JennyD Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I am planning a large, casual backyard party -- at least 70 people, maybe as many as 90. We are ordering most of the food, but I am trying to figure out what to do about dessert. Is it feasible for me to make a large, single-layer sheet cake ahead of time, freeze it, and then defrost to serve with cut fruit and ice cream? The guest of honor does not like frosting (weirdo) so I would need to figure out how to make the cake look nice without too much frosting. Has anyone done this? How much cake would I need? I have a regular-sized oven and am a fairly experienced baker, although I don't bake a lot of cakes and never for this many people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvToRead Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Yes you can. I used to make my daughter's birthday cakes early in the week, froze them, and frosted them on the day of the party. Since she doesn't want frosting, I think a sprinkling of powdered sugar would be pretty. You can get about 30 slices out of a half sheet, so I would probably make at least 3, if not 4 half sheets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 or a couple costco sheetcakes 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 This seems to me like it's what Costco makes cakes for. It's easy to cut off the icing and toss it for those guests who like low or no icing. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 Are the Costco cakes any good, though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecropia Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 How about frosting the large cakes as usual and serving an individual unfrosted mini cake to the honoree? If serving unfrosted cake to everyone, I think warm fruit compote would go better than cut fruit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvToRead Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 4 minutes ago, Cecropia said: How about frosting the large cakes as usual and serving an individual unfrosted mini cake to the honoree? If serving unfrosted cake to everyone, I think warm fruit compote would go better than cut fruit. Yum! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 It is going to be late May and the peak of strawberry season here, so I was thinking something along the lines of cake, cut up strawberries, and ice cream. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 17 minutes ago, JennyD said: Are the Costco cakes any good, though? So, I am not a huge fan of them. They're fine - definitely not bad. Most of them have a sort of cream layer in the middle. However, they have a following. Like, cult level among some people. I've seen people get way overexcited about them. ETA: Just so everyone knows, I do get that excited about some of the Costco pies though... ;) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I would make or purchase pound cakes-- dust tops with powdered sugar (use doily to make pretty)... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 37 minutes ago, JennyD said: Are the Costco cakes any good, though? I'm not a cake person and I think they're pretty good. I'd say generally people do like them well enough. And it would save you some extra time and work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I would just buy some dessert shells and do strawberry shortcake: https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/recipes/shortcut-strawberry-shortcakes I've seen huge trays of them at Sam's Club in May. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Pound cake gets better after a few days, so I would make multiple pound cakes and skip the freezing. You can even make pound cake cupcakes (just make them in a cupcake tin, but thinner than regular cupcakes). Pound cake is my favorite cake, so take my recommendation with the proverbial grain of salt. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 If the guest of honor doesn't like frosting, could you do bars? Like brownies, lemon bars, rice krispy bars? You could definitely freeze the baked varieties. Pound cake with fruit and whipped cream on the side is a great idea too. It just seems so much easier to just skip the frosting entirely if your honoree isn't it to it anyway. ETA If you didn't have to have fruit prepped specifically for dessert though it would just be less work. You could just order a couple fruit trays with your other food. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Hi JennyD! Insert waving emojii here. I vote for pound cake with the strawberries (which you could get a flat of at the Farmers' market!) The Costco cakes are fine, nothing spectactular, especially without the icing. Easy and not very expensive, but sound slike not a good fit for your scenario. Their caroot cake is better than the others, imo. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I'd vote for buying a cake for that many people. If you contact some local bakeries, you may find an option you like better than Costco. Where I used to live, there was a bakery that had cassata cake as a speciality -- it's a sponge cake with fruit. Something like that might be nice. I love strawberries with cake, but slicing strawberries for 90 people is going to take hours and hours and hours. Can you buy them pre-sliced from a store? And do you have a way to keep that much ice cream from melting through the rest of the dinner?And who is going to scoop 90 scoops of ice cream at the last minute? I'm not sure that's the best idea, logistically, unless you are hiring people to help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 If you're going to slice strawberries, recruit your kids and use multiple egg slicers. If you want to buy them, they do sell them frozen and sliced. If you mix in a little sugar as they melt it will become a lovely thick syrup. You can also just buy precut fresh berry mixes at many grocery stores, but that's typically $13/pound in the spring where we live. