After my third 14" cake came out of the oven with a posture problem, I finally figured out that it wasn't the pan itself, nor was it the rack inside...it's my stupid 100 year old house that doesn't have an even floor or right angle from it's cramped basment to it's leaky roof.
Arg.
Normally, I wouldn't notice it. I have to level cakes anyway to remove that dome thing that all cakes have when they come out of the oven.
But this time, I employed baking strips (long pieces of linen soaked in cool water and wrapped around the outside of my pan) to avoid the dome. This technique is amazing - it delivers a beautifully flat, ready to go cake every single time. That saves me from trimming - which also saves me from eating the part I trim off - and it makes sure all the batter turns into decoratable cake.
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| Oh so flat on top, oh so slightly uneven. |
Love the technique.
And now that my oven has been propped up by a couple of quarters in the front, I expect to see perfectly poised cakes from here on out!
But I gotta say...it's times like this that get me CRAZY for a level floor and a professional oven in my own, honest-to-goodness bakery.
