Hello, this maybe an ignorant question, but I would like to bake a tasty cake and would also like for it to look nice. How do I get a cake to be flat on top so that I can decorate it nicely? I've been told to just flip it upside down, but it still has a slight curve on top. How do I make it so it can look as pretty as the store bought cakes? Please help. I would love to bake a beautiful cake for my husbands birthday. Thank you. Elaine
If it's level it should be pretty flat-and if you need to do a touch more icing in one spot to make it look more even-I do believe we have all had to do that at one time or another-or put your decorations-depending on what it is-on that spot-maybe the more experienced decorators can share their secrets...I am sure you will do fine-it is made with love and that is the main ingredient!!
Elaine,
To level the top of the cake, you will need to remove the crown in one of two ways--you can level it with a serrated knife, or you can use a cake leveler which you can purchase at Michaels. Let your cake cool about an hour before you try to level it, take your serrated knife and cut across to remove the crown or use the cake leveler and adjust it to the height of the cake and you use a sawing motion to remove the crown. Once you have removed the crown, turn the cake upside down so the bottom of the cake will now be the top of your cake. This way you'll have less crumbs and a more level surface to decorate. Good luck. 
Elaine,
Calidawn just gave me a tip & I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing it w/ you also. Look at Cali4Dawn's profile & go to her website. You will see all her tutorial's. It has one about leveling cupcakes. She said to use the same thing on cakes. Give it a look see! 
She's really very talented & has a lot of wonderful tips! Good luck! ~Tina~
I own a cake leveler and never ever use it. I use my bread knife. Faster and sturdier. IMO, don't waste your money- buy another toy instead. They are cheap though, if you really want to try it.
Also IMO,The best way to level a cake is the board method tcturtleshell mentioned. Yesterday I made a cake that did not rise above the pan, so I couldn't use that method. I toll it out of the pan and placed the board on it anyway- no pan to protect it... worked like a charm!!
Have to agree wiht Godiva..couldn't live without a my leveler. I have found another use for it too! If I am making fondant/gumpaste flowers with a wire stem, I just bend the end of the stem and hang it from the bar handle on the leveler and my flowers dry without touching anything!
I also use both cake levelers that I own (big and small). I also found a method to help with getting cakes to bake level that does not involve using bake strips. (I could never keep those things pinned together. 
) Preheat your oven to the temperature that you use to bake at. Take a 2 quart saucepan and fill it with water and bring the water to a boil. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, remove it from the stove and place it in the preheated oven on the bottom shelf. Wait 5-10 minutes before placing cakes in the stove to bake. Keep the saucepan in the oven while baking your cakes. The boiling water creates a 'poufbox' effect and helps the cakes to rise up nice and level.
I use this all the time, and it works great. Once in a while I get a cake that does not want to rise nice, but most of the time it works great. Really works well with cupcakes too.
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