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I hate frosting and am not fond of large, sheet cakes. I think they are attractive to children, but don't see adults going nuts over them. It's like they eat a piece because it's expected of them. I'd skip a cake and go for a variety of smaller items, such as some cupcakes, tarts, cookies and a couple large fruit platters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I have no cake knowledge but just had to say that every time I scroll by this thread that song gets in my head 'Cake by the Ocean'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 Well thanks, Scarlett -- now I have that song in my head, too! :) Thank you all so much for these suggestions. It had occurred to me that washing and cutting up all of those strawberries might be just too much, and that serving ice cream could be a problem as well. We will not have any professional help with service but OTOH we will have a lot of family members who can be put to work. I have to think more about this. This morning I called the place that I think makes the best cake in town (Dulce, for ScoutTN). Price is $3/person AND all of their cakes are round multilayer tortes, meaning that I would need to cut up a 14-inch round cake for 80 people, which is a task that seems beyond my fine motor skills, even if I were willing to spend that kind of money on a cake (which I am not). So then I started thinking where I might get a large sheet cake that actually tastes good, which led me to think, "Hey, maybe I should just make the cake myself." But possibly that way lies madness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 In a pinch, honestly, the Publix bakery is good and will generally do whatever you need. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 That is good to know, thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Another DIY idea is cupcakes. I like PP's idea of pound cake cupcakes with strawberries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 You can freeze cupcakes frosted with buttercream! If you really like the idea of a nice bakery cake without spending so much, just get a small decorated one as a centerpiece to cut with immediate family after the event. i do think a mixed tray of mini desserts could be nice and everything could be frozen well ahead of time. I’m thinking 2-3 kinds of cookies, brownies, lemon bars, mini cupcakes. Maybe a single batch of rice krispy bars made the day before. You could do a batch or 2 every week leading up to the event. You could just pull them out of the freezer and put them on trays the morning of event. You could even get cute cheap cupcake toppers to pop in random ones. I just did something similar for an event. I do think it would be hard to do a single cake or fancy dessert for a crowd that size. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Totally Costco. I made/make occasion cakes and it is common for the people to buy additional all-white Costco cakes to serve. Then, people will say things like, "Wow, your cake was amazing!" I do make amazing cakes with butter/real vanilla/etc but frequently the people gushing about my "amazing" cake turn out to have eaten the Costco cake and not have known the difference. Hahaha! Emily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 https://www.bing.com/search?q=cake by the ocean clean&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=cake by the ocean clean&sc=8-23&sk=&cvid=D50DFBC4668D465DBF60C53424B0FEAF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 54 minutes ago, EmilyGF said: Totally Costco. I made/make occasion cakes and it is common for the people to buy additional all-white Costco cakes to serve. Then, people will say things like, "Wow, your cake was amazing!" I do make amazing cakes with butter/real vanilla/etc but frequently the people gushing about my "amazing" cake turn out to have eaten the Costco cake and not have known the difference. Hahaha! Emily I think I am going to go get the smallest Costco cake they offer and we will try it out. Costco cakes also have the massive advantage of (possibly, i have to confirm this) qualifying as kosher for our strictest guests, which would be handy. (The catering for this event is complicated, but that's another story. . . . ) I love the idea of small bites and I plan to offer cookies, etc., as well, but this crowd will eat a lot -- a centerpiece cake will at least signal to folks that maybe they're not meant to eat, like, 6 brownies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 6 hours ago, plansrme said: Pound cake gets better after a few days, so I would make multiple pound cakes and skip the freezing. You can even make pound cake cupcakes (just make them in a cupcake tin, but thinner than regular cupcakes). Pound cake is my favorite cake, so take my recommendation with the proverbial grain of salt. You can also bake pound cakes in loaf pans (my recipe makes two loaves). Then you can freeze them and they are easier to freeze than sheet cakes if your space is limited. I like pound cake with the strawberries and cream much better than other kinds of cake with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Texas sheet cake is made for this, but you need a BIG pan. The frosting is chocolate with pecans and fudgey, not like normal frosting. I don't like frosting but I like the stuff on texas sheet cake. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 For that size of a crowd I'd definitely go with a bakery cake then do a smaller un-iced cake, either angel food or pound cake. