How Do You Use A Flower Nail To Help Distribute Heat?
Decorating By pottedmeatchunks Updated 25 Apr 2007 , 11:07pm by nia0524
I read somewhere on here that a good way to avoid the dome middle on larger cakes is to put a flower nail in there to help distribute heat....soooo i tried this on my 9x13 i just baked. i just stuck the metal flower nail flat side down in the middle of the pan and my cake EXPLODED in the middle. it rose way above the pan and cracked all over 
This seems to have had the ultimate of opposite effects that I was hoping for...what in the world did I do wrong lol
the flower nail should be sprayed (or greased and placed flat side down in the pan before u put the cake. it sounds like your pan may have been to full. also, I've never 9not like im an expert) used a nail in a 9x13.. i have though in 11x15 and bigger.. for my rounds I dont use in 9 inch, but I will in 10
(My first post! Yay!)
I was wondering this too. I recently did 3 birthday cakes and I had a dome on all my 9x13 cakes. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I had them - I even tried pouring the batter around the edges and letting it fill in towards the middle thinking that might help.
Congrats on the first post (yay!) Sun11598!! You will soon become hopelessly addicted!
Anyway...I do think the nail helps it cook completely through, but I get domes whether or not I use the nail. I cure this with one simple step. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven I lay a tea towel over the dome, don my oven mitts, and push down. It flattens the cake!! I rarely have to level it when it comes out of the pan! I also feel it makes a much more stable cake.
I use a core heater, from wilton, and although it's a bit more work, it works like a charm!
I can definitely recommend a flower nail. I haven't even sprayed mine the 3 times I 've done this, they just lifted right out. I have only used them in large cakes (10") but the result was a very flat cake, perfectly cooked right through to the centre.
I've never tried the nail trick - always used to have to level with a serrated knife - no more than I can draw a straight line, can I level a cake evenly - and had a "duh" moment when I read about pushing the dome down when the cake comes out of the oven - so simple, works every time, never thought of it on my own - thank God for people with better minds than me!!
I haven't ever heard of pushing the cake down after it comes out of the oven. Does it not affect the stability of the cake? (i.e. cracking?)
I've never had a problem with cracking... 
I'm not a professional, but I don't ever use a nail for a 9 x 13 cake...sounds like the pan had too much in it...how long did you mix the batter? Sometimes, when you mix too much (on high) it puts too much air in the batter. The nail is useful in larger cakes (greased of course). Try it again, maybe it'll work the 2nd time around. 
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