Hey all!

I haven't dusted off my cake baking supplies in quite sometime, and I'm trying to make sure I have enough of everything prior to baking everything tomorrow night. I'm making a two tier cake and the tiers are as follows:

2 - 8" x 2" cakes in pineapple, coconut, banana with vanilla buttercream

2 - 10" x 2" cakes in lemon flavor with lemon buttercream

The Wilton yearbook says that I would need 3.5 cups batter per 8" layer and 4 cups of frosting (I'm using banana custard for the filling) and 6 cups of batter per 10" layer and 5 cups of frosting (I'm using strawberry filling). Does this sound right? Obviously, I would rather have too much than not enough.

Also, on the 10" cakes, would I need to use a heating core? I didn't even think about it until I looked through the yearbook. If so, what could I use in place of the heating core? I live in a somewhat rual area and won't be able to find one tomorrow.

Thanks for your help! Sorry for so many questions

Yes your amounts seem to be correct.. I just checked against the cake and directions I am following this weekend for a wedding cake.. and it says the same.. I would go with the 6 cups just make sure you have enough for the 10.

As for the cone - I usually use an upside down flower nail.. I saw it on this site.. Got very positive reviews.

Happy Baking

Thank you for the quick replies! I'm being super picky about this because it's for my nephew's birthday I've heard rave reviews about the baking strips, but then again, I won't have the option to get them. We have a Walmart here, but with a very limited supply of cake items.

I read on one of the many blogs I follow that the baker used an old towel cut in pieces the width of the pan, wet them, and tied them around the pan. I'm going to try this, fingers crossed it works! I hate trying to level cakes

thanks again!

I also use the upside-down flower nail or wet paper towels. The paper towels are awesome because you just get them wet then wrap them around, no pinning or anything, the wet towel just sticks to the pan. They eventually dry out and brown a little but they do the trick Good Luck!

Thanks bakingkat! Do you use anything to hold the paper towels on, like place a layer of foil around the outside of the paper towel? Or will the paper towel just stick to the pan? I have a feeling that if I did that my paper towels would somehow end up in the bottom of the oven..haha!

I just let them stick straight to the pan, haven't had any issues. Sometimes if I make my paper towel long enough to go around the pan twice i'll tuck the end under the first layer, usually not though. I have a convection oven too, and have never had any paper sucked into the fan or anything.

Hi.... I do not know if I am still on time, but to bake 10in or 12in. I just lower the baking to 325 and I check it after 40 min. of baking to see how much more it needs to bake. I have never use any "nails" or baking strips, even though I have them! It came in with my Wilton caddy.
Ciao

Thanks for the info on the paper towels, etc. The cakes came out perfectly!!