Learn how to bake perfectly flat cake layers every time with this simple tutorial!
I hate levelling cakes. I think I’ve done it a total of ONE time and quickly looked for alternatives. Levelling a cake is something you should do if it bakes up domed. Which, let’s be honest here, almost every single cake does. A domed cake looks something like this:
Source: https://americastestkitchen.tumblr.com/post/13873582856/4-ways-a-good-cake-can-go-bad
Delicious as it may be, it could be more aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention the uneven distribution of frosting! Those poor middle sections.
When my sister-in-law recently asked me how I managed to get my cakes so flat right out of the oven, I figured others might have the same question, hence this blog post for How to Bake a Flat Cake.
It’s not easy to stack a domed cake, so it should be levelled out prior to doing so. To level a cake, you either get a huge frikken cake knife (which I bought specifically for this job and used ONCE) and go at it hoping you can cut off the dome evenly.
Or you can buy a cake leveler which does the job marginally better. Either option leaves you with a crap ton of cake crumbs all over everything. This also means wasted cake, and boo to that. Ok, I know you can always eat the scraps, but STILL.
A much better alternative is to not have to level the cake at all by having it come out perfectly flat and stackable. I have a couple of tricks I use to ensure I get flat cake layers. They work for me every time!
HOW TO BAKE FLAT CAKE LAYERS
Now, before we even get to level cakes, you want to make sure that your layers are the same height. You can eyeball this in your pans, or you can be anal (like me) and actually weigh the pans to ensure an even distribution of batter.
I fully embrace my craziness. I use this kitchen scale these days, which is different than the one pictured, and I LOVE it.
Now that we have that out of the way… onto Flat Cakes!
FIRST UP: Evenbake Cake Strips
This is my go-to method. All you have to do is dampen them and wrap them around the bottom of your cake pans.
How do cake strips work?
The cake strips insulate the outside of the pan and the moisture in the strips keeps the sides of the pan cooler so your cake bakes up more evenly. Without the strips, the outsides of the cakes cook and set faster causing the middle to dome.
I soak my strips in a bowl while I’m prepping my cake batter and then gently squeeze out the excess water before I wrap them around the pans. It’s important that they’re not sopping wet or they could cause the cake to become soggy.
Here’s a side-by-side shot of the cakes right out of the oven, only one using a cake strip.
You can see how nice and flat the cake on the right is. Not only is the one in the left domed, it’s also quite a bit darker on the top and sides.
The one on the right is cooked more evenly throughout. I use these cake strips on all of my cakes and they help a LOT. If you only do one thing, use these strips!
I have the older model Wilton brand strips that I got at Michael’s years ago. These are ok, but pinning them on is a bit of a pain. I found these Regency ones online that have velcro which seems like a much better option so if you’re in the market for some, I would get those!
You can also create your own by cutting up an old towel into strips and pinning them on.
NEXT: Tea Towel Trick
Note: this method only works on small domes.
If the cakes are still a tiny bit domed after using the bake even strips, there’s another thing you can do as soon as they come out of the oven. Grab a (clean) tea towel and lightly press down on any domes. Be careful, as the pans will be hot and there will be steam coming out as you press down on the cakes. Don’t press too hard or your cake will cave in!
Since I always use the Bake Even strips, my domes are never really that high to begin with, but the tea towel technique helps with that last little bit. I don’t know how well it would work on a cake with a large dome. By the time I was done taking pictures, the domed cake was starting to cool, so pressing down on it didn’t help too much.
That’s it! Two simple ways to get perfectly flat cake layers every time!
To cut my cakes in half horizontally, I find this cake leveler easiest to use.
Other links you may like:
Quick links to help you bake flat cake layers:
- The secret to getting flat cake layers: Evenbake Strips
- My very favourite kitchen scale: Jennings Kitchen Scale
- If you need to level your cakes or cut them in half: Cake Leveler
Marni Greenspoon says
February 6, 2019 at 6:54 PMI have started using those baking strips after seeing them recommended elsewhere. But all the ones I’ve seen are for 8 and 9 inch pans. What about 4 and 6 in pans?
Olivia says
February 10, 2019 at 3:45 PMHi Marni! It’s a shame the velcro isn’t a bit longer on the Regency ones. For smaller pans I use my old Wilton ones that I had to pin on. You can try these newer ones from Wilton that look like they are adjustable: https://amzn.to/2TITyxW
Deborah says
January 15, 2019 at 12:46 PMMine still dome but I found a great alternative. Take the dome, crumble it and bake in low temp oven to dry, use as texture in cake layer or put on ice cream. Mmmmmmmm.
Olivia says
January 15, 2019 at 1:10 PMHi Deborah! I love this idea! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Brittany says
May 3, 2019 at 10:34 AMI also save it to make cake pops my kids love it
Bhartley says
January 12, 2019 at 11:07 AMIt worked, it really worked. I made my own strips using a row grain 2” ribbons and sewed a piece of towel to it. I attached a Velcro end and it worked just great on a 9” cake pan.. Great Projest today and made a Eggnog cake with left over Christmas eggnog. Snowed in today so it was fun day in the kitchen.
