Follow our simple layer cake tips and show off your baking prowess by baking the perfect layer cake for all your friends and family this holiday season.
The Perfect Layer Cake
Cakes are a delicious dessert addition to any occasion. The flavor and decoration possibilities are virtually endless, and cakes are guaranteed to please a crowd. Follow our simple layer cake tips and show off your baking prowess by baking the perfect layer cake for all your friends and family this holiday season.
FOR LARGER, TALLER CAKES:
Bake two round cakes in Reynolds® Bakeware 8" Round Cake Pans using your favorite cake recipe. For inspiration, check out our collection of decadent desserts.
When your cakes are done baking, and a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly, flip them each upside down onto a cooling rack so the cake tops are flat. If your cakes cool and still have a rounded top, carefully use a long serrated knife to slice a thin strip from each cake, leveling the tops. Once completely cool, remove your Reynolds® Bakeware Pans from the cakes. Cooling upside down will flatten out the cake top and prevent a dome shaped top.
TIP:
Baking is scientific, and requires ingredient precision to reach the best results. For example, if you combine all your ingredients and later realize your eggs needed to be beaten separately, your cake could come out mealy.
Bake a single cake in a Reynolds® Bakeware 8" Round Cake Pan. Once baked to perfection, flip your cake upside down onto a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, remove the Reynolds® Bakeware Pan. Determine the size of layers you need and use a long, serrated knife to start to cut your layer. Cut about 1” into the cake and remove the knife. For the rest of the cut, hold your cake down steady and slide a long strip of unflavored dental floss through the cake starting in the cut you made. The dental floss will make a clean, even cut and cause less crumbs than a knife.
TIP:
To lighten the calories in a cake recipe, substitute plain applesauce evenly for vegetable oil. The applesauce will maintain the cake’s moisture and flavor but will decrease the unwanted fat and calories.
Use a generous amount of frosting between layers and ensure that your frosting is evenly distributed. If you are filling with a fruit or jam, create a barrier of frosting around the edge of the layer prior to filling with fruit, to keep the delicious filling from spilling out of the cake.
Place your cake on its pedestal prior to frosting the top or sides. Place 4 to 5 pieces of Reynolds® Cut-Rite® Wax Paper underneath the edges of your cake on all sides, covering the pedestal. Frost your cake and remove the paper when finished. The pedestal will have remained clean and your cake will look like a professional confectionary creation.
TIP:
Always allow any cake to entirely cool prior to frosting. A hot or warm cake will cause your frosting to melt and leave you with a messy, thin layer on top and virtually no frosting on the sides.
