Cake Leveling???am I The Only One Who Does This?
Decorating By Tonja Updated 14 Aug 2006 , 9:54pm by mkerton
I have only been decorating for a couple of months and during my course I class, I bought the leveler and leveled the cake... I HATE USING A LEVELER. I tore the cake up and etc.... I was online ( I dont remember where) and ran across an article about baking. The cake decorator said that she never took the crown off a cake, that she used a dishtowel while the cak was still warm and just pushed the cake down level.. I tried it and on my first time it worked perfectly.. It (in my novice opinion) makes the cake more dense also. I have done it on all my cakes and they are all really tall and very straight and even. I have done it on all the cakes in my photos, both sheet and round... I hope it works for someone else who hates the leveler.....Anyone else use this little trick?
I have not done this, but maybe i will try it.
if it worked for you, I'm sure i will work for anywbody..Also this would prevent being wasteful..thanks for the idea..
Yes, i do this too!! I was told this little secret by a long time decorator and it works perfectly everytime....
Thanks for sharing. I am going to try this. Everytime I try to level, it comes out uneven.
I JUST tried it with the cake I pulled out of the oven. It worked PERFECTLY!!!
I will be doing this everytime from now on.
Thanks Tonja!!!
Yeah!! I am glad I could help... Isn't it sooo much easier? Glad it helped you Vanaya!!!
I do it all the time!! I use wax paper and a smaller pan to push the tops down, although since I found out about the flower nail trick, I haven't had to do it to the larger cakes. I use my leveler to tort, not to level off tops.
Torting is my next project. I am really not sure about what to do, but I am looking into some fillings.. Thanks
i do what Rezzi does only with parchment. Tell me though do you still use the strips? I hate those things!!
I have tried the push down method and didn't care for the results(increased denisty in the cake). I always use the leveler but I wait until usually the day after I have baked the cake to level. For me it just took practice to figure out how to get the right spin on the cake to keep it from tearing. This is the same for torting as well.
If you are going to start torting, use a stiff dam of icing piped just inside the inner lip of the layer, place your filling no higher than the dam and once the cake is reassembled let it set at least an hour or so that way you'll be able to tell if you have any places that are going to leak. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful possibilities filling adds to your cake making!
Have you guys who don't squish yer cakes tried leveling it while it was still in the pan??
You would use a large serrated knife and use the top of the pan as your guide. I like the squishee method myself though.
Not only does this work well, it also keeps the cake more moist I've found.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm with dodibug on this one--I don't like what it does to the density of the cake. I don't have too many problems with the large leveler from Wilton (but I really, really, really want an Agbay). I fill my pans a little fuller than recommended so they bake up over the edge just a little bit, then I level the cake before I take it out of the pan. Perfect every time when I do it that way.
I'm too lazy to use the strips.
I just bought the AGBAY (www.agbayproducts.com) leveler. I've had it with the large wilton one, it eats up my cakes. Pricey, but after you've had a couple of your cakes have chunks eaten out of them, you think it is worth it! I also torte my cakes, so it is good for that too.
I want an AGBAY!! oooohhh when dh finally finishes dental school....the stuff I'm gonna get....after we pay back the mountain of loans!!
IThe cake decorator said that she never took the crown off a cake, that she used a dishtowel while the cak was still warm and just pushed the cake down
A dry or damp dish towel?
Maira~
I have used both with equally good results.. I have not found that it make any difference...Tonja
Do you do this with it in the pan? Or do you turn it out first? I use a leveler and baking strips. Thanks
You do the push method when it's still in the pan. Some wait until it cools a bit. I do it right away.
I do this all the time now, because my family never eats all of the cake tops and I hate to waste good cake! I use a paper towel to smoosh it right when it comes out of the oven. I ALWAYS burn my hand on the first push, then remember that I need to put on my oven mitt. I can't ever remember to put it on first, it's like I go temporarily stupid when I do it! LOL One of these days I'll learn though. But it does make the cake nice and level. Denser too , but dense is good in my book!
I do it all the time!! I use wax paper and a smaller pan to push the tops down, although since I found out about the flower nail trick, I haven't had to do it to the larger cakes. I use my leveler to tort, not to level off tops.
The cloth idea sounds great...going to try it, but can someone please explain the flower nail trick?
I'm going to try this dishtowel method, but gosh, I just haven't had the problems I'm reading about with my bigger Wilton leveler. I've never, ever had it tear a chunk out of the cake. I have had it slip out of those notches once or twice, but it wasn't a big deal.
I do not like the construction of this leveler though. Is the Agbay one easier to handle, in terms of hand placement and keeping at the place you set it?
Sarah
I do it all the time too.. I read about it in the forums last yr and have been doing it ever since. I hated leveling the cakes too..and there was always those trimmings that I would end up eating and I definately don't need those.I do it as soon as I take it out of the oven and is still in the pan.. I just put a tea towel over it and push it down in the center till its level and it does make for a denser and I think moister cake.
Liz
The cloth idea sounds great...going to try it, but can someone please explain the flower nail trick?[/quote]
For the flower nail trick, you grease your flower nail, then turn it upside down (flat side down) and put it in the middle of your greased baking pan. Then put your batter in like normal. When baking, the flower nail will conduct the oven heat through, so that the center will cook up and not dome as much. The nice part about it is that when you're done and remove the nail, there's only a tiny hole in your cake. The Wilton heating core leaves a hole that you have to fill in with cake or icing.
I do the dishtowel method all the time. I have the smaller leveler and it always tears up my cakes. The dishtowel method works especially well when you make cupcake cakes. Makes all the cupcakes flat and even. I even told my Wilton instructor about this method last night and she can't wait to try it. Great tip I learned from this site!
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