Ok, so I ordered SPS for the cake I'm doing next week. It arrived, I see how it works and I'm excited to use it. I baked my sons b-day cake and decided to measure it, just to make sure it's the 4 inches that I need it to be.

It's 3.

How do I gain an entire inch in order to use the SPS? I use Wilton 2" pans and have always gone by their cup measurements for the batter. I don't torte my cakes. Do I just need to add more batter to the pans? Will baking with baking strips help?

If your cakes are not rising to the top of the pan, I'd say use more batter. I've noticed that different recipes rise differently.

I don't know how you'd be able to add an entire inch. I haven't used SPS yet but it seems like I've read here that you can cut them down. Can anyone confirm this?

eta: I use baking strips on all my cakes but I think the purpose is to get the cake level, not to make it rise higher.

How about you just add an inch of styrofoam underneath and then cover the whole thing? No one will know. Or just use a couple of really thick cake boards.

Put more in the pans. Measure them when you take them out of the pan. If you need another 1/2 inch or so, torte and fill them to get the height you need. I've never used SPS (haven't had a reason to yet) but I did just read on another post that someone's husband trimmed 1/2 inch off because the cake was only 3 1/2 inches.

I have the same problem. I am using SPS for the first time this weekend for a wedding cake. I will be baking three cakes for each tier so that each tier will have three layers. This is the only way I seem to be able to get to 4".

Thanks everyone. I think I'll bake a practice cake today and see how much more batter I would need to add to a pan to get my full 2". If I still don't get it right I'll go with cakegirl's idea and add a 3rd later. Thanks again! I feel a little less stressed now.

When I need one or 1 1/2 extra inch I do this. I spray my pan (or grease it). If the pan is 3" I cut a piece of good aluminum foil 5" height and cover all the pan around with that (not the bottom). Then I put spray (Pam) all around the inside of the aluminum foil. Then pour the batter and fill the pan up to its border. When baked the cake will rise 1 inch or more above the border of the pan but the aluminum foil serves like a wall or extension of the cake pan and keep the form (round or square). HTH

I have just hot glued a wooden dowel that is the correct width and length. I've had to do it a couple of times. Usually, my cakes are too high. I can't remember the size of dowel, but there is one that fits quite nicely inside the plates.