Olivia says
January 14, 2019 at 3:51 PMSo glad to hear it worked out for you!
Ebony says
December 8, 2018 at 5:45 PMWould the regency cake strips work on a 6″ pan as well? On Amazon it says for 9 and 8″ pans only…
Olivia says
December 10, 2018 at 4:48 PMHi Ebony! Unfortunately, the velcro isn’t long enough to work for 6″ pans. I wish it was. You could still use them and pin them on, or get these ones from Wilton: https://amzn.to/2QMSIC6
Amanda says
November 8, 2018 at 11:51 AMI bought two cake levelers after viewing this post. They worked great for leveling, but I had an odd result with 1/2 of the layers I made. I’m wondering if you can tell me if this was an inadvertent result of using them…
My cake cooked and was level, but it baked away from the pan. Like somehow it decreased in circumference when baking. Do you know why this would happen? It didn’t happen with all, just a couple of the layers I used. Any advice would be appreciated.
Olivia says
November 8, 2018 at 4:49 PMHi Amanda! Were all the cake layers from the same batch of batter? That can sometimes happen with overmixing.
Monica DeBiase says
November 2, 2018 at 6:40 AMI also have the older Wilton Bake-even Strips and as you say, pinning them is a pain. Instead of pinning, I tie the damp strip with a damp length of baker’s twine, wrapping the twine all the way around. Works like a charm and I no longer prick my thumbs with the pins.
Olivia says
November 5, 2018 at 10:52 AMGreat idea, thanks Monica!
VHG says
October 11, 2018 at 6:56 PMHi! Thank you for the advice I will definitely give it a try. How do you take the bread out from the mold so perfect?
Olivia says
October 14, 2018 at 4:55 PMHi there! I’m not sure what you mean exactly. I grease and flour the sides and line with parchment, then cool in the pans for only 10mins and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. I hope that helps!
nancy says
October 2, 2018 at 9:46 AMhi Olivia, thank you so much, i’m going to try all of this, it looks promising 🙂
when you are using a deep pan, one strip is enough?
Olivia says
October 5, 2018 at 10:19 AMHi Nancy! I only ever use one strip and place it along the bottom of the pan where the cake batter is.
Erica Marie says
November 3, 2018 at 5:55 AMI’m wondering the same. My cake pans are 4” tall, so when I tried my strips (I have the old ones,too) they still domed. I believe it’s because the strips are not coving the entire pan.
Donna says
September 10, 2018 at 8:06 AMSimpler solution is to flip the layer onto parchment paper (upside down) as it comes out of the oven and allow to cool. My dad was a baker for over 50 years and that is what he always did and what he taught me to do.
Olivia says
September 10, 2018 at 3:56 PMA lot of cakes are too fragile to flip out of the pans right away and need to cool in the pans for 10mins. Once they cool for that long I don’t think this method would work. Though it’s similar to my other tip about gently pressing down on amy domes!
Marilyn says
October 4, 2018 at 5:23 AMSo, after you flip the cakes upside down on parchment paper and cool, then what?
Thanks for your response 😀
Sarah Grech says
January 31, 2019 at 1:56 AMDo you mean flipping the cake over while it is still in the pan and leaving it to cool upside down?
Neil Morris says
May 5, 2019 at 5:25 AMThe problem with inverting the layers immediately upon removal is that what you are actually doing is compressing the dome, which results in a more dense cake.
By using the strips, you are allowing the edges to rise more, which results in higher sides, and a lower middle, i.e. flat, which means lighter, taller, AND level layers, especially beneficial if you’re planning to cut the layers in half horizontally, for a four layer cake.
Kerry says
August 18, 2018 at 6:47 AMI set a metal flower nail in the center of pan before pouring in the batter (point side up). It acts like a core that bakes from the center and the cakes comes out almost completely level
Olivia says
August 20, 2018 at 2:26 PMGreat tip Kerry! I’ve tried this way too.
Kristi says
June 13, 2018 at 7:17 PMHi Olivia. I too was taught to use the strips on the outside of my pans (my teacher taught us to make our own out of towels, and I still use them today..26 years later!) My question to use is along with using the strips, I was taught to lower the temperature to 325° and bake it longer. What do you think of that??
Olivia says
June 18, 2018 at 3:59 PMHi Kristi! I find that by adding the strips I already have to bake them longer, so I wouldn’t also lower the temp. The lower temp might help with flat tops though if you don’t have strips to begin with 🙂
Margie says
June 29, 2018 at 12:15 PMI also turn oven to 350. Makes flat, more moist cake.
Olivia says
June 29, 2018 at 3:47 PMHi Margie! Do you mean 325? I’ve heard that turning the oven temp down a bit can help too.
