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Just a quick demo to show what the flower nail method looks like. This method is an alternative to using “bake even strips” for a cake that requires less to no leveling after baking.
Hope this is helpful.
1. Spray flower nail with non-stick spray
2. Place nail in the center of pan, touching the bottom. Bake as usual
3. Remove from oven. Cover top with cake board or sheet pan and flip entire cake pan over
4. after flipping over the cake pan, nail pops out making it easy to remove.
65 Responses
vanrobmac
September 21st, 2009 at 8:32 am
Thanks!
kara76
September 21st, 2009 at 10:17 am
So you put the nail in AFTER the batter? I always put in then pour the batter around it. Am I doing it wrong?
Jackie
September 21st, 2009 at 10:18 am
It does not make a difference if you pour the batter around it, or add the nail after you have poured the batter into the pan
Meghanarchy
September 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am
holy smokes! That’s such an awesome idea!
dazmae
September 21st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
worked like a charm!! thank you
Binky1223
September 21st, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I can’t wait to test this theory. Thanks a bunch!
xiswtsawluiix
September 21st, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Does this method work for larger cakes such as 14″ or more? Can it replace a heating core?
Shannie13
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 am
if I am making anything bigger than a 12″ I use at least 2…sometimes I go up to 3. I don’t have a heating core so the flower nails are easy for me.
SugarTime09
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 am
gonna try this right now…:p
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
Yeah! This is the method I always preach since I learnt about it on CC and I’m so glad its now in a tutorial.I use 3-4 flower nails in my 14”-16” cakes and they come out just fine,well baked and not much of a dome .
cakesNsweets
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:41 am
YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!
Thank you I will try it too.
mortega5
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Thanks for the tutorial, I have been trying the heating cores and do not like the big hole in the middle. Thanks!
emma_jada
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:39 am
I am baking a 10″ round in 4″ pan and it is not getting done in the middle. It is a pound cake type recipe and it cooked for about 2 hours last night at 325 and did not get done with a heating core. Does anyone know if this method work better? Or any other advice? (The forums are blocked here so I can’t look up anything)
april7777
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:56 am
I am making a 16″ cake next week. Does anyone know if I can use the bake even strips AND 3 flower nails together?
lilscakes
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I always use the bake even strips with the flower nail method. Depending on how large the cake dictates how many flower nails I use. I baked a large 11 x 17 carrot sheet cake on the weekend and used 3 flower nails & bake even strips. Worked like a charm!
Bania
September 24th, 2009 at 12:18 am
Does this work with Pirex pans?
Girlu
September 24th, 2009 at 6:17 am
can I do the same for a rich fruit cake?
margaretb
September 24th, 2009 at 6:32 am
I’ve started lining the bottoms of my pans with parchment paper, and I’m concerned that it would rip the paper off and wreck the bottom if I also used a flower nail. Has anyone tried using both?
lavendergoddess
September 25th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I like this idea better than the heating core. Especially with sheet cakes.
flowermom
September 25th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I have always use a heating core and strips, but it wasn’t always successful in using the heating core on larger cakes. I thought I would give it a try today on my cakes. Throw away the heating core, the nails were just thing! Thanks for posting the how-to! (Unfortunately for my family there will be less cake scraps tonight, LOL)
Molly2
September 26th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Thank You I always wondered how you did that
Molly
lchristi27
September 27th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Lavender Goddess-I use the nail and the parchment together, it has never ripped! One of the best tricks on this site!
ranbel
September 27th, 2009 at 5:49 am
margaretb, I line the bottom of my pans with parchment paper and use the flower nails..absolutly beautiful bottoms…it will not stick or affect the bottom in anyway…
kimb
September 27th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Do you still get a nice moist texture cake, even though it dosen’t rise as high?
patticakesnc
September 27th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Girlu:
I use the flower nail as well and I have used it on my carrot cakes which contain lots of fruits and nuts and it works perfectly.
ginessa10
September 28th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
great ideal i am going to try that
Miffy
September 29th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Sounds too good to be true! I am going to bake a cake tomorrow just to see if it works!! I’m a bit excited
AngieNikki
September 29th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Oh my gosh!! Awesome idea!
Carmensu
September 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Great!!!!, Thanks for the tip.
mollysuzie
September 29th, 2009 at 7:09 am
I have to admit…I did not think it would work. But, my cakes turned out perfectly and it was so easy! Even my 3 inch deep, round cake was cooked all the way through and evenly. What a great tip!! Thank you!
angelicstyle
September 29th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
“I bake with flower nails and luv it!!! thought of purchasing the heating cords but not anymore. Thanks for the useful tutorial”
CakeFaerieK
October 1st, 2009 at 6:10 am
OMG! Thanks for this! My wedding cake is coming up soon and I was worried about having to level the cakes.
THANK YOU!!!!!
Scorpio24
October 1st, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Is this a regular nail or a particular nail made for baking ??? I have never heard of a flour nail before.
MOGRISER
October 1st, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Why does this work? Could somebody ask Alton Brown?
INmom
October 1st, 2009 at 6:10 pm
For Scorpio24–It is called a ‘flower nail’, and is bought from cake decorating suppliers. It is used to make roses and other decorations. There are a couple of sizes available, but any would work. They have a flat head of at least 1-inch, so it is quite different from a regular nail.
lydiayadira
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Thanks for the tutorial….I love this website and all the great pictures!! I’m definately going to try this soon!!
