I think i've read on here that you can bake a cake with two flavors in the same pan, but i don't remember how it's done? I need to do this with the large book pan - would it work?

It should work. I just did a half choc/half white night before last. I had a cutting board that fit my pan exactly, so I used it to seperate the white and chocolate mixes as I poured the batter in. I put the mixes in the fridge, and this helped with the mixes being to runny. I poured the white on one side of the cutting board then the choc on the other side. Then I slowly pulled the cutting board out, and the two mixed perfectly. Worked out great!! It also helped that I had my DH holding the cutting board so I could pur the batter into the pans.

Hope it works for you.

sure....even if u don't have a board to seperate the 2 sides.....quickly fill one and then the other (cold, thick batter will help too).....even if they mix a little in the middle, oh well - marble!

I make a foil wall and put it as the divide and then fill both sides and pull it out

I put a pice of wax paper in the middle of the pan. Then I pour a smalll amount of color 1 in and then a small amount of color 2. I keep alternating colors until I fill the pan. Then before I cook I remove the wax paper.

I guess I'm not that fancy or I'm just lazy. I prop the cake pan up on a book or something and pour the 1st flavor in the lower end. The propped-up end will keep it from spreading all over the bottom of the pan. Then mix the 2nd flavor, put the pan flat on the counter and pour it in the empty half.

I agree with the other posters that the thicker the better.

Those that get pieces from the middle might have both flavors in their slice, but almost always there is a request for "a little slice of both" anyway!

My local cake store make a dam that you put in the pan, but I havn't tried it.

Stephanie

I usually divide both sides of the pan with a cake board cut to fit. But am I the only one who has the problem of the chocolate side rising higher than the yellow side?

Do you guys ever have a problem with one side (flavor) cooking faster than the other? Will both sides be done at the same time?

I always have the problem of the white side baking faster. In fact, I always make two layer cakes anyway, so I've just started making one white and one chocolate and splitting and stacking them. It's actually easier for me anyway. I just do the white first so I don't have to wash out your mixer bowl. I was sick of having over-baked, dry white side, but that's just my experience! I'm also careful to trim them both to the same height using my leveller so I know they will be the exact same height. HTH

And here I thought it was just me!! I just baked a 1/2 - 1/2 cake yesterday and the chocolate side was at least an inch over the pan while the vanilla was the perfect height!!! Don't understand that at all!

Oh thanks for the replies! I didn't get an email that there were posts. Thanks so much for all the tips -I hadn't thought about one side baking faster... Now I'm afraid this may not work, bc my chocolate cake batter is very very thin. What do you think?

The only way you'd know for sure is to try it-if you have time. If it doesn't work, you'd have cakeballs! I use the aluminum foil wall with no problem. If I'm cooking yellow and chocolate, they bake about the same time. If white and chocolate, the white is usually a little dry. I brush it down well with flavored simple syrup and have never heard a complaint.

ha ha I woke up thinking about this today. I wonder if it would help to use a flower nail for a heating core on only the chocolate side. Maybe you won't have a problem like I do because my chocolate batter is very thick. Hope yours turns out great!!

mgdqueen, have you tried this with scratch recipes? I'm thinking I should doctor mixes for this?
sillychick, funny that you woke up thinking of my problem! I know I think way too much about cake, nice toknow I'm not the only one! LOL

Here's another question - the large book pan serves 30 according to wilton. it measures 11x15... if i put another slab under it, would it serve 60? I don't get how that works...the slices would be like 1x1 squares?

When I do a 1/2 and 1/2 cake, I have my DH help me out. I do not use any dividers. I have him take a bowl of batter and I take one. We pour them at the same speed and amount so they meet perfectly in the middle. I haven't had any trouble with one side cooking faster than the other either. Thank goodness for DH, he can be handy every now and then.