Selina says
May 17, 2018 at 11:45 AMHi Olivia,
I am using a non-wilton version of the cake strips that I got off Amazon. They work fairly well, but as you show in your pictures, the outside of the cake doesnt form a golden ‘crust’ when using the strips, meaning that they don’t look as good if they’re not being iced (for a naked wedding cake for example). I also find it more difficult to put buttercream on as it’s not as ‘solid’! I was wondering if you know any way of still getting that a golden edge with the strips? like taking them off 5-10 mins before the end of cooking for example?
Thank you for your help!
Olivia says
May 17, 2018 at 3:21 PMHi Selina! You could try baking the cakes a little bit longer, but also make sure the strips aren’t sopping wet — squeeze out any excess water. I worry that if you try to take the strips off while the cakes are baking, you might cause them to collapse from either temp changes or jostling.
Meliisa says
July 9, 2018 at 10:03 PMI wonder if putting cake pans in freezer or fridge before pouring batter in would help at all, even just a little bit. Also I guess your best bet is to just bake at a lower temperature like 325 degrees for a bit longer.
Eloisa Reyes says
May 6, 2018 at 8:03 AMHi Olivia! I absolutely adore your cakes. Im starting my own baking at home business. I really need your help regarding recipes for all cake sizes. How can i make a 2-6 inch batch into a 2-8 or 2-10 inch batch? How does that work? Can you help me out please?
Olivia says
May 7, 2018 at 5:06 PMHi Eloisa! You can check this site for pan size conversions: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Joleisa says
March 30, 2018 at 1:43 PMSuch a genius idea! I’ve always heard of it but never really practised it. Must get me some. Your photographs convinced me that this trick really does work. I’m in the Uk so would love to check if Amazon here sell them. Thanks so much for sharing and all the best with your blog.
Olivia says
April 2, 2018 at 3:03 PMI hope you do try these Joleisa! They are a lifesaver 🙂
Liz says
August 31, 2018 at 8:31 PMLakeland has them in the UK.
Georgia says
March 29, 2018 at 5:44 AMHow deep are the tins that you use to bake your 6″cakes? I’m looking to buy some new tins and have heard that you achieve a more even bake when using deeper tins that are less full. Thanks
Olivia says
March 29, 2018 at 10:14 AMHi Georgia! My cake pans are 2″ deep but I wish they were 3″ as some of my recipes bake right to the top!
Shannon Craig says
May 17, 2018 at 4:03 PMIf my pans are 3” deep and the cake strips are only 1-1/2”, will tat affect the cake rise at all?.
Olivia says
May 18, 2018 at 9:30 AMHi Shannon! I’m not sure actually, I would place them near the bottom of the pan where the cake batter is. Maybe closer to the middle if the cake batter goes more than half way up the pan.
Shannon C says
May 19, 2018 at 7:10 PMThank you! I made your milk and cookies cake today. Didn’t have the strips so my edge are a lot more golden than the tops however I used your press down method and it worked great!
Marie says
July 20, 2018 at 7:44 AMUse 2 one above the other they fit perfectly on the 3″ pans
Anuja Khemka says
March 14, 2018 at 12:25 PMWhich strips do you use for 6″ cake pans? The ones you mentioned here are for 8-9″ cake pans
Olivia says
March 15, 2018 at 4:40 PMHi Anuja! I have super old ones from Wilton that you had to pin on. You can try their newer version here (I haven’t tried them myself): http://amzn.to/2FLU4oa
Patricia says
March 11, 2018 at 3:19 PMThese are the MOST genius things ever! I advise anyone who is contemplating the purchase of these to buy them now, rather than wait. You won’t be disappointed as they are so easy to use and you’ll get amazing results every time! Thank you so much for suggesting them, Olivia!
Olivia says
March 11, 2018 at 3:58 PMHi Patricia!! They are amazing, right?? Thank you so much, I’m so glad you found them as helpful as I do 🙂 xo
Norelle says
March 8, 2018 at 9:28 PMI have 2 Wilton strips (purple ones) but every time I use them, the cakes were underbaked. The instructions on the strips says to just follow the baking instructions on the recipe.
I do get beautiful, levelled cakes, but the insides were still underbaked even though toothpick came out clean.
Olivia says
March 11, 2018 at 3:37 PMHi Norelle! How do you mean the insides are still underbaked? Does the cake collapse or is it soggy? The strips help to promote even baking. You could try leaving them in for a few mins longer!
Barbara says
March 4, 2018 at 11:06 PMI learned this trick as a Wilton decorating instructor. I cook my cakes at 325 instead of the recommended 350 on cake mix boxes and I end up cooking the cake about 10 minutes longer. I check for doneness every five minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. This cooks the cake slower and I never have a hump on my cakes. The hump comes from the cake cooking from the outside in thereby creating a hump. If you cook it slower it will cook more evenly and will be super moist .
