Make a cake or buy a cake? What would you do?

[BroccoliSpears]

I am organising the cake for a 70th birthday party.

14 adults and 8 children.

Am a reasonable cook and bake quite often but have never made a cake that big. In fact, how big would it need to be?

Am considering ordering a cake and having it iced nicely.

Apparently Costco cakes are good (am dubious, anyone know if this is true?).

Is it a cop out to buy a cake?

Any advice from anyone who has baked an enormous cake?

It's family so don't mind cost / effort. But am really really busy (leaving the country week after party.

Buy

buy.

don't know about costco sorry.

waitrose and m&s are meant to have good cakes - says so in today's telegraph so must be true!

homemade always tastes nicer

its as simple as that!

shop ones are always far too sweet and heavy with inch thick teeth-disintigrating icing

instead of making one huge one you could make 2? join them together? im no expert though

enjoy the party

you can pay up to 70 quid for a decent shop bought one too

Make!

I had a professional cake maker do my DH's 50th birthday cake. It was big enough for 50 people, and cost me £70. It was fabulous, and so much better than anything you could buy in the supermarket.

on the other hand we had a bob cake made for ds2's birthday, cost £30 and the cake was pretty bland, the icing fairly toxic, wouldn't bother with that bakery again!

If you have time then make one, otherwise order from a professional cake-maker or baker.

Don't buy one from a supermarket!

22 people isn't THAT many.

What about lots of cupcakes with really pretty icing and presented on a lovely tiered cake stand?

Make it.

Oh, anmd you don't have to make one really big one you know!

Just make 2 or 3 of them. You can then either build then into one big cake with filling and icing holding it all together or just serve them as 2 or 3 individual cakes.

An easy big cake:

make 4 sponges or cake mix of your choice in rectangular swiss roll tins.

Layer them all up together with a nice filling between each layer (I'd do chocolate mousse) and then cover the whole thing with a topping or icing of your choice.

That will feed loads of people.

Make (obviously)

Wow COV - the cakes on your profile are amazing! You are tres talented.

You are all right, bought cakes just aren't as nice. I shall make one. And it won't be appreciated because this is my family and I pretty much have a choice of (a) being ribbed for copping out and buying a cake, or (b) making a cake and having everyone be rude about it. It's a good job I love them really .

Like the idea of 4 X swiss roll cakes layered. Now, how to decorate?

Ooooh, sneaky!

costco cakes are great. £10.99, a fairly limted choice of designs but they will personalise the writing on it for you. they are huge too, so will easily feed everyone.

i'm biased tho, as have ordered one for ds's birthday next week.

oh and you can choose,whether choc or vanilla sponge and icing, what colours you'd like, what filling etc. they make them fresh the day you want to pick it up, and if you dont want toxic dont order the bright colours.

Make. Re the size, could do a tiered cake - ie 2 or 3 cakes, either round or square, of different dimensions piled up - means it won't fall over and you can make a decoration going down the sides or put ribbons round each layer, or whatever. Make sure you put it on a decent cake board too - makes it look much more special

I do love the costco cakes, the balloon design is a bit toxic with all the colours but the rose design is heavenly

I can eat slices and slices yum

But otherwise homemade