My cakes don't come out even. The corners are shorter and the middle comes out taller. I would love to bake a cake in my 9 X 13 pan that looks professional.

Do I need a better pan or do I need to do something else?

I appreciate any help I can get.

darkchocolate

You can either try leveling the higher part with a knife or cake leveler or bake the cake with cake strips around the pan or an upside down flower nail in the center.
Keep trying!

You'll need a professional aluminum cake pan if you don't have one already. They have nice square corners. I like the Magic Line brand. I find them at my local cake supply store.

You'll also need to level your cake--cut off the rounded middle to make a level surface. Some people use a serrated knife. Others use fishing line. You can also buy tools for leveling cakes.

Good luck!

I notice that the pans with the dark non-stick coating do this every time.

I had trouble with this too until I bought a professional 9x13 pan with straight edges. The cakes look much better.

Use the cake mix extender and bake them at 325 - it makes a fuller cake - looks nicer that way.

Also on the magic line.....my cake supply store wanted $32. for the 9x13 pan, the same one on ebay was between $17 and $20.

They wanted $32? That's crazy. I only paid 16.99 for mine at the cake store! I just bought it last month.

I'm glad I found this! I've been wanting to find out more about the Magic Line pans. I'll have to check them out.

I also use the professional pan with straight edges. I think I paid about $15. I also use the cake strips and bake at 325. Made a big difference for me. I do have to level a bit still, but only a very small amount needs to be cut. Sometimes, all it needs is a little weight, like a cutting board resting on top,to level it off.

Thank you for all of the quick replies. I will look for a professional pan with straight edges.

Will the baking strips work for a 9 x 13 pan? I have been doing some searching on the internet and they advertise them for round pans.

Thanks again,
darkchocolate

Absolutely, the bake-even strips will works equally as well with the 9x13 pan. I use them every time! I also have only Magic Line pans....just LOVE them! You will not regret your purchase. I also paid about $16.99.
Cammie

Is there an ebay store that anyone reccommends or do you just buy from random places? I am in the market for some sheet pans and a square set at reasonable prices. Cake pans 4 less seem to have the best prices from what I found.

I went to Tuesday Morning and found a calphalon heavy duty 9X13 pan that has straight edges and it works great!!! Maybe if you have a Tuesday Morning you could try there and just see what they have. I paid 12.00 for it!

I fill my cake pans about 2/3 full and cut off the top. After it cools for about 10 minutes, use a serrated knife and break the edge all around. If the knife fits, just go across the whole pan. If not, I use dental floss after breaking the edges, just slip it in and hold it tight and pull!!! HTH

You can find the cake strips at Sur La Table for $7.99.