How to Bake Flat Cake Layers
No more trimming and leveling, and no special tools needed! Come learn how to easily bake flat, even cake layers every time.
Leveling cakes is super frustrating, right? First off, it’s hard to get it perfectly even without a specific cake leveler tool, and secondly, you waste cake. I like snacking on trimmings as much as the next gal, but I like fuller, taller cakes more. So come learn my little secret trick to getting flat cake layers right out of the pan!
Table of Contents
- No special equipment needed!
- How to bake flat, even cake layers
- FAQs
- A few favorite cake recipes
- More cake tips
No special equipment needed!
A lot of baking advice says to use cake strips to achieve flat cakes with no domes, but I’ve actually never used them. If you like them, then go ahead and use them! I hear they can work quite well
But, let me show you how you can get the same results without needing to use a separate tool. (Does anyone else despise single-use kitchen gadgets?)
How to bake flat, even cake layers
Here they are in just 3 simple steps, we’ll dive more into each in just a moment.
- Divide cake batter evenly between your cake pans.
- Reduce the baking temperature.
- Bake in the middle rack only.
Divide batter evenly between cake pans
Flat, even cake layers begin with equal amounts of batter in each cake pan. The best way to do that is with a digital scale. Simply place the cake pans on the scale one at a time and pour equal amounts into each.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can also find the total volume of the batter and divide it equally between the pans. However, this method can be less accurate (and dirties more dishes).
Reduce the baking temperature
Baking at a lower temperature slows the spring in the leavening, which prevents a dome from forming on your cake. Most cakes bake at 350°F. Reducing the temperature to 325°F is all you need to do to get a flat-topped cake.
Since you’ve lowered the oven temperature, your cake will now take a little longer to bake. Reducing oven temp by 25 degrees will require you to increase baking time by approximately 1/2. Here’s an example: Bake at 350°F for 30 min → Bake at 325°F for 30 min + 15 min = 45 minutes total.
I usually take a quick peek once I’ve reached the original baking time and then every 5 minutes after that just to be sure I don’t over bake it, but the adjustment above is usually pretty accurate.
Once the center of the cake(s) is set and don’t jiggle when pans are lightly shaken, test for doneness by gently tapping the center. If it bounces back, it’s done. You can also insert a toothpick into the center, and if it comes out with just a few moist crumbs, your cake is done. Note: Always remember that cakes are delicate, so minimize how often you open the oven door.
Bake in the middle rack only
For best results, cakes should always be baked in a single layer on an oven rack placed in the middle of the oven. Trying to bake cakes on multiple racks at the same time usually results in lopsided cakes, and cakes that have browned too much either on the tops or the bottoms.
If I’m baking more than 2 cake layers, I will bake the first 2 together on the same rack in the middle of the oven, and then any subsequent layers after those are out of the oven.
FAQs
A kitchen scale makes things easy, but it’s not necessary. Simply measure the total volume of your batter and divide it by the number of cake pans you’re using/cake layers you’re baking.
Reducing the temperature to 325°F really slows down the baking process. The patience is worth it in the end! And once you’ve baked cakes this way a few times, it becomes much more natural, and you’ll be able to tell easily when the cakes are done.
Leave the oven door closed and check through the window to see that the cake appears set and is not longer moist on top. Then, quickly and carefully open the oven door and press gently with your finger. If it bounces back, then your cake is done! However, if you try to test a cake too soon, pressing the tops may cause it to collapse. If the cake appears to not actually be set once you open the oven door, quickly close it again and try again in a few minutes.
Yes, you can still bake cakes at 350°F or per your recipe’s instructions. The cakes will be evenly thick, but may have a domed top. Once cool, use a serrated knife to carefully cut the dome off.
A few favorite cake recipes
Now that you know how to bake flat cake layers, making a layer cake is easy! Here are a few of my favorites:
Hi, thanks for the advice! How much time would you bake a 10 inch cake, a 6 inch cake, and an 8 inch cake at 325 degrees?
Hello, I’m trying to bake a 10” and 8” tiered cake. Need to know for the 10” if I bake at 325 for 45 min?? As well as the 8”? And I’m using box cake mix. I was going to add 3 c of batter in the 10” and 2 c in the 8” for 1” cake round
Thank you
Jamie
Didn’t work at all on my cakes.
How awesome! Your tips are so helpful I am always so intimidated with 3 layer cakes. This just made so much sense. Thanks for sharing your ideas
Hi – I just tried your method and I think it should be noted that since the cakes won’t rise as much to create a dome, there is a good chance that if the pan is not big enough, it will overflow into your oven.
Wow awesome blog. Thanks Again. Really Great.
https://www.share-collections.com/2022/01/zucchini-squash-fritters-recipe.html
Hi
When you weigh the bowl and batter, do you go by pounds, ounces or grams?
I usually go by pounds and ounces.
Or… you can simply buy Baking Strips!!! Works like a dream every time!
Not at all helpful!!!
Thanks for this article
Great share! This post is very useful.
Another help is to wrap cake pan in wet wraps which prevents the outer edges from baking faster and ultimately the cake is flat
Nice tips! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to exercise my baking skills since I am a new baker.
Impressive
WOW thank you for sharing these great cake baking tips. I have always cut the domes off and then flipped them over so the bottoms get the icing. I never understood how much longer you increase baking time when you reduce the temperature. I have been using a scale to measure all my ingredients for several years but never thought about weighting the amount of batter in each pan! I have learned some great tips from you to make cake baking a lot more predicable 🙂 I have a tip to make sure the center of the cake is baked. I put an icing nail for making flowers in the pan head side down spayed with a bit of Pam. When you flip your cake over for bottoms up simply remove the nail after removing the parchment. Fill small hole left in the cake with icing.
Thank you, Annalise, for this excellent blog! My goal is to make better layer cakes and your instructions and comments are so helpful! Last night, I made 3 beautiful, flat layers for a carrot cake. When I got them out of the oven, not ONE part of the cake was stuck to the pan! No running a knife around the edge, no part of the layer sticking to the bottom, nice, flat layers! That was a major victory for me and I give you the credit! 🙂
YAY!!!! Thanks so much for your feedback. I love hearing that my methods works for other home bakers! xoxo 🙂