I know there are things you can buy to wrap around the outside of your cake pans, but short of that, how can I get my cakes to bake evenly?

TIA!
Jackie

You can put a flower nail upside down in the middle and that helps conduct the heat to the middle. I spray it with pam before putting it in there and it comes out with no problem. I also use the wilton bake even strips for around the outside. Someone on here recommended soaking them in water while you are mixing up the cake and preparing the pans and then you squeeze the excess water out of them. I still have to cut the bottom of the cake to make it even but it's not as bad as it would be if I don't use them. Someone also suggested that after you take it out of the oven to press down on the middle (the sloped part) with a paper towel and this will make the cake even. I haven't tried that method yet.

I'm a big fan of the bake even strips so I swear by those now. I've even tested it and there's a huge difference when my cakes come out of the oven with a strip vs. without a strip.

Another option is to put a flower nail in the middle of the pan before you pour the batter in...it acts as a heating element and is easy to take out once you flip the cake over and out of the pan.

Thanks guys! I'm going to have to go to Hobby Lobby at one point today, and I think I'll take the plunge and buys some strips. They seem to be the way to to.

Question: Doesn't putting the nail in the cake cause an indention in the middle, where the top of the nail was?

Jackie

It might make a slight mark which is then covered up when you icing. You won't even be able to notice it when you are finished decorating the cake.

Bake Even Strips are soooo expensive!! my fav thing to do...bake at 325..easy..yes, it takes a little longer to bake, but it works

OK, the nail is in the middle!

And 325 huh? Hadn't thought of that. Thanks!


Jackie

Love the strips. Mine are magic-cake (?) brand. Not at all expensive. $6.95?

Hobby Lobby is always having sales on Wilton products or always has coupons for different things. A few weeks ago they had a coupon for 50% off all Wilton products. This was good for unlimited amount of products at one time. Last week they had 40% off any one item but when I went to the store they already had Wilton products at 50% off.

I bought a set of 4 strips (4 different lengths) for 9.95 at a cake shop....the coupons are great....Hobby Lobby does 40% and 50% as well and they carry cake products as well....and Michael's sometimes accepts competitor coupons.

Check Ebay for deals on bake-even strips.

I've used the nail and baking at 325 also, works pretty well.

I bake my cakes at 325 degrees instead of 350 and it that has helped even more than the bake even strips. It takes longer but I just tell my self " Haste makes Waste"

I use the baking strips and the flower nail (only in my larger pans)... I love them both... I learned the flower nail method here and tried it .. it also helps... If I have any rise in the center of my cakes, as soon as I take them out of the oven, I put a clean dishcloth over the top and lightly press down until the cake is even.. this only works when the cake is nice and hot from the oven .. be careful not to burn yourself on the pan or from the heat of the cake though.. I have a few battle wounds from this and have learned the hard way lol

I hope Hobby Lobby is having a sale today, cause I have a lot of supplies needed for three cakes I'm selling this weekend. Why does it seem when one order comes in, at least another or two follow for the same day? <vbg>

The nail method is being tested in my oven as I type and I gotta say, it already looks more even than usual. And it's a chocolate mix, which for some reasong, always bakes more uneven than the yellow.

Thanks guys!

Jackie

I ditto Ntertayneme.....

I bake at 325...I use flower nails and as soon as I take the cake out of the oven, I carefully trim the 1/4 inch or so off the edges that usually turns crisp when the cake is cool....and I place a sheet of parchment paper on the cake and put a pot on it for about a minute.....I get a perfectly flat cake every time.

I learned the pressing down thing here and I always thought the cake would become mushy inside, but it never has.....good luck!

good tip about the pot adven68!!! I'll have to try that one! thanks for sharing

Ditto the pushing down on the cake while hot. You can also use a foil-covered cake circle with a soup can or something on the top. Then you can reuse the cake circle. MOst of the time i forget and just use a paper towel (and usually burn myself).

Flower nail trick I use for 10" or larger cakes. Works great!

I noticed that someone mentioned putting the flower nail in the pan first then pouring -- I found that the nail moves when you do this. I put it in after I pour the batter. You then don't have to move it back to the middle of the pan.

i've always pushed the center of my cakes down with a clean kitchen towel JUST before it was completely done.. you have to be careful not to do it too soon or it will fall more in the middle... but i plan on trying the nail method..

I did the pressing thing on my last cakes.

I'd baked them at 325 and there was still a slight rise just above the cake pans. So I just grabbed an extra cake pan that was a little bigger than the one the cake was in and pressed the bottom of it onto the raised cake. The original cake pan kept it from going too far down and the top of the cake was now perfectly level with the edge of the pans.

The only drawback to this was that now I had no sliced-off top to crumble and use for spackle.

The other tiny problem was that as the cakes cooled, their centers did go down a bit more so now I had a slightly concave top; the center was now just a wee bit shorter than the edges. I'll have to wait for the cakes to cool just a little and the peaks to lower naturally next time before flattening them out.

I have always lowered my oven temp or used the bake even strips. You can also cut up an old towel and wrap it around your pans. I have done that and it worked the same way as the strips. Good luck.

Bake on 325 and use flower nail for all size cakes...guess I'm addicted to flower nails

I rarely use the strips now since I learned about the push down method.

Bake on 325 and use flower nail for all size cakes...guess I'm addicted to flower nails

I rarely use the strips now since I learned about the push down method.

Hi,

Since reading on CC about the method of pressing down once it comes out of the oven, I've had no problems. As soon as the cke is out the oven, take a clean dish towel and press slightly.

I do want to try the nail method as well.
One silly question on this though......does it have to be a rose nail or will any nail do?

Regards
Shamani

you can also use folded paper towels instead of bake even strips. I use paper towels (however many it takes to go around length wise) folded widthwise to the right hight. Wet them just like the bake even strips and just stick them on the pan. no need to pin or anything. I have the maki-cale strips too and I use them for bigger cakes and the paper towels for little cakes to prevent tons of overlap.

Yep! Save your money for decorating tools girls, don't waste your money on the backing stripes, I bought the Wilton bake strips and used them a time or two then promptly threw them out!!! What a pain in the ---! I went back to my old tried and true technique of the fold and soaked paper towels!!! No pinning, they self stick, and NO - they don't fall between the rack to the heating element, if they dry up and pull away from the pan they stay on the rack! It doesn't matter what shape the pan is the folded and soaked paper towels will fit and stick and no dome center and dry edges on you cake.

I concur with Mommykicksbutt! I as well use this method and have ZERO problems with domes or even cracks in my cakes. It's cheap and no hastle whatsoever!!!!!!!!!


Amy