Im having problems with cutting my cakes in layers. do u cut in half when its a little hot or u cut while its cool? My cutting its not neat and cake is hard around edges.........

I gave up on trying to torte cakes (cut in half). I take 2 cakes, and stack them, putting the filling or icing in between. There are tools out there to help, like the wilton cake leveler, that's only a few dollars, all the way up to an agbay, which is really expensive. I level my cakes, and it works best for me when they are warm.
I don't know if that helps, but that's what I do.

It's best to work with room temp or cooler cakes. If the edges are hard, then your cake is overbaked. The wilton leveler is crap and odds are high that it will mess up your cake. The Agbay is the gold standard for cake levelers/cake saws.

Edna de la Cruz has a new tutorial on YouTube on this.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tonedna1?feature=chclk

If you do not have any of the fancy tools, try this: Place toothpicks all around the cake, a fraction shy of the middle. Take a long knife and rest it on the toothpicks and start cutting, using the toothpicks as a guide. Carefully lift the edge of the cake and slide a cake board under the layer for supportso that you can move it. Use the board to reposition the layerafter filling. Some people have used dental floss to cut the cake.

I bought the $5 wilton cake leveler that only has the wire and it was crap. So I just level my cakes like the video vharbin posted. Dense cakes I can level at room temp, but if they are a bit more fragile, like this yellow cake a bake, then I have to put it in the refridgerator before I attempt to torte it.

I disagree with some of the others here. I have the inexpensive wilton leveler, and I use it on every cake I do, 10 inches or smaller. I think it works fine. I usually cut a little slit with a serated knife just to get it started and then drag it through. Easy peasy! An Agbay cost $200-$300, the Wilton is $3 at walmart. I say give it a try!

The small Wilton level is not terrible when using it on small cakes. But the large level is complete crap. I have an Agbay with the double blade and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made.

I have to wilton leveler and it work good for me.. i bake, then let the cake sit for about 1-2 hrs.. allowing it to be completely dry then i slide the wilton leveler and it cuts perfect and is cheap... before i started to use the leveler i would use the knife and my cake would come out uneven.. i think that leveler is great for beginnger bakers.. LIKE ME :0p

I also use the small Wilton leveler and it's okay. I freeze my cakes so I level after they've defrosted a bit. I have less tearing that way. I also have the Wilton Ultimate Leveler. I tried it once and hated it. My hubby has tried fixing it so it won't bow as much, but I refuse to try it on a cake I'm making for someone else. If I was in business and or making a lot of cakes, I'd get the agbay.

thanks Guys for ur tips and advice..............