I recently bought Bake Even Cake Strips at the advisement of one of my Wilton's instructors. I took her word for it, not because she worked for Wilton and wanted to sell their products, but because there were a lot of other "suggested" products that she told us we could skip because they weren't so great. In my opinion, she seemed reliable.
I started using the baking strips and noticed the first time that my cakes were a lot more even (they didn't dome in the middle). I was also using a new recipe at the same time, so I was wondering if that didn't have something to do with it. I decided to do an experiment.
You saw in my last post that I had to create the top tier for a group effort stacked cake. The top tier was a double layer 6-inch vanilla pound cake. Because I had to make two layers, I decided to put the bake even strips to the test. This is the result.
The cake on the left was made in just the 6-inch pan while the cake on the right was made in the same pan but had the Bake Even strips. You can see the Bake Even strips let the cake rise evenly, didn't put a "crust" around the sides, and kept the top in tact. The cake without the strips was crustier and split on the top because of the amount of dome. (This is a pound cake recipe so the browning on top is common. This doesn't happen on all cakes.)
I'm not saying it's a must-have, and it definitely depends on what you are doing with your cake, but I definitely recommend picking up a pair of Bake Even strips.
For more tips and tricks, check out my post on Novice Baking Rules
**Updated: The Reason Why
I recently found out why these strips work. When your cake is baking, the sides of your cake bake quicker than the middle. As they set, the cake expands and pushes the uncooked batter into the center. More batter in the center means it will rise. With the wet strips around the outside, the oven has to dry them before cooking the sides of the cake. That means while the strips are drying, the rest of your cake is baking. It's like it gives a head start to the middle of the cake, which is always slower.
I started using the baking strips and noticed the first time that my cakes were a lot more even (they didn't dome in the middle). I was also using a new recipe at the same time, so I was wondering if that didn't have something to do with it. I decided to do an experiment.
You saw in my last post that I had to create the top tier for a group effort stacked cake. The top tier was a double layer 6-inch vanilla pound cake. Because I had to make two layers, I decided to put the bake even strips to the test. This is the result.
The cake on the left was made in just the 6-inch pan while the cake on the right was made in the same pan but had the Bake Even strips. You can see the Bake Even strips let the cake rise evenly, didn't put a "crust" around the sides, and kept the top in tact. The cake without the strips was crustier and split on the top because of the amount of dome. (This is a pound cake recipe so the browning on top is common. This doesn't happen on all cakes.)
I'm not saying it's a must-have, and it definitely depends on what you are doing with your cake, but I definitely recommend picking up a pair of Bake Even strips.
For more tips and tricks, check out my post on Novice Baking Rules
**Updated: The Reason Why
I recently found out why these strips work. When your cake is baking, the sides of your cake bake quicker than the middle. As they set, the cake expands and pushes the uncooked batter into the center. More batter in the center means it will rise. With the wet strips around the outside, the oven has to dry them before cooking the sides of the cake. That means while the strips are drying, the rest of your cake is baking. It's like it gives a head start to the middle of the cake, which is always slower.
How do they work?? That's amazing. No more slicing the top off? Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThey are these cute silver colored strips that you soak in water and then pin them around the outside of the pan you're baking in. They're just great!
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