Olivia says
March 5, 2018 at 2:24 PMHi Barbara! Thanks for the tip — I have noticed that if I cook my cakes on a lower temp, they rise more evenly too 🙂
Jacquelyn Harris says
February 20, 2018 at 9:19 AMHI! I am about to make a 16″ Round cake… Where can I buy cake strips large enough for this? Or do you recommend something else? I’ve read some people use wet tea towels or inverted flower pin.
Thank you for your help!
Olivia says
February 21, 2018 at 3:59 PMHi Jacquelyn! Hmm, I’m not sure I’ve seen ones that large, but you can totally make your own from an old kitchen towel and just safety pin it on 🙂 The flower pin would be a good idea too for such a large size. I would use both.
Jennifer King says
May 3, 2018 at 12:38 PMThe way the strips are made, you could at two together quite easily!
Jennifer King says
May 3, 2018 at 12:42 PM*attach, not at! Lol
Olivia says
May 3, 2018 at 5:04 PMGood tip Jennifer!!
Denyse says
June 4, 2018 at 6:59 AMThe wilton purple one are the best. You can add as many as needed to get a larger size. They do not use pins or velcro. They have like belt loops to hold strips in place.
Anna Templeton says
February 5, 2018 at 3:38 PMHello,
I have made many, many cakes and used the towel strip method. It works.
The thing I have a problem with is getting the icing even between the layers. Yours are so perfect. How do you do that?
Thank you.
Olivia says
February 5, 2018 at 3:51 PMHi Anna! You mean having the same amount of icing in each layer? Honestly, I eyeball it and then stick a clean offset spatula into each iced layer to see how deep the frosting goes and try to match that height for all layers (not sure if that makes sense). An easier way to do it though would be to use a cookie scoop to scoop the frosting so you know exactly how much is on each layer. I hope that helps!
Melanie says
January 14, 2018 at 7:51 PMI cannot wait to purchase these strips and try them out. Thank you for sharing!
Olivia says
January 15, 2018 at 2:32 PMI hope you love them as much as I do!!
Marion says
January 13, 2018 at 1:47 PMSimply fantastic advice! Triedt he strip of damp towel pnned aroun pan and was amazed at how well it worked.
Olivia says
January 15, 2018 at 2:29 PMYay! So happy to hear that. I love this trick!
Christina Mouyal says
September 7, 2017 at 1:12 AMHi Olivia
I am from Copenhagen Denmark, I have seen your blog and would very much like to try it 🙂
But do you know, where to buy them elsewhere than the US?
Kind regards
Christina
Olivia says
September 7, 2017 at 8:33 AMHi Christina! You can get them on Amazon UK (http://amzn.to/2xe1C24) but they are a bit pricey. The Wilton brand ones are also available and maybe at a slightly better price (http://amzn.to/2wbMDkB). Otherwise you can check some specialty cooking/baking shops if you have any nearby, or just make a DIY version using old tea towels 🙂
Kristin says
August 31, 2017 at 10:20 AMFirst off, weighing out cake pans may seem anal to some, but it’s just common sense to me, if one wants the layers to be an even height. I have the Wilton bake strips and agree that they help create even layers. Unfortunately I only have 2 strips, so today, when I was making a triple layer carrot cake, I tried out your towel pressing technique. It was amazing how well it evened the cake out. Thanks for the tip!
Olivia says
August 31, 2017 at 2:56 PMHi Kristin! Haha, I’m so happy to know that I’m not the only one that thinks weighing cake batter makes sense! Glad the towel trick worked for you!
JC says
December 4, 2018 at 5:29 PMI weigh out the batter too. If someone doesn’t like it then they don’t have to eat my evenly layered cake. 😉
Candice says
June 30, 2018 at 9:25 PMI’ve literally never thought to weigh, and I’m always so irritated when my layers aren’t even! Definitely going to weigh them from now on!
Elizabeth says
August 26, 2017 at 8:51 AMThe temperature of your batter makes a difference too. According to one of the Cake Boss’s books he said it is very important that the batter isn’t too cold or too warm going into the oven. So for example make sure your eggs/butter are a room temperature before you start to bake with them. My Mum always left her eggs out of the fridge for a while before she baked with them.
Olivia says
August 26, 2017 at 9:19 AMHi Elizabeth! Yes, that’s very important — all ingredients should be at room temperature before making the cake batter!
Kathy says
July 19, 2017 at 3:07 AMI was amazed at how well this worked. Only problem I found was sides bit crumby. Am planning on making a naked cake and would like the sides a little darker, any tips please.
Olivia says
July 20, 2017 at 4:39 PMHi Kathy! Hmm, that’s a tough one when using the strips. I would say to bake longer or at a higher temp, but then you risk overbaking it or causing it to dome 🙁 You could try either of those, or just resort to a non-strip method for a naked cake as the sides would definitely look better darker in that case!
