I guess this is more of a baking question then a decorating one, but how can I get the sides of my cakes to rise higher when baking them? I use the baking even strips, and sometimes my flower nail in the center, for getting the more even baking all around, but the sides of my cakes never seem to rise as high as I would like them to. I would like for them to be at least as high as the sides of the cake pan itself, and I've added more batter before, but just end up getting the higher middle then. I don't grease the sides of my pans because I thought I read somewhere that it would make the sides slip as they baked. Any ideas? What does everyone else do? Or does anyone else have this problem? lol

I think the middle will always rise just a little bit higher than the sides no matter what you try. I've never heard that about greasing the sides of the pans, but I grease them.

You could try pouring the batter in the pan starting around the edges instead of the middle.

Also, do you attempt in any way to remove the excess air bubbles from the batter?

My husband used to work in a bakery about 10 years ago and showed me a little trick where they would pick the pan up a few inches from the table and then drop it. I drop my pans onto a towel, but amazingly you see these air bubbles rise out of the batter and "pop" at the top.

I fill my pans 2/3 full and my cakes rise pretty high.

Good Luck!!

whenever i bake my cakes, after i put the batter in the pan, i take a spatula and sread the batter towards the sides where it looks like there is more batter on the edges than in the middle so when it bakes it is even instead of the middle heaping up...I hope thismakes sense!!! hope this helps!! <3

mmdd, yeah, I knew about dropping the pan for the air, I dont' usually have problems with airbubbles, but I do that anyway just to be sure ! You said you grease the sides of your pans, so you don't have any trouble with the sides not rising high enough?

SavannahJane, yeah that makes sense, I know what your saying lol. I do usually spread the batter evenly across, who knows, maybe that's what I'm doing wrong.

If I fill the pan 2/3 full, that seems to be where the sides of it stay mainly, like they should rise to around the top of the pan, at least that's what I'm wanting them to do! But they don't I'm about to just start filling the pan completely full, they can't NOT rise to the top then can they?! LOL It just gets so aggrevating! I usually end up torting them so they are thicker, but that gets tiring on the sheet cake sizes. Thanks for the suggestions you guys!

Oh, mmdd- I just saw your cupcake tree for the family reunion, what a great idea!! That is SO cute!

My cakes always seem to rise twice the size in the middle compaired to the sides. In the end I waste half of the cake tring to even it off. Even have tried the no grease on the sides and turned the pan about 10 minutes into baking to ensure that it bakes evenly.. No luck..

Maybe I just need a better batter then the one I use.. LOL..

I know what you mean ! Have you used the bake even strips? They really helped with the middle not rising so much higher, but I have a heck of a time trying to get those things pinned on the sides of the pans!! And yet the middle of mine is still higher then the sides lol, just not as bad. I keep the extra if I have to level the cake off, and cut it in small pieces and freeze it. I have 3 boys, so my husband and them just pop it in the micro and smear on some of the extra icing I always have lying around! It's been a pretty big hit lol, so I guess the hump in the middle isn't always all bad!! At least not from their point of view

Thanks for the compliment on the cupcake tree!

I don't have any problems at all with the sides and the greasing of the pan.

Your problem could contribute to many things...is your oven level??? ...what kind of batter are you using???

Does this happen to all of your cakes or just to a particular size?

well I know the oven is level because I check it every so often with a leveler, is that spelled right? lol, but now that you mention it, it IS usually only on the sheet cake sizes, 1/4, 1/2 etc. And I never even thought of the batter! Sometimes I just use a boxed cake mix, would that be the problem do you think? I'll have to pay attention the next time for sure, and see if it's the boxed mixes only doing it, I really never paid attention to that so now I can't remember if it only happend using those or not! I'm going to be wondering about that all night now lol

My husband suggested me to use the bake even strips and 2 or 3 flower nails on my sheets. I never have, but I'm storing it back there in my mind. (I do allow him in the kitchen, and I always accept his input even if I end up doing it my way anyway, LOL)

I use duncan hines. They say on the box that they're preferred by wilton and they seem to rise higher than other box mixes.

Here are a couple thoughts I had.

First, you might decrease the oven temp by 25 degrees or so. Your oven may be baking the edges before the cake can rise.

Another thought is to try a different cake recipe, Maybe one with more fat in it. ( Like we really need that!) For boxed mixes, I use the "Enhanced Cake Formula" recipe found on this website. Or from scratch, I have tried recipes from these cake books:

The well-decorated cake by Toba Garrett
Sweet Celebrations by Sylvia Weinstock and Kate Manchester
The Whimsical Bakehouse by Liv and Kaye Hansen

I found these books in my local library.

Some of these recipes rise quite evenly and fall a little after you take them out of the oven, but they are very even on the tops.

