How long does it really bake for??!! lol

I have had it in the oven for over an hour and it is still jiggly in the middle!

Did you use a heating core or flower nail in the middle?

It takes a bit more than an hour for a 10" at 325 with a flower nail as a heating core, so not too surprising that the 12" is taking longer.

I was unaware that you needed a heating core! Is it ruined? I have never baked with the 3" pans before!
Thanks so much for your help

Don't panic! Just leave it in until the middle tests done. When it's out of the pan, you may want to check around the edges to make sure that part didn't get overdone.

Wilton makes a big heating core that goes in the middle and gets filled with more batter, but most of us just use a flower nail, sprayed with pam spray and put upside down in the middle of the pan before the batter goes in. The idea is that it cooks more evenly so that the cake doesn't get a huge dome on the top. The flower nail only leaves a little hole and it doesn't have to be filled like the hole from the wilton heating core.

Thank you so much! I have more to bake so I will put the nail in the next batch! I am making my daughter's first birthday cake and my nerves are getting to me.

I have been a "lurker" for a long time, and I have to say I just love this site and how helpful everyone is!

A first birthday is so exciting! (and a little sad realizing how fast they grow, right?)

Are you making a smash cake too? That's always my favorite part.

Yeah, I am planning on making a topsy turvy cake and using the top layer as the smash cake....hopefully! lol

Sounds great! I hope you'll post a picture

Yes I will, I promise! I used to do a lot of baking and decorating and I got away from it for several years. I am very excited to get back into it, so you will probably see a lot of me!