I am a novice cake decorator, and I really shouldn't even call myself a cake decorator. I make cakes for fun for my family. I usually get my share of compliments and such and have lately been asked if I'd make others a cake for some occasion.
So.... I'm going to invest in a nice 1/2 sheet pan. Either Magic Line or Decorators Preferred. But... do I want a 2" or a 3" height?
Is there any merit to this thinking? Getting a 3" cake pan so that I can use a cake leveler on it? (Which I've also never used). Or is a 2" cake pan OK? What will I end up with when I level it for a cake height if I used a 2".
I'm so confused! What do you members with more experience recommend for a novice baker. I want to invest in a really good pan.
Thank you for your help!
I use a 2" magic line and just fill up the pan enough so that when it bakes I just trim off the dome that is over the lip of the pan for a nice even 2 inch layer. I bake two, fill and stack for about a 4 inch layer once the cake settles.
I definitely prefer the 3". It gives you both options with that pan. You can bake it as a 3" or you can just use less batter and make it as a 2". With the 3" height, by the time I level the two layers, I have a 4" tier.
Though I do like catlharper method, I've never been successful with that. But that's just me.
I have both 2 & 3" pans. According to the cake bible, having 3" pans does not really give you both options (though I've never tested the theory myself) She says that when you use a 3" pan to bake a 2" cake, apparently, the higher sides shield the top of the cake from the right amount of exposure to the heat so they don't bake properly. But that may be for smaller round and square pans more than sheets.
In any even, I torte and level cakes made in 2" pans all the time. I like 1" layers. So I torte 2" cakes into two 2" layers and 3" cakes into three 3" layers.
I have both 2 & 3" pans. According to the cake bible, having 3" pans does not really give you both options (though I've never tested the theory myself) She says that when you use a 3" pan to bake a 2" cake, apparently, the higher sides shield the top of the cake from the right amount of exposure to the heat so they don't bake properly. But that may be for smaller round and square pans more than sheets.
In any even, I torte and level cakes made in 2" pans all the time. I like 1" layers. So I torte 2" cakes into two 2" layers and 3" cakes into three 3" layers.
I haven't had occasion to test it myself either. However, I was just reading the insert from my Wilton 3" pan and it gives baking directions for baking the 3" cake, then gives directions (amount of batter and baking time) if you want to bake a 2" cake.
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