How do you handle transferring large sheets of cake from their pans to cutting the shape you need (in my case a 16 inch circle) to filling to the final board?

I baked a 16 inch square cake for the first time. I flipped it quickly onto my counter (covered with plastic wrap) and then slid a board under it and flipped it onto another board (so it wasn't resting on its small dome). I cracked the cake slightly during this process.

I cut the cake into a 16 inch circle and then into 2 layers. When I went to lift the top layer (so I could fill the cake) it broke into several pieces . I need to bake a replacement for it today. What can I do so my replacement doesn't fall apart?

Note: I used a variation of WASC that I found under the recipes section. I'm going to use the original WASC for the replacement

I have heard of people using a cookie sheet without sides to slide between the torted cake layers to move it off and then place back in place. HTH

I put my cakes on a heavy vinyl placement for leveling. Then I flip the whole thing over into place. When you cut the cake into layers, maybe you could slide another placemat in between (2 together if necessary) the carefully lift it off, then just slide it back into place after the filling is in place.

One big thing I learned is to make sure to cool the cake down all the way, even maybe get it a little hard in the freezer.

You can tort it, but leave it together, get it really cold (frozen is even better b/c it' somewhat hard), then when you're ready to work with it, you can move it more easily. You'll need to make sure that once you ice and fill it you let it thaw out completely before applying fondant though... don't want any air bubbles.

Maybe that will work.

I use either my big wooden pizza paddle thing - not sure what it's really called or a cookie sheet without sides. I think the toughest thing is flipping it over. Once it's flipped, I usually don't have a problem with the torting.

can you buy a 16" circle pan?, it will save you having to bake it in a sq and then cut out the shape, saving you cake and time and frustration. If not i would split and fill whiile it was a sq, freeze it so it is easier to handle first, then cut the circle. once you cut off the crusted edges your cake is even more fragile on flipping.

Definitely work with cold cake....and flip it onto a cake board to get it in the fridge if you need to.....before or after wrapping with saran. I get the big thing of Saran wrap at Sam's, much easier to use and tons cheaper in the long run.

After you torte, just take a cake board and slide it under the torted layer and lift off...fill, then gently slide cake layer back in place.

I use a cookie sheet with no sides, another cake board, a cooling rack, or the back of a larger cake pan. Whatever's handy at the time. The easiest is the no-sided cookie sheet or the cake board because I can slide it all the way under while it's still on top of the other piece.

I've tried sliding a no-sided cookie sheet in there to get the torted layer yet that cake layer did not "slide" on to it...and it sure didn't slide off when trying to put it back on, on top of the filling layer!! LOL it broke all over the place for me....

Are you all doing anything to the cookie sheet to get that cake to slide? Spraying it, anything? I had such a hard time trying to get that torted layer back on!

Might try dusting it with cornstarch.

Thanks for all your tips! I'll try torting and filling it cold next time, and maybe I'll pick up a sideless cookie sheet. I ended up baking another layer and not filling it because it wasn't even 2 inches tall (I baked it thin because it's for a dartboard cake). I put on extra buttercream and ganache to (hopefully) compensate for the lack of filling.