My cake is 2 layers, with a two inch pan, 8 x 2. It is not level. I know my teacher is going to see that in the class. I'm not redoing it, cause there's no time, but how do you make 2 perfect level cake? This one looks slanted.
This is crazy,I just wish Tuesday (our final class of level 1) was done. I keep seeing things that are wrong with it.
Take a cake knife, and slice off the uneven part. I always use a level (yellow thing with a bubble in the middle), to make sure it's perfect. I also have various sizes of strips of wood (e.g. 1/4", 1/2", 1", 2") that I put on either side of the cake layer, then cut off the excess. Good luck.
Could you not make it "look" level by refrosting the top?
In the future there are 2 tricks to this:
1) That the 2 layers of cake are actually level. The wilton levelers are not always great about this so one trick is after the cake is cooled. Place a cake circle or two back in the pan. then put the cake back in the pan and use a long knife laying flat on the edge of the pan and using a sawing motion remove that thin top layer of cake so the cake is perfectly level. You would do this to both layers. Depending on how much dome and how tall your layers came out determines how many cake circles to put in the bottom of the pan so the outer edge of the cake is just above the top of the pan
2) Is your icing on top level. This is actually hard to do especially when you're new. One thing is to make sure you have plent of icing on top of the cake because it's easier to remove icing to get it level than it is to add icing.
Best investments will be a good bench scraper, turntable and the sugar shack DVD "Perfecting the Art of Buttercream" (www.sugaredproductions.com). She teaches you not only how to get that nice level top but how to get perfectly smooth buttercream and sharp edges.
And of course the more cakes you do the better you will get. Keep at it...even cake will be better than the previous!
Just remember it's a learning experience. Have fun with it. So this cake is uneven you've already got it iced smooth I bet it will still work for what you need it for in class and bet the instructor has seen many un-level cakes. Food for thought have you checked your stove to make sure it is level. When I started baking 20 some years ago ( I can't believe I am going to tell this story) I bought a pan from the local cake shop took it home started baking with it right away. Became distraught all my cakes were lopsided went back to the store told the guy about the pan that baked uneven cakes. He did a wonderful job keeping a straight face when I told him there was something wrong with the pan. He said check the stove I couldn't even begin to tell you how many shades of red I turned and still am just repeating the story! Happy Decorating :0)
Could you not make it "look" level by refrosting the top?
In the future there are 2 tricks to this:
1) That the 2 layers of cake are actually level. The wilton levelers are not always great about this so one trick is after the cake is cooled. Place a cake circle or two back in the pan. then put the cake back in the pan and use a long knife laying flat on the edge of the pan and using a sawing motion remove that thin top layer of cake so the cake is perfectly level. You would do this to both layers. Depending on how much dome and how tall your layers came out determines how many cake circles to put in the bottom of the pan so the outer edge of the cake is just above the top of the pan
2) Is your icing on top level. This is actually hard to do especially when you're new. One thing is to make sure you have plent of icing on top of the cake because it's easier to remove icing to get it level than it is to add icing.
Best investments will be a good bench scraper, turntable and the sugar shack DVD "Perfecting the Art of Buttercream" (www.sugaredproductions.com). She teaches you not only how to get that nice level top but how to get perfectly smooth buttercream and sharp edges.
And of course the more cakes you do the better you will get. Keep at it...even cake will be better than the previous!
I have the Wilton turn table, and will order the DVD and bench scraper. I saw it on Sugarshack's website. I get paid on Friday, and I'm ordering it. My cake is unlevel, It would make a decent snowboarder's cake, sortof. and I'm going to cut the sliver off, and refrost the top. I'm glad I saved my dark mauve I made. Lesson learned.
This cake is already better than my very first. I learn so much on Cake Central.
Leveld and corrected, with a cake knife, and I reicined the part. I'll smooth it out. It's iced with this frosting, which I found worked way better than the Wilton's did, especially in this humidity. it wasn't hard, and I learned my lesson.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=713347&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
Not only should you check your stove, but check your decorating surface too. I use my kitchen table and one day I noticed that my cake was a little off when I stacked it. I took a level and discovered my table had shifted and it was a little off. Now I check it periodically.
I asked my mom about our stove, it's relatively new. What do we do if it's off? I'll check it. And the counters too.
Rhonlynn, what everybody is trying to tell you is to check if your oven is level (and your counters too). It has nothing to do with the fact that the oven is new or not.
Here at home, my cakes always bake unleveled (they go a little higher on one side) because the very brand new Bosch oven my boyfriend bought is just not level on the floor, so I get a slightly slanted cake.
About the tables, they could be unleveled too (one leg a little taller than the other, etc.)
This is the instrument you put on top of your table, or your stove, or on top of your cake, to see it's all even and leveled.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OMGKUC/?tag=cakecentral-20
Here's another thread:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-561980-next.html&sid=dd90805b6614b73f38757b5ac6fa8753
I know what levelers are, but not what to do about it....I'll read up on that. Another issue was, I used the baking strips, and the cake itself was near level, but i thought I had to level it. I think I'm going to check the level of the stove, then bake a cake with the baking strips, and not level it and see how it goes. Wilton leveler isn't always the best thing. Just cause it says Wilton on it....I'm learning so much about different products.
I'll read the links you guys sent me. Thankyou so much!
My step dad, and my dad, both were electricians. Somewhere in this house we have a leveler similar to the link you sent. After I'm done working today, or when I have a second, I'll check it...working from home...I have time.
The leveler picture is one I think I saw on a cooking show. Okay...another thing added for my Amazon cart. I'll waste no time on ordering it. I make an Amazon cart, and order on my payday.
Generally the stoves have little legs that can be screwed up or down to achieve the "level" position. It could be the floor that is not level and of course that is transferred to the stove/oven. If your particular piece does not have any levelers is each corner it would be possible to insert a thin piece of wood (shim) under the corners that are off kilter, like maybe the back 2 corners. Perhaps lowering the levelers in the front will help if it tilts to the back. I'm sure someone will figure it out and then you can bake away! Good luck.
evelyn
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