Michelle says
July 3, 2017 at 7:53 AMHi Olivia! I’m new to layer-cake baking and really appreciate the tips in this post. I was wondering if you have the cake pan sitting directly on the oven rack, and if so, is it PK that the even-bake strips touch the rack? Or, do you recommend placing the cake pans on top of a cookie sheet?
Thank you!!
Olivia says
July 3, 2017 at 9:02 AMHi Michelle! I have done it both ways but most often I place the cake pans directly on the racks. It’s totally ok if they touch! 🙂
Madeline del Valle says
June 28, 2017 at 6:48 PMTo cut my cakes in half I just make a slit with a knife and use that as a reference point. Then with a string I surround the whole circumference of the cake making sure it’s even all around. Have to make sure both ends meet at the opposite side of the slit. Kind of like crossing both ends of the string. Then, I pull gently, but firmly and wala!! Perfect halves. Never fails. Must do it with a cake that is cool so as not to burn your fingers.
Olivia says
July 3, 2017 at 8:54 AMThat is a great tip! Thank you Madeline 🙂
Julie Quarles says
March 10, 2018 at 2:33 PMCould you use dental floss?
Olivia says
March 11, 2018 at 3:52 PMHi Julie! To cut the cakes in half? I’ve never tried, but I know people have had success with that method. Just make sure it’s unwaxed and unflavoured 🙂
Candice says
June 30, 2018 at 9:27 PMOh… Wow… I think I’m gonna love Olivia and all of you commenters too! Just found this blog today.
Joe Larrea says
April 15, 2017 at 12:48 PMLove you. Love your blog. And especially love the creativity in your recipes! (Piña Colada cake in progress for Easter…’cause nothing says Easter like pineapple, coconut, and rum!)
I have a couple general questions for you:
1. Convection vs. Conventional. Thoughts?
2. I notice that for ingredients such as flour you only list the volumetric measurements and not the weight. Clearly, I’m rather ‘particular’ (read anal) about my measurements and usually use a scale to weigh things like flour. What are your conversions (volume to weight) for these?
Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
April 16, 2017 at 5:13 PMLol! Piña Colada cake is perfect for Easter! Who’s gonna say no to that? 😉
Great questions, by the way. My thought’s are as follows…
1. I haven’t had much success, personally, baking with a convection oven. It’s *supposed* to be better and cook more evenly, but everything always turned out overbaked even if I decreased the temperature. Though now that I think of it… I should really try that setting in the oven I have now… it’s older and bakes super unevenly. I will give it a go and see if I have better luck.
2. I totally get it, I prefer more precise measurements as well and use a scale often. I find that most people don’t have a scale though, so I try to cater to my audience 🙂 I use this site most often for conversions. You select each ingredient on the right, and then input the amount in cups, etc.
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/flour_volume_weight.html
I hope that helps!!
Janet says
April 12, 2017 at 10:34 PMHow do you make flavored cakes? I’m going to attempt my daughter birthday cake and will be sure to try all these tips to have it come out semi perfect! Thank you
Olivia says
April 13, 2017 at 8:35 AMHi Janet! What kind of flavour were you looking for? I have a bunch of different recipes:
http://livforcake.com/category/cakes
Connie says
March 21, 2017 at 3:24 PMPlease describe the water bath method
For a regular yellow cake.
Olivia says
March 21, 2017 at 4:50 PMHi Connie, I haven’t tried the water bath method, so can’t speak to it. There are some comments on this post about it though.
Emma says
February 11, 2017 at 6:43 PMWow this is so cool. I know it is off topic, but what kind of cake is that??
Olivia says
February 13, 2017 at 2:20 AMHi Emma! Here’s the recipe I used. It’s a simple doctored-up cake mix:
http://livforcake.com/2014/10/almost-scratch-cake.html
Alice Teunis says
January 27, 2017 at 7:40 AMI took a cake decorating class through our local school community education back in the 70’s and learned this method of using the towel. She called it “diapering the pan”. I didn’t know there were actually strips you can buy out now. I don’t do cakes very often any more.
Olivia says
January 27, 2017 at 8:31 AMHi Alice! I have heard about the towel method too. Works great!
Shilpa says
September 7, 2016 at 9:17 PMThanx Olivia your tip really worked.
Olivia says
September 8, 2016 at 3:24 PMGlad to hear it Shilpa!
Jo Williams Australia says
July 30, 2016 at 5:51 PMto make your own cake strips just use al-foil and damp paper towels. lay alength of al-foil on a bench, put paper towels same length on al-foil, dampen, fold over in half, fold edges all the way around and place around cake tin. secure with a bull clip. use the same method to make a mat under the cake tin(just place on oven rack) so the bottom doesn’t burn. may take a little longer to bake,but the cake will be even and moist. haven’t tried it on a shaped pan but imagine the al-foil would be easily moulded (scrunched) to fit snuggly. this is cheap and you can throw it out in recycle when they start to look old(grubby). this method has not failed me yet.
