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I've done several 12 inch cakes, but the problem is that they tend to dry on the outside even if you do the traditional thing and wrap with newspaper.
Marks and spencers do wedding cakes that are plain, you could look at their sizes and see what number of protions they have.
39 is a lot of people! are you having lunch in sititings?
You could always do cup cake christmas cakes. This year cup cakes have been very in!

Blimey 39 of you that's literally hundreds!!!

In our family a lot of them don't like fruit cake so my mum makes like a mini wedding cake but with christmassy icing. one tier is fruit cake and the other is sponge. that might be a better idea than one massive cake coz something so big might end up burnt on the outside and still a bit raw inside.

Oooh angel we both mentioned wedding cakes at the same time how mad lol

Yes, the cupcake things are all the fashion of the moment aren't they! Jeepers, 39 of you lol!!! And there's me compaining that I'll have 11- I should count myself lucky lol!

I'll have a look around for you to see if I can find out what size you might need...

Thinking about it, you might be better with two or even 3 smaller ones- maybe even tier them?

That's a really big family.
I shall be on my own for Christmas. Hopefully I'll get called in to work so that I can have a bit of company even if they don't talk back!

Aw Angel, that's really sad! How come you'll be on your own?

Diode H. Decry wrote:I want to bake a christmas cake that'll be big enough for my family - we are going round my mum and dads and I'm on cake duty, there are going to be 39 of us all squishing in, but it'll be fun! What diameter would I need?

Be wary of checking portions on wedding cake!! they tend to allow a small finger of cake per guest as a token, rather than a slab of cake you might tuck in to at home!

I make my cakes 9" diameter - partly because it fits the recipe I use, and partly because it is a nice size to cut in wedges instead of slices - square cakes means not getting icing and marzipan equally distributed! (a good or bad thing, depending if you and your family like marzipan and icing!)

If you make a big big cake, you have to wrap the tin well with brown paper, and plenty of it, and cover the top of the cake too.. it will also take a very long time to cook. this is not a problem, as most fruit cake recipes are small quantities of egg and flour as a binding agent, and there is little air in the cake, so it doesnt need to set fast in the way a sponge does.

The other problem with a big big cake is finding a tin (expensive!) a cake board 9expensive!)
* it in a domestic oven.. and the time it takes to bake.. and finding a place to store it!

I would opt for 2 or 3 smaller ones, they cook quicker, store easily, and you only need to cut them when you want to eat some.. so you can keep the second and third ones fresher and moister untill needed.

As not everyone likes fruit cake, you have the option of doing 2 or 3 recipes to suit everyone too!

Nickie wrote:Aw Angel, that's really sad! How come you'll be on your own?

Just no one special in my life right now.

angel wrote:

Nickie wrote:Aw Angel, that's really sad! How come you'll be on your own?

Just no one special in my life right now.

It doesnt always change when you do! My o/h goes off on Christmas morning to spend the day with his paernts and his daughter.. I get to tidy up, cook, and walk the dogs!