I am making a 12x3" round chocolate cake for a baby shower and I think I will have to use about 12 or more cups of batter for this cake... I am worried about the center not baking through so today I went out to buy a heating core and it is huge and will make a large hole in the cake. The instructions on the box is to fill the core 1/2 way up so when you remove the core from the cake you have that piece of cake to reinsert where the hole is made. This makes me very nervous.. previously for a 15x11 cake I used 2 metal nails and it took longer to bake but it was okay. I also use the baking strips around the pans so that helps with the end result.
I know this forum is very experienced so I am hoping someone will give me some idea on what to do... thanks

I have used the cores and I personally don't like them. I prefer the flower nails and baking strips together. For a cake that big I usually make a "t" in the middle of the cake with the flower nails...usually about 5 or more and I also use the strips. I start with the temp low about 300 for the first 20 minutes or so and then turn it up to 325.

Others have had success with the cores...I have not. Hope this helps

Your welcome I'm sure others will say its not necessary to put that many nails, but I on the other hand have had really good success with that method. I just want to make sure that I get that even bake throughout a big cake. And just remember that a 3" deep cake will take a lot longer to bake. I also bake in 3" deep pans and they do take forever to bake.

Good luck

I have used the core and the nails... both with bake strips. Don't be afraid of the core. It will fit in the hole. You can secure it with icing if you are worried. It is a heat diffuser... it gets hotter and cooks the center of the cake as if it were on the edge, just like the nail, only more surface area, so more heat.