So there’s this little bit of panic that happens in your head when you realize you’ve made a cake for more people than will fit inside your cake pan. And here you are, with a fancy double barrel cake. But can your math back up thirty ravenous friends? Enter: your new best friend, the serving chart (above) which break down which size round makes how many pieces, whether those be 1×1 inch wedding slices or larger 2-inch party portions. No need to embarrassingly run out before announcing dessert.
A Double Barrel Cake consists of two identically-sized tiered cakes stacked one atop other. Double-wide! While it does not require the visual interest of stepping inwards toward smaller rounds, the double barrel style produce a lot of height that doesn’t have to compromise any serving capacity. Since you’re going up instead of out, a small double barrel cake yield far more servings per inch of cake than a single layer. As shown on the chart, a humble 6-inch round will feed 22 guests for dinner. Those are generous portions. It is easy to see.
How to Make a Double Barrel Cake
But building something that tall require some attention to structure. There’s no just plopping down some batter and crossing your fingers with this one. You have to respect the height. This type of baking absolutely requires support. Whether they’re bubble straws or dowels, it doesn’t matter how big your cake is, you need them. Four may be all that’s necessary for smaller cakes. For bigger cakes, the pan needs to have a complete ring of dowels and a spike going up through the middle to keep the lower barrel from squishing the upper one. A little thing, sure, but it matters. Because if your cake collapses, then you didn’t only kill the appearance, but you also killed the baker confidence.
Oh, and did I mention? Square pans holds roughly twenty-five percent more servings than their round versions. Why? Because you don’t waste any of those corners when you cut out your cake pieces. That additional capacity makes the difference between having a back-up sheet cake or not. When choosing a size, consider more than just the number of people at the event. Consider the kind of event. A typical wedding slice is 1″ x 1″ and meant to be eaten with other food items (savory foods). A party slice run around 2″ deep and is made to be the star of the show. I’ve included a grid of serving references in the photo to illustrate. This will help you decide whether to order an eight inch round for an anniversary celebration or maybe a twelve inch round for a high school graduation.
Don’t overlook required amount of batter needed. It’s easy to mess up doubling recipes. Two layer of a four inch double barrel calls for two to three cups of batter per layer whereas a sixteen inch cake call for almost thirty six cups. Yeah, that’s some logistics requiring significant oven planning.
When figuring out its overall height, the decoration come into play as well. A smooth buttercream will mask any lumps or bumps of actual structure more effectively than an applique-style like rosettes or ruffles. Such styles may show differences in barrel heights. As with all cakes, applying a crumb coat followed by firm set of icing after each step (or freezing the cake between) helps solidify the whole structure before adding your last layer of decoration.
Unless you’ve been doing this professionally for years, I wouldn’t try moving this baby around once completely assembled. It’s best to transport the two barrels separately and assemble on location. Given its high profile, it’s likely to topple over in your backseat. You should of checked that first.
A double barrel cake is both indulgent and precise. It’s a tower of cake you’re trying to build that needs to be soft enough to bite into yet sturdy enough to stand up. Your measurements help with portion and size (thank you serving chart), but your attention to detail during assembly determine whether it succeeds or fails. Chill it well, support it well, level each layer well. Everyone sees the beauty when it comes out at the party; they don’t see the dowels or the math that got you here. And that, my friends, is exactly how good baking should of been done.