Hi CC members!
I am making a wedding cake for one of my best friends this saturday (25th) and I am making a 16, 12, 8 and 6 in square cake.
The biggest cake I've made is a 12 in with no problem what so ever. But never a 16 in....please can you give me any tips on baking one?
It does fit in my oven, that is the first thing I checked 
and I usually use rose picks as heating cores, but I am actually thinking of buying a heating core instead for this particular cake. WOuld you recommend that?
It will be decorated in buttercream with satin ribbon and rhinestone brooches and red roses on top.
THank you so much for your help!
I have baked a 16 inch round cake before, using no heating core or flower nail. I just turn the oven temp down to 325. Takes a little longer to bake, but it came out great. I have the heating cores, but I hate them. Turning the oven down works just fine. Good luck!
For anything bigger than 12" pans I use the flower nails, and for a 16" I'll put three of them in the pan. Just space them out evenly like a triangle in the pan and it will bake just fine. No heating core required.
I don't like the heating core either. I threw mine away and turn down the heat, but I still have some pans that need that little extra something. The flower nail is something I have never thought of. How have the results been?
To answer your question, I have just turned down the heat.
I'm just about to make a 16 and I tend to use 2 rose picks and use wax paper on the bottom of the pan ... you don't want anything sticking! I also wired two cooling racks together!!! I flipped a cake out once and wasn't thinking about the fact that the rack was half the size of the cake!!! LOL!! It also take a lot longer to cook.
I did a 15 (i think) hexagon with no heating core or nail and it came out great! I just used the bake even strips and it came out great.
I did a 15 (i think) hexagon with no heating core or nail and it came out great! I just used the bake even strips and it came out great.
If you want to line your cake pan to ensure no sticking, use parchment paper, not wax paper. When I use parchment paper, I spray my cake pans with Pam and then line them with parchment.
Parchment, Bake-Even Strips, a few flower nails, 325 degree oven, NO OPENING THE DOOR TO PEEK, and not overfilling the pan will ensure total success.
For anything bigger than 12" pans I use the flower nails, and for a 16" I'll put three of them in the pan. Just space them out evenly like a triangle in the pan and it will bake just fine. No heating core required.
This is exactly what I did when I had to do a 16". I also baked on 325.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Sorry I didn't respond earlier. I had to take my friend to the airport, (btw...we missed her plane!)
Thank you for all your tips! I will do the flower nails, bake even strips and bake at 325. I'm a bit nervous, but I hope everything turns out well.
I hadn't even thought about the cooling racks! I too have to wire two together now.
THank you ! I'll post pics!
Hello everyone... Just wanted to update you on my first 16 in cake. First of all thank you all very much for all the great tips! I used 3 flower nails and I didn't even have to level the cakes! As a matter a fact I didn't have to level any of the cakes for this one! Everything went so smoothly.
I've posted the pic...here it is!
THANK YOU!!!
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1355441&done=1
Beautiful cake... I'm glad that it worked well for you!
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