I have been baking for a number of years now and have never made a complete FLOP until this weekend when I tried the wilton cake strips for the first time. I followed the directions on how to use the strips (thoroughly soak in water, squeeze out excess, and pin strips around pan). The cake normally bakes in an hour. After one hour the cake had exploded over the top of the pan, had formed a crust on the top, but the inside was a runny mess !!!!! WHAT DID I DO WRONG? Any thoughts?

no idea! i LOVE the bake even strips!

I don't know, but I don't think it was the bake even strips. They're supposed to just keep the outside baking before the middle and you had an explosion. Hmmm...

Sounds like your oven got too hot.

I use them and haven't ever had a problem (knock on wood).
Now my wife used them a week back and baked for an hour at 350° F and the middle was still doughy. I was at work so I didn't see what she had done to achieve that... but she said looking back she probably didn't squeeze enough water out of the strips (they were still wet). So that might explain the center... but why it mushroomed I'm not sure... pan too full? New recipe that rises more than you thought?

And I'm not trying to insult you... I'm sure you are far more experienced than I am... it's just some days you have an off day... 3/4 full might lok like 1/2 instead.

Just of curiousity sake, what size are we talking? Was it a large pan?

Here's an explanation of exactly what baking strips do: http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-6626888.html#6626888

I never bake without them. No matter how big or how small the pan.

Can you use baking strips around petal pans and heart pans as well? I wasn't sure how safe it would be since part of the strip would probably dry out faster.

It's safe. By the time the cake is baked, the strips are totally dry anyway.

Thanks Debi! =)

Did you change the temp of your oven?

Hey Debi....do you use the Wilton strips? I've never used them, but I'm thinking about it for a huge cake coming up. If you don't use the Wilton....is there something better? I don't see anything on GSA, and I have been a searchin'!

I assume they're wilton.....it's whatever my local cake supply shop sells. I'm 99% sure that's what they are.

Thanks!

Mine are Wilton. They work great. And no, there is no reason to change the temp of your oven.

I use Wilton's on my 16" and they worked great. It's easy to pin extras together.