hello fellow cc'ers. does anyone else use bake-even strips? is there a better way to get a flat or close to flat cake? i feel like i waste so much cake when i level. is that just part of the business? my dh and dd love the scraps though, so they won't mind if that's a normal part of the cake process! i've been using the strips for a few years now... seems like they're reaching the end of their usefulness. how long are they supposed to last? thanks!

i use them on round cakes and i think they help alot!

I have not used the bought strips... I make my own using towel material... layer a couple of strips together. wet down (but not dripping) wrap around pan and pin in place....works great.

I no longer use the strips because they burned!
I now level my cakes when I take them out of the oven, I just press down on them while they are still hot. It does a good job, I never have to cut anything off!

Bought 'em, don't like 'em. Flower nail works so much better.

I love my bake even strips! I have no idea how long they're supposed to last because I've only had mine for a few months. They've always worked for me until tonight, when for some reason they didn't level the cake. I guess I'll just have to trim it myself this time. Oh well, maybe it was time to try a new kind of cake balls anyway!

I didn't notice much of a difference when i used the strips. but i love my baking core. i just use a clean pot holder to llightly push down on the top of the cake, this really helps to let some of the air out and flatten the top more evenly.

I love mine too!! Even though I did burn them once...I didn't let them soak long enough before baking. I never bake a cake without them!

Mine got dried out and crackly. I made my own with quilted cotton material. I LOVE them so much! I just hold the strips on with binder clips. Not only is the cake even, but the edges and corners are perfectly moist!

I love my baking strips, got them around march and they are in perfect shape. My cakes always come out flat and with no soggy centers! Love them.......

I love mine as well, have used them only for a short time, since I just started decorating. They seem to work well for me, especially on rounds. I don't have to trim those much if at all.

I use damp strips of an old (clean) bathtowel around mine, fastened with a large safety pin...and my cakes always turn out level and nice.

I love mine. i jus wish i could use them on character pans that is where i loose the most cake.

I am with you about the character pans!!! I WISH!!!

I just took my nice flat pink champagne cakes out of the oven...thanks to my baking strips

What do you all do about square cakes? I tried using the strips the first time I did it and it still came out a little sloped.... then I tried using a flower nail and then pressing down on the cake but it was still a bit sloped..... I tried to level it but that was difficult to do too - it was a 10 in cake and I don't have a really long knife..... so I'm not sure what to do on that end of things! I'd appreciate tips!

i use the strips most of the time for round cakes though and I think it helps them - but I also press down on them as well after baking.

I've been using the bake-even strips for years and I love them. As for how long they last, I use them until they are falling apart. I also recommend them to my students. Periodically, if too much batter is put into the pan, the cake will still need to be trimmed.

A friend of mine found a place to get an entire roll to make her own lengths. If you would like, I will ask her where she ordered it.

For those who suggested pressing down on the center while they're hot, I'm going to give that a try! Thanks,

M.

Sugarflowers, I would like to know where your friend found a roll of that stuff - might be worth checking into!

Until I sell a few more cakes I will continue on, using my homemade newspaper ones. They seem to last, and once they start to give out, I'll just make more!

I use wet paper towel wrapped in foil. So far, so good!

lsawyer,
I did that too, but it seemed too hard to keep it all together. And then do they get reused or are they for one cake, then you make them each time?

Mine are just 4-6 sheets of newspaper folded over to about a 2" width, then fit around the pan, stapled to the correct size (I figure metal staples are ok in an oven). Then I soak them until the paper is soft, place them around the pan, fill the pan, then put in the oven. They come out mostly dry, so I just hang them up on my bakers' rack for use next time!

I figure eventually they'll get brittle, but then I can just make new ones.

Thanks for the tip on using newspapers or a dish towel. Or how about an old towel cut into strips? Hmmmm.

I'd like information on where to get a roll of the strips material, too. I've been thinking about making my own if I can find the right material.

I love mine, haven't had any problems. I haven't tried them on square cakes though.

I love the bake-even strips as well. I have had mine for a year and a half and they are still hanging in there. I have a few threads coming out and a little browning, but have never burnt them or anything... i had to get new pins to hold them on : ) I don't know how long they are supposed to last, but i think they are great. I didn't have any luck with a flower nail, and i didn't like the idea of squishing down on the cake, so they were perfect for me! I also turn my oven down a little bit, not much but they are always nice and level.

(Sorry, there I go, repeating myself again.)

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