When you level the top of your cake, do you just cut the dome, or you cut the all top off?
I am asking this because, I used to cut off just the dome, and my husband said that I should cut the all top to get the perfect level, otherwise I won't get sharp corners. Last time I listent to him and cut the top off, and my cake was 1" smaller (2 layers), and still no sharp edges.

I cut it to the part that will level all out flat. Try using baking strips--it will help level things out.

Sometimes if I have a short cake and I don't want to have to cut off the whole top to level it, I just cut off the dome, and then after I put my dam and filling on the bottom, I turn the part that was once the top layer, upside-down so the cut-off-dome part is touching the filling. Make sense? Then I just press it down really good and pipe any extra frosting to fill in the gaps on the sides. Usually there isn't much of a gap anyway. But I agree that the bake strips work wonders. Think of how much cake you'll save from getting thrown out!!

A little hint i got was when i take the cake out of the oven, i get a clean tea towel and press down the dome and even out the top. This saves alot of wastage.

aliciag829, I like the flipping cake idea. I will try that. I am using heating cores on bigger cake, this one was just 6". Thank you