Oh, a third thought, for a large pan, use a heating core, or a flower nail turned upside down in the center of the pan. That way the heat bakes the middle faster.

Good Luck!

I never realized that, I just usually grab whatever's on sale . My husband is the same way lol! And like you, I usually do it my way anyway! But I have to admit, once in a GREAT while, he has come up with a good idea

Yeah, I guess they're good for something...everyonce in a while, ha ha!

I forgot about that, leta, some people do decrease the oven temp. and increase their baking times.

Good luck, cakesbgood...nice chatting!

Hello to all! You know that happened to me twice now. I'm trying to remember what I did differently. Hmmmm, thinking, LOL.

I remember using the Wilton pan release at one time with 2 9inch pans (I also used the bake even strips) using the Pillsbury cake mixes and that turned out fine.

But then last night, I used Duncan Hines cake mixes, with no baking strips and used the wilton pan release and they only rose up in the middle leaving like a weird ring or edge dip around the top edge.

Or maybe it's the pans. When I baked the wedding cake in my pics last wknd.-the top tier was the Wilton Performance Pan I got from Wal-Mart and I put the Wilton pan release and used a bake even strip and that worked perfectly. I mean the cake was perfect looking-it baked evenly and pretty.
The 2 bottom tiers were the Wilton springform pans, but they turned out with the top rose up and the top edges low-like a dip in them.

I don't know! Weird though. I tell you what-I will be getting all the sizes of the Wilton performance pans.

Thanks mmdd!

Congratulations size4again, that's wonderful!!

leta, I've used the flower nail and your right, that does help. But I haven't tried decreasing the oven temp. It sounds like that might be exactly what is happening. That's the first thing I'm going to try now on the very next cake I bake! Thanks

Thank you cakesbgood...

It might just be the pans that I am using which is making my cakes not rise... Time to run out to the store and get new pans any ways..

Hi, trying to help


Coarse grain & sunken center

-Oven too cold (baked too slowly). Preheat oven for about 20 minutes.
-Sugar and fat under-creamed.
-Batter undermixed
-Too much baking powder.
-Not enough liquid
-Too much flour
-Used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour.
-Careless or poor depositing in the pans.


Good luck!!

Hi ttowndiva! I didn't have much luck with the spring form pan either

HI ......


i have found that cooking at 325 no matter which pand for longer hepls and i also tap on the counter to get the air bubbles out then spin it on the counter......since Ive started doing this I never have to level my cakes they rise real well and rise evenly.......My husbands also ask how did ou do that ........hope this helps ......

also i also make sure not to over beat my mixture....

Thanks Divi-Cakes, mine is more like sunken sides then sunken centers though lol! I'm making a cake tomorrow, just for a family dessert after dinner, I promised all my guys, they don't get one very often and have to see them sitting around for everyone else lol. So tomorrow is one just for them! I'm going to try some of the suggestions from everyone, and see how it rises, I'll narrow down the problem one by one I guess

Hi lastingmoments! I do the tapping on the counter for the air bubbles, but I have to say, I've never heard of spinning it, that's something new to me! What does that do? And by the way, your cakes are gorgeous!!! I love the popcorn cake to, I am going to have to do one of those for my Mom, she'll love it!

Alot of great tips here!

The only one I have not tried is turning down the oven to 325 degrees. So, for 2 9inch cakes, I usually cook for 30 minutes, at 350-so now I cook them at 325 for 40? or 50? About how many minutes more?

Thanks in Advance!

I'm not sure either how much longer it will take, I'm just going to keep an eye on the cake and check for it's doneness starting at about 10 min longer, guess well see how it goes!

I agree with the cake brand and lowering the temp. For wedding cake directions inside the D.H. mix it tells you to lower. The woman who taught me told me 325. Also Bake even strips are expensive. I use and love just dish towels (bar rags) wet folded and pinned around just like the bake even strips. Not dripping but wet.
Works great for me.

Are you serious?? Wow , I never would have thought that you could use bar rags for that. The bake even strips ARE expensive, I only have them because my husband and sons got a set for me for my b-day last year after I started the wilton classes, or else I never would have paid that for them lol. But like I said, I can't hardly get them to stay pinned around the pans. I'm definitely going to do the bar rags, thank you tirby,

I actually did the wetting of a dish towel also. I did it a couple of times, but it would mess up my towels (it would brown some of the towel)-I even wet the towel pretty good. So, I went ahead and invested in the bake even strips. They do work!

I bought dark towels and baking is the only purpose they serve for me. So the browning was no problem. No one else sees them.

for your sheet pans are you putting them on the middle rack horizontally or vertically. That might make a difference. I know my oven, the fire is oval shape vertically. I use cake mixes too, PB at least 99% of the time. I do know that a few times when making cakes for the house, I used disposible aluminum pans and had no crown and high sides