Wet Paper Towels Around Cake Pan?
Decorating By SwampWitch Updated 15 Sep 2006 , 3:03am by Steady2Hands
I saw a mention of this... I assume it's to keep the sides of the cake from baking too fast, and so the middle doesn't rise higher than the edges.
I'd like to try this if someone could please explain and give details. Thanks in advance!
Cheers, from
SwampWitch
I strongly recommend NOT using paper towels.
You can use old bath/kitchen towels though. Cut the towels into strips and sew 3 or 4 strips together so that they are nice and thick. Soak in cool water, squeeze so they don't drip and wrap around the pan. Fasten with an all metal straight pin. Watch while baking - there have been reports of the towels drying too fast and flames occurring.
Personally - I don't use the towels or the bake-easy strips. I bake at 325 for longer times and the cake bakes more evenly.
real simple
pull off enough towel to go around cake fully once.
then fold over on self until same height as pan is.
get wet...not drippy -- just moist.
wrap around pan and then pin in place (straight pin works best)
bake.
it's the low-rent/home-made version of using the bake-even strips.
image of them:
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30D620-475A-BAC0-592117323818A1AA
wilton's explanation:
http://www.wilton.com/yearbook/productinfo/bakeevenstrips.cfm
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cloth IS better than paper
(straight pin works best)
I found they kept falling off when I picked up the cake pan to put it in the oven when using a straight pin. I switched to binder clips and clip the strips to the rim of the pan with binder clips.
I also use homemade strips, made out of quilted cotton. I once read that somebody used newspaper ... but I agree you shouldn't put paper in the oven.
I use the Wilton Bake-Even strips. I will NOT make a cake without them. My cakes are always level and bake very even. They are very durable, reliable and they come in many sizes. I have never tried paper towels or dishtowels.
I use newspaper, but I soak it while I'm making the cake batter and it's practically limp when it comes out of the soak. When the baking is done, the paper is almost (not quite) dry.
The only reason I did was at the time I had no extra $ to buy strips. Now I do it because the ones I made haven't worn out yet! When they do, I'll replace them w/ fabric of some sort or the real baking strips.
Thanks, everyone, for your help. I just made the cake and it turned out great, very even! Since the Wilton strips cost $30+ (with tax) at the Michael's here and I make only two cakes per year, I used the wet paper towels and fastened with a safety pin. Now I don't have to store the strips, either.
The paper towels ended up pretty dry and crispy, and I baked the cake on lower heat (good suggestion, too). I'll do this again!
Cheers, from
SwampWitch
I have used the wet paper towels for over a year without any complications. I don't fasten them with anything. I just use one long strip folded in half twice so they measure to pan height. I wet them, gently squeeze so they don't drip and then wrap them snuggly around the pan. The wetness holds them together. I have used this method for pans as large as my 16" round which bakes for at least an hour.
I probably could have bought several Bake Even Strips for the number of paper towels I have used.
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