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 You could do a chocolate fountain instead of the cake. :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Thanks again to everyone who offered suggestions! I went to Costco today and after some frustrating back-and-forth with the woman behind the cake counter (Is it possible to buy a smaller cake to try it? No. How about a cupcake? No. Is there any way I can purchase the elements of the cake -- buttercream, cake, filling -- in the form of other baked goods in this store? No.) I eventually got samples of both cakes they sell. Pretty decent. Not great, but OK. The cake was better than the buttercream, IMO, and the chocolate was better than the vanilla. On the recommendation of a friend, I also purchased a few cupcakes at Whole Foods to try out their flavors, and those were excellent. I've never been impressed by Whole Foods' breads, so I was a little surprised by how good the cakes were. Their sheet cakes are more expensive than those at Costco but far less than the custom bakery prices. I want to go back and try a few more of the flavors (they have a chocolate cake glazed with ganache rather than buttercream) but I think that is going to be our solution. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 This is the WTM chat board. WHY aren’t we pushing cupcakes here????? 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 At our Costco, I was able to leave out the cream center in the sheet cake since my son wasn’t a fan and it was his graduation party. If you want to customize it some, they should work with you. I’ve heard that some are more flexible than others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahCB Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 My go-to for a big crowd is Pioneer Woman's 4th of July cake. You don't have to decorate it like a flag ;) I've done tons of different designs over the years - I use strawberries and blueberries. The icing is a cream cheese icing and you could freeze the whole decorated cake if you wanted to (I've done that before, too). Everyone loves it. If my guest of honour wasn't a fan of icing, I'd make a separate cupcake for him or her and then do the cake as per the recipe. The cake looks incredibly impressive and tastes just as good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahCB Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Cool - I uploaded a picture of one of the cakes I made. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 I don't know if they use the same recipes across the country, but locally I like Sam's (or Wal-Mart) frosted sheet cakes better than Costco's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Wow, Sarah, that cake is amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 13 hours ago, JennyD said: Thanks again to everyone who offered suggestions! I went to Costco today and after some frustrating back-and-forth with the woman behind the cake counter (Is it possible to buy a smaller cake to try it? No. How about a cupcake? No. Is there any way I can purchase the elements of the cake -- buttercream, cake, filling -- in the form of other baked goods in this store? No.) I eventually got samples of both cakes they sell. Pretty decent. Not great, but OK. The cake was better than the buttercream, IMO, and the chocolate was better than the vanilla. On the recommendation of a friend, I also purchased a few cupcakes at Whole Foods to try out their flavors, and those were excellent. I've never been impressed by Whole Foods' breads, so I was a little surprised by how good the cakes were. Their sheet cakes are more expensive than those at Costco but far less than the custom bakery prices. I want to go back and try a few more of the flavors (they have a chocolate cake glazed with ganache rather than buttercream) but I think that is going to be our solution. We had one of those last year for a celebration and it was yummy! Very rich, so small slices were fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 On 4/26/2018 at 10:32 AM, JennyD said: Are the Costco cakes any good, though? Yes! They can't customize them for you (other than a name for Congratulations or Happy Birthday), but ours did reverse the cake flavor and icing for me. Nice! My kids love them, I like them way too much. Healthy? Not so much. Delicious? Yes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted May 1, 2018 Author Share Posted May 1, 2018 7 hours ago, ScoutTN said: We had one of those last year for a celebration and it was yummy! Very rich, so small slices were fine. Oh, that is good to know! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahCB Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 16 hours ago, JennyD said: Wow, Sarah, that cake is amazing! It looks amazing, but I promise it's easy to make. I'm awful at making my baking look good. Regular cakes that I ice always look like a five year old was helping me. There's something about the combination of berries and icing in this cake that is very forgiving. No matter what I do to it, it looks pretty good. Plus, it feeds an army. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 I was going to suggest Costco or Sam's. I bought a double sheet cake at Sam's and had it decorated by them. The entire double cake was alike $30 and fed 75 people. I would not have an entire cake without frosting. I would at least have a whipped cream frosting (Asian bakeries have these). Or I would maybe make a small side cake for the guest of honor and have a regular frosted cake for everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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