You are all excellent at decorating!!!!!
bonton
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
LOL! Now I know what do with those nails..since I can’t seem to
make roses with them. Thanks for the tip.
mrsc808
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Yay! I’m going to try this since I seem to have lost my strips.
smooth
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Hi,
I’m new to the fondant making family….looking for all kinds of tips….I’m going to try this out this weekend….and then pass this on to friends in my cake decorating class….thanks bunches
ladybugg2
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Great info…… was tired of wrapping the strips each time.
Thank you~
gabbagabba
October 6th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Can’t wait to give this a try. Does the cake still come out as moist as it would without the flower nail trick?
rezzygirl
October 6th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
gabbagabba Yes! The moistness and texture remain the same as baking without the flower nail, but no dome!
cags31
October 7th, 2009 at 3:18 am
Does is work for a sponge cake??
Nellean
October 8th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Wow, I was wondering what I could use to get rid of my dome, cakes, thanks for the tutorial, can’t wait to try this on my next cake.
metria
October 8th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I’m no scientist, but I believe this is how it works:
When you bake a cake, the batter closest to the pan sides bake faster because it’s right up against the hot metal. The cake rises as it bakes, and since the center bakes up last, it creates that dome you’re used to seeing. When you use baking strips, it insulates the pan. The heat is more evenly distributed since the sides don’t get as hot. When you use a flower nail, it applies another heat source (if you will) to the batter. The metal of the nail conducts heat which helps the center of the cake get hot just as fast as the sides. Both methods help evenly distribute the temperature of the batter, resulting in an even rise.
Feel free to call me out if I got it totally wrong!
AmyJosie
October 9th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Amazing! I have to try this now! I thought that leveling my cake was just another step I would have to live with. Very exciting!
lizzybee
October 9th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Thanks for this tip. I’ve been grappling with the problem of having to level cakes and this will definitely do it for me. I recommend this site to my friends who decorate all the time. Keep up the good work!
gabbagabba
October 10th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I tried this today and it worked perfectly!!! Thanks so much for your helpfull tip:-)
GenGen
October 13th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
think i’m going to have to practice this one a bit.. not turning out as well as the photo shows. having the same rise in the middle as usual although it is a bit more uniform then w/o the nail.. and baked batter/cake is risen above the nail’s point.. i’m using a Pilsbury devils food mix right now. Ah well at least it was good experience
Sonja2008
October 14th, 2009 at 5:49 am
I have never use the heating core. I always used the flower nail #7 with the bake even strips. My cakes are moist and even every time!
ncbelle
October 15th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Every time I try to make a doll cake using the dome pan, the center does not bake. Any ideas for these types of pans?
malene541
October 16th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Last night I baked a square 16 inch cake. I used 5 flower nails and they worked perfectly!! I used the “3D” cake recipe with sourcream and pudding mix and didn’t need the bake strips. It came out with NO hump and cooked very evenly. This is a great idea!!!
olubola
October 17th, 2009 at 1:39 am
where can i get the flower nail in the uk. i have never heard of this for baking and cant wait to try it.
rezzygirl
October 17th, 2009 at 10:31 am
olubola, there are several places online that you can order from in the UK. Here’s one: http://www.blueribbons.co.uk/shop/2/29/index.htm#BRFN1
If you order make sure you get the #7 METAL flower nail.
Raenie
October 19th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I have been decorating cakes for only a short time now (a few months) and have tried this with #7 flower nail and have also tried the baking core. The core I didn’t care for, but for now on will only use the flower nail method.
The largest round I’ve baked so far was a 12″. I used one flower nail for that. For those of you who use multiple nails in the rounds at once, how do you place them? For example if you use three nails then do you place them all in the center or do you place them evenly throughout the round?
What is the size of round where you stop using only one nail, but use more than one?
krissyh
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:45 am
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! What a time-saver, and less wasted cake!!
crumbcake
October 28th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I was baking a dome shaped cake and I FORGOT my flower nail, and all my effort was wasted, as the cake was not baked in the center. DARN ME!
kimb
October 31st, 2009 at 11:08 am
This is the greatest thing since sliced bread !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chasie73
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:03 am
This trick also works really well with some of the character or formed pans, such as the football, that tend to crust or harden on the sides before the middle is even close to being finished.
I have found that it is better to put the nail in before the batter. I have put the nail in after the batter a few times and have tended to have air pockets around the nail. This isn’t good when trying to make a belly/pregnant cake and the stomach caves in a little after it has been iced and/or covered in fondant. lol We learn from our mistakes.
zoeychihuahua
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
I can’t wait to try this. Do you let the cake cool off before you turn it over and pop the nail out?
Becky9042
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:00 am
worked great!!! Thanks!!!
Bakaroo
November 6th, 2009 at 7:34 am
This works GREAT! The instructor in my class told me about it, but the tutorial is really helpful. She also told us about a few other tricks to keep cakes level: 1. Instead of buying the expensive baking strips, cut 2″ or 3″ (depending on your pans) strips from an old towel. Wet them and wring them out so they dont drip and use a pin or toothpick to secure them around your pans before filling. 2. if you have a small dome when they come out, put the cake on a cooling rack and while it’s still hot put another rack on top and set a can (soup, veg, etc) on top of the rack for a few minutes while the cake cools. Never waste good cake!!!
lrapps
November 8th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
This did not work at all for me. I tried one nail for a 10″ cake pan. Still big dome in the middle, as if I had used nothing. What am I doing wrong?
sjlilley
November 10th, 2009 at 5:15 am
For those of you who are having trouble making this work, try these 2 things; lower your baking temp by 25 degrees, you might have to bake a little longer, be sure to not over mix your batter, the more air in the batter the higher it rises.
AdrianaChappell
November 19th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
How about novelty cake pans like elmo, princess, spongbob etc. ?
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