Ok, so my wonderful husband just got me a brilliant book with coconut, carrot, chocolate and madeira recipes for each size of cake tin with full time instructions, etc and these are the recipes im going to use from now on - just tried the chocolate one in a 6inch tin and it was YUM! but due to it rising to much in the middle i had to cut a fair bit off it to level it which wasted maybe a fifth of the cake and also means that it is not high enough to look nice so i was thinking il probably make two cakes for each tier but when i cut each cake in half il only use 3 of the layers and freeze the fourth.

This does add a little expense onto the cakes but it'l be worth it as i love the look of nice high cakes particularly in single tier cakes. but is there any way round it - any tips for stopping the peaking in the oven?

The recipes have only a small percentage of self raising flour and a little bicarb added so they dont have that much raising agents in them.

also when you level the cakes do you stick them in the fridge or freezer to firm them up?

Hi, you can use Wilton's bake even strips, heating cores or flowernails ( that is what I use ). You also can cut small strips of old towel and wet it, and wrap it around the tin.

Here is a link on how to use a heating core from sugarshack.

http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-love-it-to-core.html

Here is another one,

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/983-cake-decorating-three-ways-to-get-a-level-cake

HTH.

Bashini, do you use the heating core for smaller cakes as well? I've only used it for cake 10 inches or larger. Thanks for the tutorial links.

I don't use the heating core at all (don't like 'em) but I've had great success with the flower nail technique. I use that on everything from 6 x 3 cakes and up. No plug, no fuss, evenly baked cakes. Awesome!

ever have one of the "light bulb" moments? I just had one and am lol at myself I was about to ask bobwonderbuns how do you get the flower nail out with ruining the cake. DUH!

The flower nail technique is easy. When you grease the cake pan grease the entire flower nail as well. Place in the center of the pan with the nail sticking up. Be sure you grease that too!! Pour the batter in, bake your cake and when you flip it out of the pan just jimmy the nail out. All you have is a tiny hole, no plug and an evenly baked cake!

Thanks to both of you for the tips.

Flower nail does not do it for me( I think I am only person on earth, too, LOL0 but I use my core for 8 inch and up.

I use a flower nail & the bake even strips. I swear by both of them

Flower nails work well for me, too.

i told u i am the only one that doesnt like the nails...hahahahaha

Flower nails and bake even strips bake my cakes up perfectly flat every, single time!!!!! I don't like the hole from the heating core...

I don't like the nails either! I just bake on a very low temp and usually dont have to cut much off at all.

Thanks for the flower nail tip and the tutorial. I hated using the heating core beause of the huge hole that it leaves. I was sitting here like, How do you get the nail out. LOL so I was sitting here like, "Please, somebody give an explanation on how to get it out."

Thanks Ladies!!!!

I used my flower nail as a heating core for a couple of months and then it...broke. The spike came off the head. It made me leery of using it for that purpose, since it's clearly not built for being baked.

I have lots of flower nails, they're inexpensive and when one starts looking a bit "used" shall we say, I bake with a new one. I get a lot of use out of them though.

wow, thanks everyone! i have a flower nail so il try it next weekend together with the wet towel thing and if that doesnt work, then il maybe invest in a heating core thing. wish me luck!

hey guys, do you know you plug the hole from the core with the cake baked in the core ? there is no hole when you are done. you can barely even tell where the plug is when all is said and done

see my blog for a tutorial:

http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-love-it-to-core.html