So the tops of my cakes are always sort of rounded, as much as I try to get them flat so that they can be stacked one on another it never works out. and my cakes always look somewhat off, or just a little crooked. Yes I do level my cakes after they come out of the oven. Maybe im getting too much frosting in the center? But it is annoying that I just can not perfect the stacked cake! I want to bad for them to look even and centered with nice clean lines!

same problem here.

I always level right out of the oven, and then again after I have frosted the center and stacked. I take my handy dandy hemming guage and toothpicks and just go around the cake, mark, and trim again. This has worked well for me!

I can totally relate; this used to be a huge problem for me too. Then I read on here to put a cake board on the cake after it comes out of the oven and it's still in the pan. Worked like a charm!! Smooshed (is that a word? ) the cake level with the pan...no leveling needed. I also flipped the top layer over so that the actual top of the cake was in the middle on top of the filling and the bottom was now the top of the layers. Does that make sense?? Hope this helps!

Try flipping your cakes over onto a cookie sheet, and let them cool (inside the cake pan) this way.

I get perfectly level cakes this way. If you start with a level cake, it's easier to keep it that way.

How do you ice your cakes? Particularly.. how do you put the icing on your cake? Do you plop it on? I find it's much easier to get a nice even coating of icing if I pipe the icing on with a tip rather than just scooping it on. I use a #12 round and start in the middle and pipe the icing on the cake top leaving a tiny space at the edge then just smooth out the lines. It's really easy. I don't have a big enough bag for my icing tip so i just use the #12.. it works great! Once I have the top smooth I will do the same to the sides.. turning my cake turner and going around the cake starting at the bottom and working my way up. When it comes time for the last row at the top i make sure it extends a little above the top.. smooth out the lines and then I take off the lip I left and this fills in the tiny gap I left on the top.. HTH's.. it works great for me.

I also level my cakes well and when I stack them I do so in opposite order so that the bottom of the cake is now the top and I flip this layer over so that the top is nice and flat..

maybe the filling isn't going on level in the center.

Pipe a "dam" around the first layer with a tip size 20 or so, or just the coupler with no tip, all the way around the edge. Then add the filling inside this ring. Smooth the filling so it's level with the ring around the edge. Now you have a flat, level surface for the next cake layer to sit on.

That may help too.

Thanks for you tips!

I always ice my cake by first doing a crumb coat them stickign in the freezer to set the crumbs in. Then I DO PLOP a bunch of icing in the center of the top of the cake and work it around the cake, then do the sides. So i wonder if the frosting in the middle is just thicker and I dont know it. I always afraid to scrape more off for fear I will dig into the cake itself and end upwith crumbs.

I use the cake icer tip. I never do a crumb coat (but that's just me). With the cake icer tip, you pipe a wide even band, and continue piping until your cake is covered. I do the top first, then I smooth it with a straight edge ruler - I just drag the ruler across the top of my cake a few times. Then I do the sides - pipe a few bands around, then take my ruler and start smoothing. I get a lot of excess icing off. Then I make sure the edges are sealed. Once it all crusts over, I use the Melvira method to smooth the whole thing!

Do you use the magic strips when baking? they are those metallic fabric bands you soak in water and then wrap around your pan for baking. I have recently started using those and they are amazing!!! your cakes bake so level and do not bubble in the center, especially cake mixes. I still level the cake when it coves out of the oven, but I just have to cut a little to make it perfectly flat.

This is the best way to level cakes. No cutting necessary.Right After taking cakes from oven, take a clean dish towel and gently press down on cakes. You'll then have a flat level surface on your cake.

I also take a dish towel and as soon as the cake comes out of the oven I press it down and level it. I also use the bottom as the "top" of the cake!

Brandi, when you flip onto the cookie sheet, do you have any problems with the cake tearing from trying to pull away from the pan too early? Do you still cool for 10 minutes?

I saw this technique on some food network show once, the guy said it keeps the moisture inside the cake, always a good thing!

My secret to a perfectly flat cake is to overfill the cake pan, so it rises ABOVE the cake pan, then when it's done, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then level the top off with a long serrated knife. Perfect, level cakes.

Here's a visual:
www.cakeboss.com/preventbulging.aspx

I'm not sure if you mean the cake itself or the frosting on top. If it's the frosting not being level, I recently tried scraping the frosting on the top of the cake in one long swoop across the top, using a wide piece of plastic (like a ruler and standing it on it's end) that is wider than the cake. Then I turn the cake clockwise ¼ turn and do it again. Of course you have to scrape it evenly, and fill in where there are low spots. The last cake I made turned out better than I've ever done using this approach. Add the Melvira method of smoothing your bc and viola! Hope this helps.

I read somewhere that smooshing your cake to make it level isn't the best way to do it. That it can cause your cakes to be heavy in the middle and not stable (especially for stacking). I have never done it, so I can't speak from experience, but the idea of a cake that has been smooshed isn't all that good to me. Doesn't it make it really dense in the center? I would think it would make for a less uniform in texture cake if you were to smoosh down the high parts. Like I said though.. I have never done it so I can't say for sure.

I have not heard of the melvira method, is it the same thing as the paper towel method? please explain!

I have not heard of the melvira method, is it the same thing as the paper towel method? please explain!

With the icer tip you pipe it on and then smooth so this fills in any gaps or openings. It is nice because you have a uniform amount of icing on the cake so you don't get spots with excess.

The melvira method is when you ice your cake (most use a crusting BC) and then smooth it as best you can. Let it crust up and then use a high density foam roller (you can get them in the paint department at Home Depot or Lowe's or you local hardware store). Make sure it is dry and roll until you have a nice smooth finish. make sure you get High Density Foam Rollers.. or you'll have a mess on your hands.. or rather.. your cake.