Any layer cake bakers out there?

[Beth E. (NJ)]

I love to bake but generally I don't bake layer cakes. I decided to bake one with the kids this past weekend.

The thing that has kept me away from layer cakes is getting the layers straight. Sure enough when these came out of the oven they were both rounded on top.

Does anyone know of a way to get the cakes to bake without that happening? I cut the one layer so it was even, but I would love to keep the cutting to a minimum.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Layer cakes will always be rounded to some extent. If you're baking from scratch you can try varying the amount of baking powder. The other option (besides cutting) is to turn one layer upside down and place the rounded portion on the plate. If it isn't too rounded the weight will sometimes even it out.

My kids' favorite approach is to fill all of that "extra space" with frosting!

Deb

 

[figmentvi]

Beth,

I learned a trick from my Mom.

When you flip the cakes out of the pan and onto a rack to cool, leave them with the tops facing down (this will help flatten the tops a little). When assembling the cakes put the tops facing towards the middle. This will leave the flat bottom facing up. The filling in the middle will help to compensate for any un-eveness. Brush off excess crumbs and frost.

 

[Margie J]

Another trick from Mom:

Wrap the outside of the pans with strips of wet terry cloth (old kitchen towels are great). Pin the towelling on, fill the pans and bake. The towels will brown a bit but won't burn up and can be reused.

This trick seems to work really well with large layers, such as for wedding cakes. It keeps the edges from overbaking and forming the center bump.

If you still need to trim the cakes, or just split them into layers, you can purchase a wire cake trimmer from Wilton or craft stores. It cuts evenly and with few crumbs.

 

[soccerchick]

Hi,
I bake and decorate cakes for many occassions. I have a few tips for helping to level cakes.

1. Get the air out. After pouring batter into the pans, I place a thick dish towel on my counter and gently drop the pan a few inches onto the counter. You will see the bubbles rise and pop. I do this probably 15 - 25 times for a small cake and up to 50 times for a large 11x15 sheet cake.

2. Cut the bubble off. I use a very large serated bread knife to level my cakes before decorating. Michael's carries two Wilton brand cake levelers. I have the small one, but never use it. I think it cost $2-$3. They also carry a large one that is around $20

A bonus to leveling cakes: My husband and daughter get to eat "cake top" even though they can't go near the real one.

Hope this helps!

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Thank you for the tips! I will have to try them the next time I bake a layer cake.

 

[Beanie]

Thanks from me as well!! I always have a "bubble" on top of my layer cakes as well, so these tips will come in handy!!

 

[Twinsplus1]

I push the batter to the edges of the pan so that the middle has less batter. This seems to greatly reduce the need to trim the cake. Happy baking!

 

[piratesmate]

Somehow I missed this thread the first time around.

My sister & cousin took cake decorating classes via our local high school (community classes) & they taught them to do the dropping thing that Soccerchick mentioned. They were also told to "spin" the cake pan. i.e. Place the pan flat on the counter & make it go in circles. (They were using round pans, but I guess it works with square ones also.) I'd not sure what the reasoning was, but doing both seemed to work nearly all the time. I'd imagine it may be along the lines of Twinplus1's idea of making sure there isn't too much batter in the middle.

My cousin has never had to cut the dome off a cake since she started doing this.

Hope it works for you!

Deb