Good afternoon everyone!

I am so incapable of cutting a cake evenly (torting it) that it is ridiculous.

I am looking to do an 11x15 cake, 3 layers. Rather than trying to cut cakes in 1/2, could I just bake thinner layers? I'm thinking 6 cups of batter in an 11 x 15 pan and doing that 3 times.

Any thoughts on why this wouldn't work? I can't come up with any but I may not be thinking it through properly., either.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

(Hoping to buy an Agbay with tax return!)

Was just gonna say...get yourself an Agbay and you will never have any more problems Till then you can try and mark your cake with toothpicks in the middle to act as a guide while you cut it, hope that helps.

I don't like torting either - so I bake three layers instead of two and torting them. When they come out of the oven if there's any hump at all - as soon as I take it out of the oven I lay a cloth dish towel on top and press down to eliminate the hump, then let it cool. I'm not sure this would work well, though, if you were going to stack a lot of tiers for a wedding cake though. I'd want it more even then.

Also, in the past, I've notched the height I want in a couple of dowel rods, then tied dental floss between the two dowels, and used that to level a cake. It works pretty well, as long you keep the floss pulled tightly while you're doing it. I've done this for odd shaped cakes.

Thank you both for the ideas! I like the towel/pushing down on the "bump" also. Lately I have been using baking strips and no bump has been showing up!

Wilton makes a cake leveler, I think it was less than $10. This is what I use for my cakes (I bake in 3 inch pans because I cannot fit multiple pans in my oven.)

Also, I have noticed on a few of the "fancy cake shows," they bake in sheet pans and layer them that way. This probably works better for square or shaped cakes, but it is an option.

Depends on the recipe - but the baking strips definitely help. You do have to press down firmly and immediately after you take it out of the oven.

Also - don't waste your money on the wilton leveler! I have one sitting on a shelf collecting dust. If I really need to cut something - I use the dental floss 'cause I hate that thing that much.

I also bake 3 layers and fill them rather than torte. I fill my pans about 1/2".

Thanks for all the responses!

I just finished stacking and crumbcoating....what a mess!! Yet the crumbcoat pulled it all together (I hope!)

Getting the second layer from the cooling rack onto the first layer was a nightmare...fell apart and ended up pasting together with BC. The third layer I actually cut into smaller pieces and "placed" them on top of the second layer.

I've tried the cookie sheet/transfer idea but that didn't work as the cakes stuck to the cookie sheet.

How do you move these layers? they were about 1.25 inches thick which I thought was sufficient....or, were they too thin?

Tomorrow is final coat and if it holds up (literally) I will post a pic.

Thanks again!

When I work with large, thin layers, I pop them in the freezer for about 20 minutes til they are very firm (but not frozen solid) and then I can just pick them up and handle them any way I want with no cracking or breaking...they are so easy to stack that way.

Get the Agbay - I'm telling you it's worth every cent! I used to DREAD having to torte a cake or even level regular layers. I had both Wilton levelers, tried long knife, tried dental floss, used a ruler to measure and mark the sides - nothing worked. Always lopsided and looked like crap. Made it very difficult to get a cake level and even sides.

I had been reading about the Agbay on this site forever and finally I decided that I was ordering it even though I am only a hobby baker. It was my birthday gift to me.

WOW! The first time I used it was so easy and my layers were perfectly level. The next time I decided to try torting and it was just as simple and easy as doing one layer. No more dreading torting or trying to get a level cake. Oh - the Wilton levelers went in the trash.

I love my Agbay!

aej6

I am serious about what I said about the Agbay. I used to spend so much time and and make such a mess and wreck so many cakes and get so pissed off and angry with the whole process of the leveling much less even attempting the torting that I didn't even want to do another cake.

The day that I tried doing a large oval cake and I was trying to torte it and I broke one of the torted layers because I had cut it so uneven I had enough!! The cake was beyond repair it broke in three places and yes I was using a cookie sheet to move the layer, but it was big and the cake was moist and it was uneven and broke in 3 places.

I was so upset that I mushed the layer with my hands and stood there crying. Since the cake was a surprise gift and no one knew about it I wasn't obligated. But I was disappointed that I wasn't able to do the cake for my friend and it was too late to bake another one and I was not about to stay up until 2 am.

That was the day that I decided to get the Agbay! I was on the phone with them the next day and I ordered it on the spot. It was a bit of money but I am telling you it's worth it.

Just do a search on CC and enter Agbay and you will see how many of us LOVE our Agbay. You will never regret it. PM me if you decide to get one and let me know how it goes after you use it.

I was nervous the first time I used it as I was worried that it might not be what I had hoped it to be. But it was and I have my little system set up when I level my cakes and when I torte them.

This August I will be doing a cake for this friend one more time for her birthday.

Thanks again.
Here's the cake.
I only do this for fun and actually was getting sick of this one so I did not put forth my best effort. I like it enough for what it is.
I do feel like I ruined it when I added the "Kansas" scratched out (the recipient chose Kansas to win it all and, well, they are out of it now...)..I didn't have enough blue so I did it in thin lines. I tend to always want to do "one more thing" and then I regret it after; now I need to learn how to just say NO!. Ah well!

Thanks again for all the info/recommendations on the Agbay!

The Agbay is one of the best cake tools on the market and TOTALLY worth the $.

Once you have one you will truly understand what a complete piece of crap both Wilton levelers are.

The Agbay is one of the best cake tools on the market and TOTALLY worth the $.

Once you have one you will truly understand what a complete piece of crap both Wilton levelers are.

Which Agbay would you recommend? The regular one or the delux one with the double blade? Is the double worth the extra $100?

I bought the deluxe because
1. I torte every cake and
2. I do enough volume to justify it.

I bought the single blade as I do not have a business like Leah does.

My DH bought me the deluxe Agbay for my birthday a couple of years ago--one of the best gifts I ever received!! You will love it--it is so worth the money.

quick trick you can use some fishing line or dental floss cut a long piece put the cake in front of you line up the string where you want to cut start at the back of the cake bring it to the front of the cake cross it and pull with both hands until your cake is cut. I teach this in my private decorating classes.

Iv tried doing google searches etc for agbay but i cant find where to order it from or how much it costs. need somewhere that will deliver to england though. can anyone point me in the right direction? im so sick of my wilton levelers!!

http://www.agbayproducts.com/

here's there website. The order form has the prices, and I believed my DH called them to order. Good luck, I love the agbay!

Does anyone know if the addon 2nd blade is really equivalent to buying the deluxe model outright?

I've been thinking about getting one, and thought it might be helpful financially to buy the basic model and then upgrade it at some later time. I do like to torte all of my cakes, though, so how much would it drive me crazy in the interim to have to readjust and do two passes, and would I end up with as good a product if I just bought the addon as if I bought the deluxe to begin with?

After reading this post and numerous others over the past few years, I looked up the Agbay site and emailed Maureen at Agbay. It was 1:30 this morning (I'm a night owl!) and within ten minutes, Maureen emailed me back. Within half an hour, everything was settled and paid for and my Agbay will be on its way to Newfoundland today.

Now that is what I consider SUPERIOR customer service!! Maureen was so sweet and helpful. I am looking forward to getting my Agbay in the mail!!

Thanks to the OP for reminding me to act on this and to all others who posted with reviews!! It really helped me to make the decision about buying.