Ok, I've kinda been MIA and out of the loop for awhile, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. However, I am really struggling with getting my cakes to bake up to 2". It seems like no matter how much batter I use~typically I fill my pans 2/3 full and I use baking cores~I just can't get a 2" cake! Especially after I level the cakes. Does anyone have any suggestions?
TIA!

Use bake even strips and fill the pans fuller.

use bake even strips and cook at 300-315 degrees. Your cake will cook at the same rate from the center and edges resulting in an almost perfectly level cake.

If you don't have bake even strips another method you can us is to tie a damp towel around your cake pan while it bakes this works just as good Happy caking.

325 should be sufficient. I've found that if the oven temp is too low when using bake even strips, the cake has a bigger tendency to sink.

Have you tried collaring?

Here's an excellent tutorial: http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-726166.html

Here's the same topic by Mikel79 on the Wilton.com thread. You will see LOTS of photos:

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=154355

THIS METHOD WORKS!

Apti...it's the same exact tutorial LOL!

He was nice enough to share his tutorial on two forums. The one on the Wilton site has a bunch of photos from other people who have used the system (not just Mikel79's photos.)

My bad, Apti...I misunderstood your post.

Am very new to this and also have been trying to get 2" high cakes with not much success- always a little short. So reading this post has given me hope but.... I have a few questions which may seem daft but really I just wanted to clarify things in my head. The concept of "collaring" is having the parchment paper greater in width than your tin? Correct or have I misunderstood the whole tutorial? What are those metal things in middle of batter? Are those the flower nails? The tutorial doesn't mention changing temperature or baking time so do you do everything else as usual? Sorry if these questions are "duh!!!!" but really appreciate answers to clear up confusion thanks x

Ok so I had a quick look on google and answered my own question I just wonder why this works better? Is there any science to it? Am intrigued & shall give it a go tomorrow! Baked a cake already yesterday..... My family are going to be sick of cakes with all my experiments! Hehee thanks anyways

FlourPots~~No worries! You were right. (Great minds think alike.) The Wilton thread just has more photos from other sources.

Sal1980, welcome to the forum! There are no "dumb" questions; we are all here to help. Since you used the word "tin" instead of "pan", I'm assuming somewhere other than the USA. We typically use 2 inch high pans (not 3 inch high).

Here's a tutorial showing the use of Wilton Bake Even Strips and Wilton METAL (some are now plastic), flower nails:
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=148262&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

If your tin is 2" high, than the collar strips need to be about 2-1/2 inch high. No science, really, except that some cake recipes rise higher than others, then reduce in size when they cool.

My sour cream white cakes tend to bake up nicely without a collar (most of the time.....), however, my chocolate cake and red velvet recipes rise about 1 inch ABOVE the rim of the pan while they are baking at 325 F. The chocolate is a stinker and shrinks back down nearly that full inch when it is completely cooled.

Look at the photos by whoknew? in the Wilton.com collaring thread mentioned above. You will see what I mean.

THANKS everyone for your tips and suggestions! I had actually used the collaring before and I think it helped. Will revisit that technique

Thanks Apti for your kind words yes am from the uk- hence tin! Have recently moved to malaysia and have found my cakes not rising like they usually do am thinking its because I don't have a fan oven as have been used to- or maybe it's the use of different flour? But will try the collaring technique! Have had a look at the tutorial for flower nail aswell- can't believe had never heard of this one & my mum is a wedding cake baker!!!