Cake help please?!


Question: Cake help please!?
Ok so last time I made a cake it came out pretty good, except when I went to put one layer on top of the other!. I had just frosted the bottom layer!. and put the top layer on (it was one of those out of the box cakes from the grocery store) and the cake didn't fit right!. The bottom layer was oval-ly on top and when I put the other layer on it didn't sit right!. Should I cut the top of the bottom layer on the cake off this time so it'll sit right!?Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Are you using a dinner plate or a cake plate for your cake!? A dinner plate has a dip in the center and a cake plate is flat!. If its is a cake plate then even out the cake by cutting off the bumps!. If its a dinner plate place the cake bump side down on the plate, that should take care of the bump if its not too big!. or if your a frosting nut use ton's of frosting between layers to even them out! my favorite! yummyWww@FoodAQ@Com

Either level the rounded parts of both cakes, or find a technique to bake a cake with a flat top!. You can use baking strips (fabric strips that you soak in water before you wrap them around the pan, you have to buy them because the homemade ones can cause fires), or a flower nail upside down in the center of each cake, and bake the cakes at 325 instead of 350!. Personally, I perfer to level the cakes, and even with one of the other techniques sometimes the cake still needs to be leveled!. If you're ever going to make a tiered or stacked cake (think wedding cake) then having flat tops on it is absolutely essential!. The small wilton leveler is about three dollars and works really well!.

When you level a cake, put the cut sides toward the middle and you'll have less trouble with crumbs getting into your frosting!. You'll be amazed at how much more attractive a leveled cake is, and how much more professional it looks!. also, if you ever try fondant, the cake needs to be perfect underneath the fondant, because imperfections are more noticeable, so leveling definitely helps with that!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Cut it this time, using a long, serrated knife to minimize tearing!. But do yourself a favor next time and prevent this problem all together by using something called "Magi-Cake Strips"!. They are aluminum coated fabric strips with an absorbant core!. You wet the strips with cold water, wrap them around the cake pans before filling them and then bake the cake layers as usual!. The extra insulation prevents the edges from baking faster than the center, and thus prevents the center from rising above the edges of the cake!. They work beautifully, and you can find them in most cooking stores or in places like Bed, Bath and Beyond!. I've even made these myself in a pinch by enclosing folded wet paper towels in aluminum foil strips which are a few inches longer than the circumference of the pans, held on by large rubber bands!Www@FoodAQ@Com

Whether or not it's out of a box, it's going to have some degree of roundness to it on top - how much depends on things like size of pan, material of pan, temperature of oven, type/amount of leavening!.
If you don't want it to slide all over when you put one layer on top of the other, then take a long serrated knife and trim all your layers to make them completely flat!. Cake scraps can always get used for something anyway - if it's a new cake recipe I haven't ever made before I sample the scraps to make sure it tastes ok, or it goes into a container into the freezer to use for other things, it's not wasted!.
If you put two layers together and they're rounded coming together, you're going to have things sliding all over (some fillings will be worse than others for this)!.
Just make sure your top layer is upside down (cut side down) so it's easier to ice the top of the cake and it's flatter, and will produce a nicer finish!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

I would!. Next time, put the first layer oval-side down, and the second layer, oval-side up!. Don't make my mistake of trying to put the two oval sides together - it was like stacking basketballs, one on top another!.

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next time, flip the bottom layer over, so that the 2 "bottoms" are against each other!.!.!.!.!.!.You could cut the bottom layer even, but the weight of the 2 layers should flat the rounded top of the bottom layer!.!.!.!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

You can cut it across to make it strait or you can turn it upside down and it will already be strait for you!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

you could, but I like cakes that aren't perfect!. If you want perfect, just go to your bakery and buy one!.Www@FoodAQ@Com





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