Hi I was hoping to get some help from all you experts out there! I am making a 12x15 cake that I plan on putting a fillingin. Now the question is, should I make the cake thursday and freeze it, then pull it out friday and tort is while partially frozen for a better cutting? Or do it when it is totally thawed? I just don't want to crack the cake, also I was just going to use a bread knife and go all around to make the cut I don't have a long enough knife to go all the way across, any tips? Thank you.

From what I've read (I've never torted) people tort when it's chilled well. Whether they just chill in the fridge or partially frozen.

Also this 12x15 cake do I need a heating core? I was saw something about this but never heard of it before.

Definitely want to use a heating core. i use a flower nail for this. With a 12x15, you'll probably want to use two flower nails. You just grease and flour your flower nail like you do your pan, set it upside down in the middle of the pan, and pour your batter in. If you use 2, just space them out evenly in the middle of your pan.

This helps teh cake bake evenly and have less of a hump.

Angie....I'd invest in a cake leveler. Wilton's small one works ok...and will barely do the 12x15 cake. Their larger one gets bad reviews. Stick with the little wire one. You'll never get the torte layers even with a small knife.

Wow thanks everyone, I really appreciate the advice. I will follow it. About using theleveler though, I was looking and the small wilton one only does up to 10 in wide so that wouldn't work, I would have to get the large one or am I missing something?

I use the large Wilton leveler for all my cakes. It can be kind of awkward to use at first, but you get used to it. I think it works great. The wire one sometimes tears up the cake.

I use a bread knife and have never had a problem. Ifd you can fit it on a large turntable it is even better so you can mopve it while you cut. I have the small leveler and never use it. Dental floss also works well to cut evenly.

yep the dental floss certainly works..

Dental Floss really? Do you need to start it with a knife first or does it just go right through?

Okay, so this will sound silly, but I am new to this. What is the purpose of the heating core? When do you need to use one and will the flower nail always work? Sorry, I probably seem a little clueless right now!

I bought the Wilton large leveler recently and I like it. You do have to be careful with it and work slowly, but it does work. It will not work on a frozen cake though.

If you don't have a long enough knife I vote for something like dental floss. You could always cut the cake in half and then torte each half and put it all back together.

The heating core is a little metal tube that you put in the center of the cake and fill it with batter. The top of the core sticks above the batter and serves to draw heat in. In the case of smaller pans, the heat that the pan itself transmits is enough to reach the center of the cake and make it done along with the edges. In larger cakes though, the heat from the pan doesn't transmit all the way to the center of the cake, so you end up with done edges but a raw center. So the core helps eliminate this problem and also makes the cake rise more evenly and not have such a hump.

The flower nails do the same thing as the core and from what I've heard, work just as well.

I did a half sheet cake yesterday and didn't put the heating core in (forgot.. opps.) and it still cooked ok but would have been better with the core or nails. I had to cook it longer and the edges were slightly crisp.

Hope that makes sense!

hey guys, just wante dto let you know I did my 12x15 cake and bought the large wilton leveler, loved it, it worked very well. I was so nervous because of the mixed reviews on here but I am very happy. Thanks for the help.