It took me too long to figure out what *laundry* was...man am I tired!
Don't feel bad....I had to read your post to realize laundry wasn't laundry but 'laaaaaaaaaaundry'
My thought was daaaaaaaang who can do laundry in 15 minutes???? But now that I see that it's 'laaaaaaaaundry' I understand (I'd really get it if someone was looking over my shoulder as I typed that last part! lol)
I applaud you as a novice baker. I have family members who do not bake, so I can appreciate your inexperience.
You have received a lot of great advice.
Best thing you can do for yourself is to get yourself a good set of baking pans. You said you used bowls...purchasing a good set of baking pans and store them in the drawer under your oven, if you have a drawer! And while your at it, get a nice set of cooling racks if you don't have those, either.
For pans, Magic Lines brand is by far the best. They make a true 2" pan size. Fad Daddio's has 3" pans. Because you are so new at baking, I would recommend you stay with the 2" size. 8 or 9" rounds are common recipes. For family cakes, 9" round is the best. Even if your family is small. Stay away from the Wilton pans. They will just disappoint you. (The edge of their pan is rounded, and as you get better at baking, it will bug the crap out of not to have a nice crisp edge on your cake.)
To compare:
This cake I used a Wilton pan (not a great looking cake anyway, but wanted to show the edge-look that I'm talking about):
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_762593.html
This cake I had used Magic Lines pan (notice the difference of the crisp edge it gives)
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1176671.html
If you don't have a Magic Lines store, then purchase them on-line. Really are not that expensive. This place is quick, inexpensive, gives terrific customer service:
http://cooksdream.com/store/ha.html
Also, use shortening (not PAM-type spray) and grease the crap out of your pans and line with parchment paper. You don't need to grease/flour the parchment paper, just pour your batter right in! This keeps your cakes from sticking and also doesn't dry out the cake. Keeps them nice and moist, too, while they are cooling.
Send any PMs if you wish, or just keep posting as I'm sure more novice bakers will read all the replies, too.
So wish I would've seen this before I purchase a set of 3 square pans...and now I can't find the receipt.
I use the metal cone in the center of large cakes that I bake so that they bake evenly and not just on the outside. I use cake mix with the directions on the box and my family loves my cakes, will not let me buy bakery cakes. So maybe just make it simple and it will be wonderful! A flower nail in themiddle is ok too, just remember to pull it out! Let us know how it all turns out.
Also when using the metal cone, be sure and add cake batter to inside of cone and then take that small piece of cake and place it into the hole in the center after baked. Good luck. Keep it simple while learning and work your way up.
Ok, this is probably going to sound really dense but how exactly do you use a flower nail to help the cake enter bake better? Do you grease the nail and put it in the pan before you pour your batter in? Is that all there is to it? Does it work even if your nail doesn't go all the way through to the top of the pan? I've had trouble with centers cooking all the way through so I'd love to know how this works! Thanks!
So wish I would've seen this before I purchase a set of 3 square pans...and now I can't find the receipt.
Mommy_Cakes, I've used Wilton pans for over 25 yrs, some of my pans ARE 25 yrs old, they're my originals and they still look and bake just as well as they always did.
I also have Fat Daddio and honestly don't notice the difference in performance at all. I do agree about the crisp edges though.
I really think that your individual oven, recipe and method of baking determine the final outcome a little more then the pan you use.
Don't worry about finding that receipt, I think the Wilton pans will serve you just fine. 
P.S. Is everyone getting their laundry out of the way?
Ok, this is probably going to sound really dense but how exactly do you use a flower nail to help the cake enter bake better? Do you grease the nail and put it in the pan before you pour your batter in? Is that all there is to it? Does it work even if your nail doesn't go all the way through to the top of the pan? I've had trouble with centers cooking all the way through so I'd love to know how this works! Thanks!
The metal in the nail works as a heat conductor, the bigger the cake the more nails you can add to make sure your heat is all even out through out your cake..
Edna
I usually use a flower nail in pans over 10".
Just grease the nail and after you pour the batter in the pan, place the flower nail upside down so the flat surface is standing on the bottom of the pan. (The nail should be in the center.)
Most times my cakes bake above the flower nail. When you flip the cake out of the pan to cool just pull the nail out, you'll be able to see the flat surface of the nail when you flip the cake.
