My Cake Baking Tips

4-Piece Bake Even Strip,Cake Pan Dampen Strips,Super Absorbent Thick Cotton,Cake Strips for Baking,Cake Pan Strips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FVM3VN3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Chd2DbJMV9H60

I took a Wilton cake decorating class...was it ten years ago or 15? During that class I learned that I am really really bad at buttercream roses, the ones that adorn every grocery store cake. I was much happier with the lessons on fondant flowers which are more forgiving if less yummy. One tip I learned in that class was to use Wilton Bake Even strips. No domes and wasted cake. My strips are old and have pins that hold them together but they work just fine. Soak them in water and wrap them around the pan before putting them in the oven. A Fanny Farmer era tip was to soak newspaper and wrap it around the pans. Never saw mom do that, but in a pinch...??

Another thing I recently discovered is putting rose nails in the middle of the batter in a pan to help with cooking the batter evenly. I had to dig deep into the nether regions of my cake decorating supplies, since, as noted above, I don't use the nails for roses. I don't bother with an 8 inch cake but any thing bigger benefits from them. I just baked a 9 x13 cake and used them. I think it made a difference in how quickly it cooked as well as how evenly. 

I put a dab of butter on the bottom of each nail. Cake Central has a nice tutorial and they say to spray the nails with cooking spray. It looks like it comes out cleaner. I had no problem getting them out but they are a pain to clean. I tried buttering and flouring them and it didn't make a difference. 

https://www.cakecentral.com/tutorial/20232/cake-baking-flower-nail-method-tutorial

You may notice the difference in nails. I bought nails specifically for this purpose. The middle one is from my sad attempts at roses. They came in a set of 4. 

Ateco 1449 Cake Heating Core, Set of 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061UGRIC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ikd2DbCC2X4AR

I keep a notebook with notes on all my cakes. In that tome is a list of tips that are not so secret but new to people who are not bakers. I will post more tips.