Olivia says
July 31, 2016 at 11:49 AMThanks so much for this tip Jo! I’ll have to give it a try 🙂
Franca Mancuso Jackson says
June 29, 2016 at 6:59 AMGood Day, Olivia
It’s really nice reading your blog, have to make a wedding cake for August. Have you ever make cakes with sheet cakes bought the stacker just wondering if I should risk it. Do you have a good chocolate cake recipe, I use the one bowel recipe tried other but not happy with them.
Olivia says
June 29, 2016 at 3:56 PMHi Franca! I don’t think I totally understand your question about the sheet cakes, but I’ve never made one before. This is my favourite chocolate cake recipe:
http://livforcake.com/2015/08/mocha-chocolate-cake.html
Trish Gunn says
June 5, 2016 at 4:45 PM2 questions. 1. Cake mixes come in different weight. How many ounces? 2. The pressing of the center with the towel: I found that it caused a ridge on the side of the cake. In other words the cake was not even on the sides. I have not tried it with your recipe so perhaps yours is different. I was just wondering if you have ever encountered this issue.
Olivia says
June 5, 2016 at 7:44 PMHi Trish! I think cake mixes are about 18oz? I can’t be totally sure and I don’t have one in my pantry currently. I’m not totally sure what you mean about the ridge… I’ve never had that issue :(. But honestly, there is very little pressing that I have to do since I use the strips. Did you press down while the cake was still hot?
Kristi says
April 10, 2016 at 8:53 PMIf you’re mashing a single layer cake, all you have to do is turn the cake upside down so the dome is on the bottom. I’ve never had a problem. When i make a multi-layered cake, I’ll have to give the strip a try. Where can I buy them?
Olivia says
April 10, 2016 at 10:47 PMHi Kristi! You can find them here: Regency Evenbake Cake Strips
Kelly Maynor says
April 5, 2016 at 5:30 PMI have always followed my grandmothers way which was to start with a cold oven so the batter heats evenly in the pan, no domes. But I think I might invest in some of those strips for when I don’t have time for the oven to cool. Thanks!
Olivia says
April 5, 2016 at 10:07 PMHi Kelly! Interesting! I haven’t ever heard of doing that. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Sharon says
January 27, 2017 at 7:20 AMI use cooking spray with flour in it to coat my pans. But I Only spray the bottom inside the pan not the sides. Then I distribute the cake mix evenly in the pan, making sure it is touching the sides. After the cake is done the sides will be stuck to the pan, so I run a sharp knife around the cake to separate it from the side of the pan. It comes out flat on top every time!
Olivia says
January 27, 2017 at 8:31 AMGood tip! Thanks Sharon.
Samantha says
March 25, 2016 at 8:42 PMWow! I really want to try these cake strips out, such a great idea!
Olivia says
March 26, 2016 at 9:16 AMThey work SO well!!
Casey says
March 10, 2016 at 2:58 PMI use the bake even strip and still get a domed top. What am I doing wrong? The excess is great to eat but I would like it to actually be used in the cake layer.
Olivia says
March 10, 2016 at 3:11 PMHi Casey! I’m not sure… the strips always work perfectly for me. Are you soaking them well in cold water? Only other thing I can think of is that your oven runs a bit too hot and is causing the dome even with the strips!
Connie says
February 13, 2016 at 8:06 PMit would be so simple to get these and be done with all my domed cake nightmares!! but i also feel like im cheating if i do this 🙁
Olivia says
February 14, 2016 at 11:26 AMWhat?! Why are you cheating? This way you don’t lose any cake! 😉
Barbara says
February 3, 2016 at 5:02 AMI always cook my cakes at a lower temperature and I always get level cakes. 325 for an extra 10 minutes. This requires a slower cook time and forces the cake to bake more evenly. And they are so moist.
Olivia says
February 3, 2016 at 3:51 PMPerfect, thanks for the tip Barbara!!
Leslie says
January 21, 2016 at 9:40 PMThank you!!!
Olivia says
January 21, 2016 at 10:35 PMGlad to help!
Vilya says
January 21, 2016 at 6:52 PMI have 10 inch layer tins, but the strips I have are for 9 ” pans. Can I cut up the extra pair I have, put some Velcro on them and use them for the 10″ tins??
Olivia says
January 21, 2016 at 7:29 PMHi Yilya, yes, that should work fine as long as the strip is touching the cake pan all around.
Cindy B says
January 19, 2016 at 6:41 PMI grab enough paper towels to wrap around the cake pans. Fold them until they are about 1″ wide. Wet them then press against the outside of the pan. Paper burns at 451 F, so baking cakes at 350 F is safe. The results are the same. No pins or Velcro needed
Olivia says
January 19, 2016 at 7:26 PMAwesome, great tip Cindy! Thanks! 😀
Jessica says
January 15, 2016 at 10:05 PMWhere can you buy the cake pan strips and what are they called?
