What Cake Leveler Do You Use?
Decorating By absolutecakes Updated 13 Oct 2007 , 7:33pm by crazy4sugar
I am sick of my Wilton cake leveler cutting my cake at angles. I need to know what everyone else is using so I can find a better product. It's only really been in the last month or two that it hasn't been working right...(maybe it's the user!!!! 
)
So what is everyone else using, or can you recommend something good?
Katie
I use a biggo long serrated knife. My Dh made me several different "templates" of wood (shaped in a v) to get the height I want. I refuse to pay 20 bucks for a leveler, I don't care how good it is. I like my old 30$$ knife. I tried both wilton leveers and wasn't terribly impressed. Wobbly blade on th big one and the wire one was impossible to use with large cakes.
Elle
This is the way I just discovered to level a cake and I think it works really well. Measure the height of the cake you need and subtract it from the height of the cake tin (that you baked the cake in). Find a plate or saucer or cake board with the same height as your result. Normally it's something like +/- 2cm. Insert the plate or saucer at the bottom of your cake tin, then insert your baked cake. Use a long, serracted good quality knife and level and cut the top part of the cake (mine normally looks like a dome) against the top rim of your baking tin. Make sure you move the knife slowly and carefully and that it's always hitting both sides of the cake tin. You can see my latest cake photo that I levelled this way in the Bar Mitzbah. It's the blue and white bible cake. Good Luck!!
I saw Alton Brown do it with a saw blade. But it did seem to tear though the cake making it crumble. Maybe he was moving the blade to fast. I have wilton the big and small ones hate them both. Another trick is to use embroidery thread, wrap it around your cake, hold both ends of thread and pull in opposite directions works like a charm to torte round cakes.
I've only added filling twice so far cause I'm new but I used the small Wilton Leveler that a gal here from CC gave me and it worked super. She gave me the big one too but haven't used it yet.
I just went really slow with it. I love it,
Susie
Aww heck, I just use the good ol' bread knife (serrated kind) As long as you don't try to cut through the whole thing at once and let the knife do the work for ya you should get a half decent straight cut.
As for your leveler all of a sudden gettin raunchy results. Maybe the "blade or wire" on there is getting floppy or dull and it needs replaced.
In pastry class I am required to just use a knife and do it quickly. I always worry that my layers won't be even.
My Wilton small leveler worked really well, but the larger one never worked. I think that though it works well for those you bake lighter cakes, usually from mixes, that it is fine, but not really for dense scratch cakes or ones that a dense due to extender ingredients.
I have to say that though it is an extravagance, I love my Agbay leveler. I never worry about uneven layers when I use it. No more anxiety as it is simple and accurate. I think it is well worth the expense--one of my two favorite purchases. (The other is my Nicholas Lodge mini palette knife)
vdrsolo
Having owned 3 different Wilton levelers...they are JUNK.
Get an AGBAY, it is the absolute BEST!!!
I agree, I know it is expensive and you have to figure out if it is worth the $ or the aggravation. I am doing this for fun, for now, perhaps a good retirement job. I ordered it in time to use it for my first paid wedding cake and it is wonderful. I just sprayed it with Pam, and it sliced through easily... I love it and I also had bought both Wilton products. I am not good at freehanding it.
Alicegop loved hers and did a great job of convincing me!
Lorene
I got the Agbay for my Birthday last month and I just LOVE it. I made a big cake last week and it worked perfectly. 
You're only as good as your tools, I'm quite fond of saying (especially when I want something new).
It's a great stress reliever to know that I'll never again have to worry about having a level cake...it just works. I also made a RKT dummy to practice some new designs and it levelled that too!
I also think its great to support the WOMAN inventor/seller/decorator, Maureen. She demonstrated topsy-turvey cakes at an ICES meeting here in Massachusetts, and she's a genuinely nice gal.
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