conversion/#.W1kWzpFlDYU

 
OK, turns out I do have several rose/flower nails

They aren’t all the same size (does that matter?) so given it requires no effort (or $!) on my part, I will use them. Only two are perfectly flat on the bottom. A third is slightly rounded on the edges, but I could likely make it work in a pinch if need be.

 
The difference in square inches is about 32, which is a strip of 2X16.

This is about 8 servings if they are going to be 2X2 (I think). But a larger problem I see with the round cake is the actual serving so it is more or less equal and attractive.
SO I don't know if it works or not.

 
Oh ya, it will work. Use the nails...they won't hurt. And I'd really suggest a practice run because

if you're not used to flipping a baked cake that big...you'll be flipping it twice, remember, unless you ice on the underside. It would be a shame to learn a hard lesson with the birthday version.

I've make 14" circles and a 16" heart that I carved out of two half sheets...THAT was fun.

From the stuff I read, 12" circle was the largest you wanted to bake without a nail in the center. I think several of those commenters were using a pin to help the cake center bake flat (so they didn't have to torte the cake), since many were then deferring to cake strips. Personally, I'd use both: Cake strips to help it bake flat and pins spaced near the center to help disperse heat.

 
I've started writing pan size and weight of batter on the bottom with Sharpie.

That way I get a consistent amount each time. Of course, some cake batters are denser (heavier) than others, but at least two or three panfuls of the same batter will all bake the same.

 
I may not fill the cake

This is only a 2” deep pan, so harder to split. The 3 inch deep pans are dramatically more expensive. So, I’m undecided about that, but I’m I’m not worried about it. I’d just use thick cake boards to flip it. Also, I’d freeze it first as I do all my cakes.

 
And now I’m out of the cake business...Change of plans…

I’m out of the cake business! After running into my neighbors in the garden we had a chat about this and I found out grandma was already planning on making a sheet cake – a big half sheet chocolate cake mix cake. So I don’t need to make a cake I’ll just throw in a few cupcakes and call it done! Goodbye incredibles theme. Good bye expensive chocolate ingredients! This way I can make them with the kids and everyone is happy.

 
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