Olivia says
January 15, 2016 at 10:51 PMHi Jessica, you can get them here.
Kirsten says
September 25, 2015 at 10:04 AMi do the strips (old towel) but I also throw a handful or two of ice cubes into the bottom of the oven. Similar to a water bath but a fraction of the effort. The combo works great! I will try you tip of pushing down with a clean towel the next time I end up with a small dome. Thanks!
Olivia says
September 25, 2015 at 10:27 AMInteresting tip about the ice cubes! I may have to try that. Thanks Kristen!
Cindy says
October 22, 2016 at 5:09 AMPut the ice cubes into a container first. They can warp the metal of oven bottom.
Karen says
September 11, 2015 at 7:53 PMWill this work on 13″ a 9″ cake pans too? My 13 a 9 cakes always seem to hump up in the middle too 🙁
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 8:19 PMIt should! As long as your strips can go all the way around… Another tip with sheet cakes is to use a flower nail or heating core type thing. Before pouring the cake batter into the pan, place these “nails” pointy end up in a couple of places (evenly spaced) in the pan. This will help draw heat around these nails and even out the baking. Hope that helps! Let me know how it turns out :).
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog says
September 11, 2015 at 7:04 AMWow, great tips! I also hate leveling cakes, I always seem to make them uneven haha. Now time to get my hands on some of those strips!
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 9:54 AMThanks Sharon! I hope you try them, they are so helpful!
Alice says
September 11, 2015 at 5:38 AMas long as I have kids at home, I’m going to use a cake leveler 🙂 Its an easy to use tool and they love the crumbs and bits of cake to munch on. But it was really neat that you weigh your cakes! That is a crazy that I can embrace! 🙂 What a fun idea for getting evenly baked cakes!
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 9:53 AMI totally support eating cake scraps whenever possible :)!
Sue says
August 7, 2017 at 11:55 AMMy friend freezes her cake scraps and uses them instead of bread in bread pudding. Delicious!
Olivia says
August 7, 2017 at 5:27 PMThat is a great way to use up the scraps for sure!! Thanks Sue 🙂
Kathryn says
May 7, 2018 at 9:39 PMWhenever I have them they are frozen, giving me a quick Go-To for cake pops
Geoffrey says
September 11, 2015 at 12:37 AMI’ve always suffered from domed-cake-syndrome until I tried your method. Those even bake strips were the best 20 bucks I ever spent on supplies hehe. Thank you for this article — you’re pretty much my new hero!
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 9:52 AMI’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you Geoffrey!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
September 10, 2015 at 7:00 PMDear Olivia, your flat top cakes are gorgeous. I have those very strips. But know what my problem is? I forget to use them. Like all the time. I am going to have to tie a string around my finger next time I am mixing up cake batter. Thanks for all the great and delicious tips!
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 9:51 AMYou know, sometimes I take the strips out, soak them, then forget to put them on the pans!! My new method is to place them on the stove top so that I can see them before putting the pans in the oven :).
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
September 10, 2015 at 6:42 PMI have been known to use toothpicks to shave off the bump, but the strips are so much easier.Great tutorial.
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 9:50 AMThanks Laura! Hopefully this saves some time too :).
Lorena says
September 10, 2015 at 6:35 PMThis is absolutely brilliant!! I’ve never heard of those or seen any of those strips before and truly wondered if the professionals really use levellers to cut their pieces because as you say there are soooo many crumbles left and it never looks as beautiful as your flat cake. Absolutely love, love, love this post. Thanks for sharing!
Olivia says
September 11, 2015 at 9:49 AMThank you so much Lorena! xo
lindsay says
September 10, 2015 at 6:32 PMone day we will meet and you will teach all your tricks! i’ve made a wedding cake once and it took like 3 days to perfect. UN REAL you are
Olivia says
September 10, 2015 at 6:34 PMYou are TOO sweet. How fun would that day be?? Cooking, baking, eating. Perfect.
Lara says
August 8, 2015 at 7:41 AMI have the bake even strips and the pins bend and are really annoying and pretty useless after a few times. . I’m wondering if attaching some Velcro would work or whether the water would eventually stop them sticking together? Great idea and worth trying. Never heard of Regency strips here in the UK.
Olivia says
August 8, 2015 at 9:57 AMI know! My pins bend too, it’s so annoying. But I have 4 strips like that and they *do* work so I can’t justify spending the money on new ones. I think attaching velcro would be a great idea! I don’t think the water would stop them from sticking :).
It looks like Wilton maybe has a velcro version now? I can’t totally tell with these but they are available in the UK :).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bake-Even-Strip-Set-6-Piece/dp/B00C1LU8SA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439052931&sr=8-1&keywords=bake+even+strips
Cindy says
October 22, 2016 at 5:06 AMI found the pins bend also. Then tried metal clips like those used for paper, the ones that bend up and down It works but i have to remember they are hot coming out of the oven
Olivia says
October 22, 2016 at 3:45 PMOhh good tip! Thanks Cindy!
