Hi....I need help!! I am baking square tiers for a wedding for this weekend. I am having the worst time!! 
The tiers don't seem to want to rise in the corners of the pan. On top of that , the giant 16 inch tier got dark on the outside of the cake, but took forever to cook inside. I never had this problem with a round cake, which is what I've been doing up until this point.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Also, what do you do when your cake comes out of the oven a bit darker than it should?
YOur help is so appreciated!
Ellen
Do you use a greased and floured flower nail in the center of your cakes or bake even strips? This may help with it rising more evenly. What temp are you baking at? A lower temp may help, also.
i would use a hating core or upside down flower nails..make sure they are greased..they will conduct the heat to the center and then hopefully it will all cook evenly
yeah me too.....i use the flower nails i just place a couple in the center and im good to go
I always use a heating core - it's a tin can with both ends cut out. Greased and floured and just poked into the center of the batter. Not only does it help in getting the center done....it will help eliminate the dreaded dome. I think it does a better job than the flower nail - more metal surface to conduct the heat.
As for the corners....they always seem to appreciate a little "priming." I tilt the pan and let the batter flow up the corners. You have to do each corner separately and should be careful to get the mark even on all four. The batter seems to seek out the marked spots and fills in the corners much better. (I do the same thing with rounds....just let the batter mark the edges all the way around. It seems to make them rise more evenly.)
Wow, crimsicle, that sounds like great advice! I'm definitely going to try that next time I need to bake a square cake. Thanks for the tips!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%