i have a question for all you great cake people. when I take a cake out of the oven I somtimes lay a towel over it and compress the cake to make it somewhat flat. ( makes it easier to stack level) This sems to make a denser cake also. Is this not a good idea ? Or should i just cut them level ? Thanks for all thw help I recive from this site.

I think it might be a bad idea due to bacteria growth.  Is the towel damp or dry?

I always just cut my cakes level.

I always use a clean paper towel and press any humps down on my warm cakes!  I think I learned this from Sharon Zambito!  I think. 

It seems to me that it would make a denser cake.  I just level off the domes after the cakes have cooled.  I like levelling anyway because it gives me a chance to taste test and be completely sure they are properly cooked.   Also, my teenage son appreciates the "scraps".  

If you bake the cakes at a lower temp it will bake up flat w/o that hump and you won't have to press it down.

I bake at 300 for about 20-30 minutes (depending on cake size) then turn it up to 325 for about an equal time until it is done (when you can smell that wonderful cake aroma in the next room).

I bake at 325 to avoid the hump!