On the advice of many, I replaced my 2" pans with 3" pans and am having trouble getting the middle to cook without cooking the sides to a crisp. So I did a search and some suggested using a heating core. So, where do I get a heating core? Is it like a big, metal cylinder you stick in the cake? How do you get it out without ruining the cake? I tried using a metal flower nail and it sunk into the cake and I had to cut it out! I had to rebake the layer and it took 2 hours at 325!

Please help! I have a wedding cake next weekend for my cousin and I really need to learn how to do this and you guys are all so talented!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

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

Skidoochic, you can get the heating core at Michaels or Hobbylobby and I have two, one I bought and one came with my large pans. I use those for 3" pans and the metal flower nail for the 2" large pans. I put the nail on my floured pan and then put the batter in starting around the nails and then in the rest of the pans and they come out clean. The heating core will have batter in it and then you remove the baked cake from the core and replace it into the cake. Make sure you spray cake release on the core and nail HTH

Thank you so much! The tutorial really helped. I guess I didn't really understand how to use it before. I just didn't get how everyone was so excited about having a huge hole in the center of their cakes - but NOW I get it!

Thanks a million!!!