So I Ive only been baking with 10 in. baking pans or smaller. And I just got a 12 in round yesterday. And I read today that I should use a heating core. Is really necessary? Will it ruin my cake if I don't use it? Please help someone???

Good Morning,

A heating core is used to distribute the heat more evenly, helping the center cook at the same rate as the outside. It is not absolutely necessary. (Use a flower nail, well greased, if you have one.) The cake will take longer to bake, is all.

I would use it (you can use your flower nail), because the middle might be runny when the rest of the cake is pretty much done. If you want to use your flower nail, grease it really well and just stick it in the middle of the pan, then pour in your batter!

I always use the heat core in anything larger than 10 ", seems to work great for me. If you don't have one you can use a flower nail (Be sure to appropriately grease both) If you don't use one of the two, I would suggest maybe baking the cake a 325 for a little longer, just check for doneness with a toothpick.
Hope this helps

Vicky- cakedreams

the flower nail trick works really well - i would use 2 in a 12"- and you dont have to plug the hole -so it is a litle easier!

so is there a hole left in the centerof the cake. if so how do you work with that?

I would think that when you use the flower nail that the hole in your cake would be so small that it wouldn't make any difference. The heating core does leave behind a pretty big hole but it has a place in the middle of it to pour batter so you end up having something to fill in the hole. does that make sense? HTH

The flower nail works great. I'm so glad I read that hint on this site! I always bake at 325 or lower, and have never had a problem with the edges being done before the center.