Ok, this is probably going to sound really dense but how exactly do you use a flower nail to help the cake enter bake better? Do you grease the nail and put it in the pan before you pour your batter in? Is that all there is to it? Does it work even if your nail doesn't go all the way through to the top of the pan? I've had trouble with centers cooking all the way through so I'd love to know how this works! Thanks!
The cakes cook faster at the edges because heat radiates through the cake from the sides of the pan. The flower nail (some people use heating core) helps distribute heat to the centre of the cake helping it to cook more evenly. Depending on the size you may want to add 2 or 3 flower nails at a time.
Just grease it (I use homemade cake release which is equal parts flour, shortening and oil mixed well together), and then either fill your pan with the batter first and then push the upside down flower nail into the batter right in the middle or you could grease it first and pour in the batter after. Be careful when flipping your cake to cool it (make sure the flower nail point is sticking through one of the holes on your cooling rack first otherwise you cut tear your cake (ask me how I know ).
HTH!
If you are using 2" deep pans than the flower nail should be visible still (and even if it isn't when you flip it over you will see the flat part of it anyway ).
Ha dkelly - I haven't done the laundry in a long time...perhaps it is time?!?! It's always tough with a two-year old around.... 
I have all wilton pans so far. I hope I will not be disappointed! I've thought about getting the FatDaddio pans...anything but Wilton I have to order online.
I only use WILTON PANS and never have a problem, unless I grease the sides, then they get crisp and I have to trim sidesd off....I use parchment paper on bottom....whenever I have used a flower nail I never greased it, and when cakes comes out I push it thru the cake and maybe I been lucky...but no problem with it yet....
TYVM!
My cakes are pretty average, though (but I have had a few gems!). ....... et al.....You certainly do beautiful work!!
Oh, thank you! You are too kind. I am a novice to decorating like you guys all do. If I could, I would just bake, bake, bake!! And let somebody else do the decorating!!
I did not know you had pictures yanked. Well shucks. That's too bad. So can you upload any at all. Gee, I am glad I do a screen/copy/paste into my email, then. I was doing that in case CC was down! 
I have no problem with Wilton pans...and I also love the Wilton Cake Release spray. I used to use grease and flour my pans because I find Pan always made my cake a little crusty...but now only use the Wilton stuff.
The PP who said it may be a bit overwhelming for a newbie is right...haha...there are a whole lot of people with a whole lot of different ways of doing things.
BTW, I think the best cakes are the one's done by a mother for her kids...thats one of the best memories I have of my Mom and the reason why I started decorating in the first place.
BTW, I think the best cakes are the one's done by a mother for her kids...thats one of the best memories I have of my Mom and the reason why I started decorating in the first place.
I agree!!! My mom did the Wilton character star cakes every year for our birthdays...when I got older, she let me help! We were just talking last night about cake decorating and I told her that I sometimes wish she could just come over and make me a star cake!!!! 
Thanks for all the replies on the "how to's" of a flower nail! I'll definatly try it when I bake the next larger cake. It makes sense that it would help it cook. Thanks again!
Jackie
Oh My googness! First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you! To all of you who wrote me such great advice. My family and I have each gained about 3 pounds from my "trial" cakes. I had to take a short break to remind my family that I existed, and by the way, when I was posting my first question on the day of my baking...my dh sent me an irked text along the lines of "oh great, have fun baking, see you next week" - so I went and put in a load of laundry!!!!! It was only later that I realized it wasn't really laundry that I was supposed to do!
Anyway, overall, my weekend of baking taught me a lot and now I have to gear up for the "real thing" this weekend. The taste test was interesting because our favorite on Friday was the least favorite on Sunday and our least favorite on Friday became our most favorite Sat and Sun (and is now gone while the others remain...that was the white with sour cream and cheesecake pudding mix).
Your replies are great and I tried the nail in one additional cake on Sunday and it seemed to work great. Now I have to decipher about the pan issue: wilton vs. other and will start again.
So, once again, thank you, thank you, thank you (esp about the "laundry" tip). I am overwhelmed, to say the least, but no one believed that I stacked and iced my "trial" cake until they saw my kitchen - and it didn't even really look like a castle, so I think I can pull it off. As for the rest of Easter dinner that I am hosting, well, dinner might just be her birthday cake! I'll post a picture and um, hopefully many of you will be on over the weekend to help me with any "in the moment" crisis that arises. In all my years of being on the internet, this is the best, most addicting, most helpful website I've ever seen. You guys are GREAT!!!
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