can i bake a 11X15 sheet cake without a heating core? should i lower the temp of the oven and increase baking time?

I don't use a heating core when I bake a 11x15. I do bake at 325, though. hth

just realized your from central Illinois, me too

I use flower nails - they also help prevent doming.

I also use 2 flower nails when baking this size of cake. I still lower the baking temp a bit also.

Flower nails are awesome. You don't have to "plug the hole". I always bake at 325 and usually use a flower nail with 10" or larger -- I put cake release on the flower nail.

Use flower nails.

how many flower nails need. and put all in the center?? it works only for big cakes??

believe it or not, I don't use a nail or a core for any of my big cakes. I've done 12x18 and 16"square cakes with no nail and have no issues. I do have magic line pans which I think make a big difference and also I bake at 325.

I used to use bake even strips, but in all honesty, I just got too lazy to do it and found that it didn't make that much of a difference. When I got the good pans, that helped too. It's hard to experiment with cakes so big, but you'll find what works for you and your oven.

flower nails??? just place it in the center? this may sound stupid but with the flat side down? and how many should i use? all i have are the regular wilton 9 flower nails

I just use the magic line pans and the strips. I have not had a problem yet.

For anything over a 9 x 13, I place a regular flower nail upside down in the pan before I bake. I use bake even strips and bake at 325. Not an issue one so far. *Knocks on wood*

I dont have bake even strips... so will just the flower nail work?? i just bought a new oven a couple weeks ago... and im gonna try to put two 11x15 cakes in at a time.... hope it bakes even!!

I agree with others, I've found that if you lower your baking temperature, the cake will come out done and less domed even without using hte heating core.

if you use the flower nail, just make sure you grease it all over and put the flat part down in the center of pan and pour batter all around it. when it is done and cooled flip the caKE OVer and pull the nail out.

No flower nail here either, I do bake at 325 (w/ convection that even goes down to 300 now) I don't even use bake even strips - no problems here.

Naked baker here ,no nails, heating cores or baking strips. I do set my oven in between 325 and 350. Great results
By the way, I'm dressed just not my cakes


Jibbies

so you promise that if i just bake the cake in the pan... no heating core or strips or nails... that my cake will come out just fine??? im just a little worried! and ive only got one day to do this!

I HAVE USED JUST STRIPS OF TERRY CLOTH THAT I GET WET AND CONNECT WITH SAFETY PINS AND PUT AROUND THE PANS. THEY WILL NOT BURN BUT GET A LITTLE BROWN ONCE THE MOISTURE IS OUT OF THEM. I THINK IT WORKS GREAT. THE TERRY CLOTH SHOULD BE THE WIDTH OF THE SIDE OF THE PAN.I DOUBLE THE CLOTH THE MOISTURE STAYS IN LONGER. I USE OLD CLEAN TOWELS FOR THIS. I DO THISONLY FOR LARGER CAKES.

I have never used a heating core. IMO it's just something Wilton thought up to sell you. I also dont' use bake even strips. I have some gathering dust in the back of the closet. In my convection oven, I load 'er up. It easily bakes 2 11.15s, or 8 6" rounds all at the same time. I don't load up my conventional oven that way though. I have started turning the temp down quite a bit. For big cakes I bake at 300 and have been known to go down to 285 in the convection only. And another tip I read on Cc is to keep the temp low for the first 20 mins, and then go up. So if I start at 300, after 20 mins I crank it up to 325.