If you’ve ever wondered how to bake flat cake layers for a bakery-style layered cake, I have the solution! Cake strips help prevent cakes with overly brown edges and domed middles. They simply insulate the edges of the metal cake pan so the exterior and interior of the cake bake at the same speed.
Flat cake layers are a must for stacking, as domed cakes are less stable when layered or can lead to a lopsided layer cake. While you can simply trim off the dome with a serrated knife, why waste any cake?! Baking strips will ensure your cakes have a lovely flat top every time. Plus there are so many other advantages to using them. I will break down all of that below, so you know when and how to use them! For more tricks to baking the perfect cake, learn how to soften butter quickly, turn hard brown sugar into soft brown sugar, and make a quick cake flour substitute if you run out!
Why Do Cakes Dome?
Cakes dome because the outer edges bake and set faster than the middle, which causes the middle to rise higher than the edges of the cake. I work hard to develop cake recipes that will rise as evenly as possible on their own, but this can naturally happen when an oven cycles in temperature during baking or bakes at a higher temperature. Luckily, there’s an easy solution to this!
The Simple Trick To Baking Flat Cake Layers
The easiest way to ensure your layers bake up perfectly flat every time is to use baking strips! While a domed middle may not be a big deal for a single-layer cake, flat layers are absolutely essential for properly assembling and decorating a cake with multiple layers. Flat layers affect both the appearance and stability of a multi-layer cake.
Below, you can see a cake layer baked with baking strips baked up taller with an even thickness and flat top. The layer baked without baking strips domed and didn’t rise quite as much.
What Are Baking Strips?
Baking strips are simply fabric strips soaked in water. These strips help even out the baking pace by insulating and cooling the sides of the pan so that the cake rises more evenly, instead of the center rising higher than the outside edges. You can also make your own DIY baking strips (I show you how below!).
In the image below, you can see a distinct difference in how the oven heat affects cake layers. Baking my Naked Cake layers without baking strips produced a cake with dark, crusty edges and a lip around the top. They also did not rise as much and the center domed. This can actually work to your advantage with certain cakes like a Victoria sponge, where classically, you want a domed cake with golden edges. But for my Naked Cake, I want even layers for stacking, and a lighter, softer edge on the cakes for a tender and fluffy slice, so I use baking strips.
How to Bake With Fabric Baking Strips
1. Place the fabric baking strips in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
2. Let the strips soak for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Squeeze each strip to remove the excess water.
4. Wrap the soaked cake strip around the outside of the cake pans and adjust to tighten them around the pans before filling the pans with batter.
How To Make Your Own Cake Strips
1. Tear off a length of paper towels that’s enough to wrap the outer circumference of the cake pan. Fold the paper towels lengthwise until you have a 2-inch-wide strip. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to be roughly 6 inches longer than the paper towel strips. (For 8-inch cake pans, the foil will be about 30 inches long.) Cut the foil in half lengthwise to create two long pieces. (You only need one strip for each cake pan so reserve the second piece.)
2. Moisten the paper towel strips with water, then gently squeeze out most of the excess water.
3. Lay the wet paper towel strip in the center of the foil, and fold the foil over it from both sides to seal the paper towel inside. You should have a long 2-inch-wide strip of foil with the damp paper towels running through the center.
4. Wrap the foil baking strip around the cake pan, keeping it flat up against the sides. Fold the ends over themselves to close together so the strip is secured.
Use Baking Strips For Any Kind Of Cake
This technique is great for any kind of layer cake recipe (unless specified!). It’s most important for tall layer cakes like my red velvet cake, 6-layer rainbow cake, and German chocolate cake. Even two layer cakes like my vanilla cake, white cake, lemon cake, and strawberry cake benefit.
Baking strips also make a big difference in stir-together or runnier batters like chocolate cake and carrot cake! Runnier batters tend to develop a crispy edge more so than thicker, beaten cake batter and the strips guard against that.
What If My Cake Layers Dome?
