Do you struggle with baking level cakes? Do your cakes dome in the middle when baking? If so here are 8 tips how for how to bake perfectly level cakes.
In this Cake levelling guide, you’ll discover the secrets to baking cakes that look like they have come straight out of a professional bakery. It does not matter if you are a complete beginner baker or a seasoned pro, these easy-to-follow cake levelling hacks, will take your cake baking skills to new levels!
What are the 8 tips for how to bake perfectly level cakes
Achieving perfectly level cakes can be a challenge, but here are some top tips to help you bake perfectly level cakes every time:
1. Choose the Right Cake levelling tools
It’s really worth the investment in high-quality cake pans as these distribute the heat evenly. Opt for pans with straight sides and sturdy construction to ensure consistent baking results. Quality tools are your secret weapon for level cakes!
2. Preparing your Pans
For level cakes it’s important to prepare your cake pans. There are a few ways to prepare your tins like greasing them with butter or using cooking spray or my preferred method is to line the sides and bottoms with parchment paper to make sure they are easy to release. This essential step will save your cakes from getting stuck and help you to achieve a smooth surface every time.
3. Baking bands or Cake Strips
My favourite cake levelling top tip is Baking bands, these are invaluable for baking level cakes. Baking bands are fabric bands soaked in cold water and wrapped around the outside of your pans. These work by insulating the edges of your baking tins to prevent over-baking.
When cakes bake without baking bands the cake bakes from the outside and bottom of the cake inwards and push all the unbaked ingredients to the middle, which is why you get doming on cakes.
When you start making your cake batter fill a bowl with cold water and leave your bands soaking in this while you make your mixture. Once you have placed your batter in your pans remove your baking band from the water and gently ring this out. You don’t want to comply squeeze all the water out, but you don’t want these soaking wet either as this will cause your cake to be soggy and no one wants a soggy cake!
4. Master the Art of Measuring
Accurate measurements of your ingredients is a must for baking even cakes. For best results its always best to measure out your ingredients using kitchen scales, you can use measuring cups/spoons but these do not always guarantee precise amounts of the ingredients. Remember, precision is key when it comes to baking level cakes.
5. Oven Magic
Master the art of preheating, temperature accuracy, and oven positioning. For your cake to bake evenly its vital that you preheat your oven and do not put your cake in the oven until it has reached the set temperature. Temperature accuracy can be a little tricky with ovens as they don’t always tell the truth! You can check your oven’s temperature with an oven thermometer though, if you don’t have one of these and you find your cake is baking a bit quickly round the edges try turning it down 10 degrees.
Another temperature trick is not to use the fan if you have a fan oven, I find this works really well for baking biscuits and cakes. Your oven may also have a hot spot too, if so you might need to rotate your cake. Finding the perfect oven temperature hack for your oven is really about trial and figuring what works best for you and your oven. Always place your cakes on the middle rack of your oven to achieve a level bake. When you master your oven you achieve consistent heat distribution for cakes and they bake evenly from edge to edge.
6. Levelling Techniques
Uncover the secrets to spreading your batter evenly. Place your cake mix in your parchment lined baking tin and then use your spatula to spread this evenly around your baking tin, then give this a tap on your work surface to remove any air bubbles, and achieve a level surface. Your cakes will rise like champions!
7. Patience is a Virtue
Discover the importance of proper cooling techniques. You should let your cakes sit in the cake tin for 10 minutes after being removed them from the oven. Cakes will still continue to cook from the heat of the pan and also this gives them time to settle. If you still have a minor doming you can place a clean tea towel over the top of your cake and gently press this down, don’t press too hard though. When you remove your cake from the cake tin always place top side down on the cooling rack as if there is still some slight doming this can remove this and give you a lovely level cake. Follow these step-by-step instructions to ensure your cakes set and retain their perfect level shape.
8. Avoid opening the oven door too soon
While it’s tempting to check on your cakes, its best to try to resist opening the oven door until they are almost done. Sudden temperature changes can cause cakes to sink or become uneven.
Final Word
I hope you find the above tips helpful with your baking. Remember whether you’re baking for special occasions, creating show-stopping layer cakes, or simply satisfying your sweet tooth, just have a go as practice makes perfect and it takes time to find what works best for you!
Happy baking, creating and making, I look forward to seeing some of your designs. If you post these on social media, please tag Party, Party, Disco as I love to see what you have created.
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Happy Baking!
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