Baytown Cakes says
July 17, 2015 at 6:54 PMBoth of your ideas are great. My trick is to invert the cake onto my cooling rack immediately out of the oven…leave the pan over the cake. Place a pot holder on top of the pan and press down. Because the cake is still warm it flattens perfectly and always to the height of the pan which is what I want. And it works for all cake/pan sizes.
Olivia says
July 19, 2015 at 12:21 AMGreat tip! Thank you!
Marilyn says
July 12, 2015 at 6:36 PMI find also lowering the temp to 325 bakes the cake evenly too. Have to bake a little longer but worth it!
Olivia says
July 12, 2015 at 7:56 PMThanks for the tip Marilyn! Will try that.
Amanda says
June 20, 2015 at 1:45 PMI’ve always wondered about those bake even stripes. I think I might try them now. Thanks for sharing!
Olivia says
June 20, 2015 at 4:43 PMThey are awesome!!
Misti says
June 9, 2015 at 7:33 AMCan you please give Me the recipe you used to produce these cakes and what size pan the recipe will fit so I can Alter to different sizes thank you
Olivia says
June 9, 2015 at 8:30 AMHi Misti, for this post I used my Almost Scratch Cake recipe here: http://livforcake.com/2014/10/almost-scratch-cake.html It will work in 8″ or 9″ pans.
Misti says
June 15, 2015 at 2:39 PMThankyou, would you reccommend this type of recipe for a topsy turvy cake ? Is it good to carve with and for staking would I need to use towels, could u also advise on how to change to different flavours eg, chocolate many thanks
Olivia says
June 15, 2015 at 2:48 PMHi Misti! This cake should do well with stacking as it bakes up pretty dense. It was my go-to recipe back in my cake decorating days and I had no issues. You should use dowels when stacking for sure as it will need some support. I didn’t ever try carving it though, so can’t comment on that.
As for different flavours, just use a different cake mix and you’re set :).
linda says
May 9, 2015 at 7:37 PMI’ve been using this method for over 35 years & it works everytime! Only, I have never bought those strips, I use paper towels instead. All you have to do is take a length of towels to fit around the pan, roll them up, dampen them & wrap around pans. The wet towels stick to the pans.
Olivia says
May 9, 2015 at 9:55 PMGreat tip Linda! I never thought of using paper towels, I’d be too worried they would burn. Hah.
mimi says
April 1, 2015 at 7:47 AMThanks for the info! My first time hearing about these strips. I wonder if putting the cake in a water bath will yeild similar results?
Livforcake says
April 1, 2015 at 8:19 AMThese strips are amazing! I’m not sure how a water bath would work… I’ve used it for cheesecakes before, but not regular cake. I might experiment one day! 🙂
Tammy says
August 1, 2015 at 5:28 AMYES! A water bath works just as well. I have and use the strips on my round cakes, but i use the watr bath method on my rectangular shaped cakes and my shaped cakes by putting them in a larger pan. It works great!
Olivia says
August 1, 2015 at 9:44 AMThanks for the tip Tammy!! Will have to try this out :D.
Nancy M says
November 11, 2015 at 6:33 PMWhat is a water bath? I have the strips, but they don’t work around oddly-shaped pans 🙁
Olivia says
November 12, 2015 at 8:38 AMHi Nancy, I’ve never tried a water bath on regular cakes (just cheesecakes), but it looks something like this:
http://i2.wp.com/erincooks.com/images/dscake/dscake8.jpg
Jean says
May 17, 2017 at 7:58 AMcan u explain what a water bath is
Thanks
Olivia says
May 17, 2017 at 9:11 AMHi Jean! Please see comment above with link to a picture of what it looks like.
Nissa says
September 5, 2014 at 2:45 AMSo brilliant! I love that you baked a cake with the strip and without to show the difference. Very neat!
livforcake says
September 5, 2014 at 3:49 AMThanks Nissa! I thought it would be good to show the difference. But now I have a domed cake in the freezer! 🙂
TAMMI says
February 19, 2016 at 3:21 PMYou can also place a flower nail, pointed side towards the ceiling, into your pan prior to putting your batter in and bake as normal.
Olivia says
February 19, 2016 at 3:29 PMHi Tammi! Good tip, I’ve tried the flower nail too, but find the strips work best overall. The flower nails are super handy especially if you’re doing a sheet cake since the surface area is larger.
Linda says
February 17, 2018 at 4:35 PMFlower nail???
Olivia says
February 18, 2018 at 4:09 PMHi Linda! This (http://amzn.to/2BBgrgF) is a flower nail. You place it upside-down in the middle of your cake pan and pour the batter around it. It acts as a central heating core to help even out the baking of the cake.