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:
You can use cake strips on your pans. Cake bakes up flat and no dome. You can get them at Walmart, Micheal’s and cake decorating stores.
Thank you Jackie. Yes, many people love cake strips! But the point of this article is to give home bakers an alternative, you don’t need to use cake strips if you don’t want to.
I tried the lowering of temp and that’s bull still had a higher middle. What a waste of my time. Will still have to trim it. 😞
Not all recipes are equal! And sometimes I do still have to do a little trimming. But overall this method works on most cakes and creates far less waste. 🙂
This is such an interesting article and not the information I was looking for. However, it is useful. I have 9″ round glass cake pans which means I have to reduce the temp by 25 degrees because glass retains more heat and reduce an extra 25 degrees to get a flatter cake. I appreciate your tip so much because wrapping wet cloth inside foil around cake pans is a hassle compared to lowering the temperature. Thank you for your super baking tip.
You might also mention using the cake strips that are soaked in cool water then pinned around the outside of the cake pan. They come in sets of 4 and will easily adjust to a wide variety of pan sizes. The reason it works is that the strips keep the outside edges of the layers from heating and hardening prematurely thus allowing them to rise at the same rate as the batter closer to the layer centers. There are recipes that do not contain artificial leavening that will not do well with the reduced temperature. It is also possible on those cakes to use convection if one has an oven equipped for that.
Hi Lenore. I haven’t ever used cake strips, so that’s what I don’t have info on them. I’ve just found this other method to work so well that I haven’t needed them. But I appreciate the feedback! 🙂