1. Do you make your cakes ahead of time and then freeze them so that they are easier to frost? I usually make a day or 2 ahead of time and then take out and frost while they are still frozen- thoughts or ideas?

2.If I want to make a standard 9x13 rectangualr cake and I want it to have a filling- do I cut in half or make 2 of the above sizes and put the filling in the middle? OR could I make 2 batches and pour into one cake pan and it would be double the size and then cut in half?

What is the best technique to frost the cake where the 2 cake halves come together and the sides have all that extra space between them?

I guess I need to take a cake class but hopefully you all will be willing to help!
I will be doing this on thurs this week.

Thanks so much

K here goes, Lots of folkses here have lots of wonderful ideas and answers to your questions so here is my take on the subject:
To answer your first question, I don't mind frosting frozen cakes as long as it's only on layer or one layer torted. But I think that lots of peeps have a different opinion on that and they only frost cakes that are thoroughly thawed. Probably has something to do with the moisture in the cake being released as it thaws probably causing the buttercream to slip. But, on a whole, I haven't had any problems with frosting em frozen.
Second, it depends on how thick or tall you want the finished product. If you want it to look like a regular "quarter sheet" (9x13) then I would torte it. There are a coupla tricks I have learned about torting though, I always bake my cakes with a parchment liner in the bottom of the pan. When I turn it out I leave the parchment on til after I reassemble the cake after torting (that way the to stays intact and you can mark the paper so you remember which is the front and can match up your halves again). If you want your cake taller by all means, make two of em. That would be kewl.
K, and for your last question: You should probably either trim your cakes so that they have a flat top or use one of the tricks from this site that has you take an ordinary dish towel and immediately upon taking the cake from the oven, gently press the top till it is flat (yes it will not poof up after you do this).

Hope that this helps a little bit at least. But I am sure that there are lots of folkses on this site that have wonderful advice for ya.
Take care and have a good one!!!

1. I make my cakes ahead of time (1-2 days before event) but I do not freeze them. Well, I take that back. If it's one day ahead, I don't freeze. If its 2 days ahead I freeze overnight. But I don't ice them frozen because I had an incident in which I did that, and the icing got wet underneath due to the condensation. Didn't turn out as well as I had planned.

2. Whichever way ya wanna honey. Though in my experience, putting 2 cake mixes in a 9x13 pan caused overflow. I normally make 2 seperate 9x13's and then put a filling between them, but its all up to you, or your client.

3. The above suggestion is a good one. If you don't have great success and your 2 halves still are apart a bit, I usually take piping bag, cut a hole a little smaller than the space between the two halves. and just pipe along that, let it set for a couple minutes and then ice the sides. Try to make it as flush with the cake as possible, and you won't be able to tell the difference. Hope that made sense?

Hope this helps!

*edited because I made too many mistakes*

Yes ~ what they said! I freeze my cakes unless I make them the day before. I ice my cakes cold (if they were frozen) but I usually let them thaw at least partially. I've never iced a fully frozen cake but I find them easier to handle when they are cold. I have also used two cakes and filled btw them and i've used two mixes in one 9 x 13 pan. I baked one of these last night. It did not overflow but it came close. I just put foil or a cookie sheet underneath it in the oven. I guess it depends on how many cups are in the mix if it will overflow or not. I also pipe to fill in the gap btw cakes then frost.

Hope this helps!

Debbie

I usually bake my cakes as soon as I get the order and then toss them in the freezer....wrapped in foil and put in a zipper type bag first! I always bring the cakes to room temp before proceeding.

Second..it depends on how many servings you need. If I bake a 9 x 13 and need a few extra servings, then I bake in one pan, torte and fill. If I need to double the servings, then I would bake two 9 x 13, stack them, with a filling in between cakes.

Last, I always use a level to make sure the top is a level as possible. Any gaps on the sides are filled with icing and then let it crust over before proceeding. Spackling is another way to take care of this...you just mix cake crumbs with BC icing, until you have a paste like consistency and then apply like you would spackling. Works great!

BTW....we are all more than happy to answer any questions we can!!

Thanks for all the help- What does Torte it mean?

Are you saying that when you have a gap in between the 2 layers you fill it with icing and let it harden a bit and then finsh it off making it smotthe?

One last time- If I just choose to use 1 cake recipe but want to fill it- should I just cut it in half or make 2 mixes? This is for a cake for around 20 people!

Thanks

Torting to is slice horizontally.

..yep, fill the gaps with icing!

According to Wilton, a 9 x 13 takes 7 cups of batter for a 2" cake OR 11& 1/2 cups of batter for a 3" cake. One box cake yields about 5 to 5&1/2 cups of batter

1. I always back the day of or the day before I need a cake. I don't have freezer room for cakes, and I prefer not to freeze them.

2. You can do either way. If you cut in half or torte the cake, then it is still a single layered cake, only torted. If you put two layers together then you have a double layer cake. Guess it depends on how much cake you need.

I have yet to make a double layered 13x9. I use a cake mix and half in my pan to get a very pretty two inch or slightly bigger than two inch layer. If I torte it that makes it even bigger. I use the rest of the mix to make cupcakes.

When I torte or if I am stacking then and there is a space between I will either just pipe some icing in there, or use a spatula and smear it in the 'holes'.

Thank You all so much- wow I am sure learning alot!
I will continue to peruse and ask questions- You guys are very helpful and kind to us Newbies
thanks

1. I always make my cakes fresh, never frozen, but I do keep them in the fridge several hrs before I frost to make sure the cake is firm.

2. when i make a 9x13 i use one mix plus the extender recipe all in one pan, bake at 325, and then i cut it twice horizontally..so there is 2 layers of cream