hi guys this question is to do with baking my cake rather than decorating it but im in desperate need of help.
i baked a 12" square cake yesterday and i had to put it in the bin as it was undercooked in the middle, this is the bottom tier of a wedding cake im doing for a friend that is needed for tomorrow afternoon. i have no heating core or anything i can use as a heating core as im still new to this and dont have the funds to buy these things. i used a recipe that is perfect when baking an 8" round so i did 4 mixtures which fit and raised perfectly to the point where no trimming was neccessary. it ended up being in the oven for 3 hours. it wasnt way undercooked but enough for me not to be able to use it. do. if i go get a heating core will this cake cook in less time or do i need to change my recipe, the ingredients i ended up uses are as follows:
butter 1200g
sugar 1200g
eggs 20
vanilla paste 4 tsp
self raising flour 2200g
milk - around 500ml

this cake is a beautiful light but dense cake and everyone loves it so dont really want to have to change it i have times'd this recipe by 4 to fill the 12" pan. any advice will be appricated
thanx Helen

The core attracts just enough heat to bake the middle of the pan faster, but if you don't have time to get one you can also use flower nails. If you don't have any you can pick them up inexpensively at the craft or baking supply store. For a 12" cake, I'd guess use at least 4, maybe six, spaced around the center of the pan. Put them in flat side down (point up) before you pour in the batter. When you flip the cake out of the pan you can pull them right out.

Has anyone tried using a 6" cake pan as a core in a large cake like this? Just wondering if it might work.

Good luck!

thanx for ur reply. went to my local cake shop and they didnt have any cores and i only bought 1 flower nail and the cake is already in the oven now as i cudnt wait too long for a reply as i need to get it in cooked, cooled and decorated by tonight. i have put only 3 cake mixes in rather than 4 n just hoping for the best (fingers and toes crossed) i now know for next time i need more flower nails.

helen

I've hear of others using aluminum foil as a heating core...just twisting it into a small tube and sticking it into the middle of the cake before baking. I've never tried this, but it might work well if in a pinch...

thanx for ur help n the foil sounds like a good idea i used a flower nail in the end, i managed to get the cake baked stacked and decorated before bed lastnight its my first wedding cake and im so proud of myself with how well its turned out considering my disaster. roll on the next one

Next time remember that the cake will need to be cooked at a lower heat after the first hour. It will take a long time...but it will be cooked through without getting dry.