Will a 10" cake serve 21 people?

Toast4532

Hi

I am making a birthday cake for a friend tomorrow and the biggest square tin I could find was 10" (I live in a small town and it was all I could find), but as we are bringing it into college for her and she will probably want to cut it there I'm wondering if it will feed 21 people? (there's 21 people in our class).

This is the tin I have http://www.heatonsstores.com/Product/Square-Cake-Tin-105/268161/1502020100

I plan on making a chocolate sponge/madeira and covering it with chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries. I will have buttercream and raspberry conserve in the centre of the sponge/madeira.

I have some round tins and sandwich pans which are 9" and 10" too, so could use those either.

Would really appreciate any help.

phormium

Plenty, you will be cutting it into approx inch thick slices, that will give you 10 strips, even dividing each one of them into 3 would give you 30 portions, there are always people who don't eat cake as well, believe it or not!

Toast4532

Thanks so much Phormium.

Roughly how much ganache would I need? Would anyone have a recipe please?

phormium

Hard to estimate amount of ganache, is there just one layer in the middle and is it around the top and sides as well?

I would use ordinary cream, equal weights of cream and chocolate, e.g. 500g choc and 500g cream, this would be for 50% cocoa solids choc, if milkier then less cream as it doesn't set as well. Left over ganache can be frozen or made into truffles in case you make too much.

Toast4532

I will be putting the ganache all over the cake and using 70% cocoa dark chocolate in it.

in the middle of the cake I am putting vanilla buttercream and raspberry conserve.

If I froze the ganache could I defrost it and use it on another cake in a week or two?

phormium

Yes you could freeze the ganache and use it at a later stage for another cake. I find 70% choc fine for making the cake but a bit too dark for most people's taste as a ganache but I suppose there won't be that much and it will be a contrast to the sweetness of the buttercream and raspberry.

Toast4532

Thanks Phormium, would milk chocolate be better for a ganache?

Cerulean Chicken

Toast4532 wrote: »

Thanks Phormium, would milk chocolate be better for a ganache?

Just use like 50-60% cocoa solids.

Toast4532

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Just use like 50-60% cocoa solids.

Thanks, what brands do 50-60 cocoa solids? I am using lindt and can only find 70% and higher, would appreciate any help.

Cerulean Chicken

Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, Dunnes, SuperValu, etc etc all have varying chocolates with different % levels. Just look at any of the shelves with all the chocolates and you'll see a lot more than Lindt 70%+, one of the most overrated and overpriced chocolate brands IMO.

Sigma Force

Aldis think it's Dairyfine dark chocolate (red shiney wrapper) is around 50% cocoa solids which I find is dark enough for most cakes.