A simple fix is to just carefully trim off the dome with a serrated knife so the top becomes flat. You can snack on the trimmed bit or discard it.
Where Can I Buy Baking Strips?
Baking strips are easy to find online, at baking supply stores, or at craft supply stores that have a baking section. I use Wilton’s Bake Even Strip Set.
If you’ve tried this post on how to bake flat cake layers, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Kari says
Hi John!
I cannot begin to describe how LIFE CHANGING the cake strips are! I had honestly never heard of them before! I picked up 3 online and they have helped me SO much!
I have a question – is there a way to make fresh homemade whipped cream stable enough to frost a tiered cake? I tried to do it but it melted into nothingness. I love whipped cream on white sponge cakes because I feel frosting is often too sweet or overbearing and whipped cream is so light and airy.
Thanks so much for everything! Your boys are adorrrrrable!
Jean C. Martin says
Hi John,
Thank you so much for your wonderful videos. May I ask how much (in grams) of the cake batter you put into each 6″ pan. I put too much as I only ever use 2 pans, and it domed on top even though I had the cake strips on. Thanks!
Jean
Heidi says
This vanilla cake came out perfectly. This was my first time using the strips and what a difference! No leveling! And moist! I hesitated on an all vanilla cake but it was delicious. My husband said it was the best cake he’s ever eaten. The buttercream was so good. I opted to not color it-I just did robins eggs on the top. It still was pretty. I went by the written recipe and then started following your video-the written doesn’t include the salt under ingredients so I was glad I had started following you. I also just used milk for the frosting as I didn’t have the heavy cream. Heavy cream was not under the ingredients but the milk worked. I’ve made buttercream frosting before but this was the best tasting I’ve ever had. The salt was something I’ve not done but I think that makes the difference. I will definitely make this again! I’m going to have to read the blog to see if you have a chocolate cake recipe too. 🙂
noor says
most of your recipes contain vanilla extract and here in Germany it is really expensive. is there anything that i can put instead of it like vanilla aroma essence or vanilla powder?
jkanell says
Hi Noor, I haven’t really heard of those two things! You can use orange blossom water, almond extract, bourbon, or anything you like!
Joe Inzitari says
My son an I were tasked to make a cake for his Cub Scout banquet. We decided to go big or go home and attempted to go all in with your recipe and try using fondant. Making it more complicated, it is shaped like a shark. This is the first time baking a cake from scratch for me. Thank you for the great instructions and pro tips for perfect cake edges! The task hasn’t been too overwhelming, though this cake is not helping my diet (sooo good!).
Next…the fondant!
Anna K says
Hi John – thank you for sharing your recipe. I have followed your recipe exactly but it seems that my cakes have domed and cracked ! I also followed the wet paper towel method.
Could it be that my oven is too hot? Maybe I added too much batter in the tins? I weighed 600gms of batter in 2 x 6” deep tins. Any advice would be great as I really want to perfect it! Thank you!
Asmaa begum says
Can I use this same recipe for a 7inch cake tin? Loved your tutorial on this cake btw!
Wyndi says
I’m making my daughter’s birthday cake tomorrow and I’m super excited to use this recipe! I’m using it as the base for a unicorn cake and I’m a total novice when it comes to decorating, so this should be interesting, lol. I do have one quick question for you…for the buttercream, can you use whole milk instead of heavy cream? I doubt you’ll see this and reply by tomorrow, but thought I’d try ? thank you so, so much!!
John K. says
Hi Wyndi,
I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you in time! For the future, there is a way you can mix milk and melted butter to substitute heavy cream.
I hope the cake came out great!
Best,
John
Wyndi says
No worries! But yes, the cake came out better than I ever could’ve imagined!! I wish I could post a picture here! And thanks for the tip….next time ?
Michelle Belcic says
I’m so glad I discovered your blog I freakin LOVE it!! Thank you for the awesome tips!! and PS your cakes looks gorgeous
Dee says
Amazing. Thank you for sharing and sacrificing a cake for us! ?