AHow do I use them? The sides of my cake come out too moist and crumble! Are the even worth it? Or am I just using them wrong? I bake as normal (350') and try to leave it in longer but I'm afraid of the cakes burning. Thanks!
Are you afraid of the cakes burning or the strips burning? Are the cakes testing done when you remove them...just a few cake crumbs sticking to a tooth pick? If not, your oven may need to bake the cakes a little longer. Are your cake strips too wet? When I started using my home made ones I wasn't wringing out enough water and the sides of the cake weren't getting enough heat so the sides were too raw. Once I wrung out more water it was fine. I love my strips and by using them, baking at 325 and an upside down flower nail in my pans I never have to level and have flat cakes. I know, others don't do all of this and have flat cakes, but this works well for me.
AI love the strips and in the instructions it says to place the strips on the bottom. But when you're using 3" high tins and the cake bakes to 2" would it be better to place them up higher on the pan? I wish the strips came wider!
The idea is that the strips slow down the baking at the outer edges so that the outer edges will have more time to rise and end up higher than without the strips. I put them at the bottom where it covers the most batter from the start. That always seems to be more than enough. Sometimes for extra deep pans, such as topsy turvy pans, I have put 2 strips, one above the other. I have seen discussions about making your own strips which could be made any width, but way too ambitious for me!
Here is a thread on another forum with photos and explanations for the use of bake even strips and flower nails:
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=148262&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=
I have had that happen too, recently. I was baking a 12 in round and had doubled the strip, thinking it would do even better! lol. So, I'm guessing you probably had them too wet, if it was only a single time around your pan.
My second layer, I only used one thickness and it did better.
They work fantastically. I always use them and my cakes come out perfectly baked and even. Just wrap them around your cake pans before putting in the over and pin with safety pins or something. I bake at 325 too, and let it bake for a little over an hour.
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