Sponge Cake Layer Slicing

[Amy Viny]

Help! I'm baking a sponge cake filled with apricot puree and I need to slice the baked cakes horizontally to fill them. How can I make sure I slice them evenly? I tried to use a serated knife and toothpicks placed around the cake at the same height--but got a less than perfect result the last time I tried the reciepe. Any can't miss tips for this tricky procedure? HELP.

[chefpeon]

Ok, here's what you do.....

It's easier with a turntable, but if you don't have one, no big woop.

Place your cake on the turntable or on a flat surface on top of a piece of parchment or saran wrap.

Place your serrated knife at the halfway point on your cake where you want to split it.

Place your non-cutting hand on top of the cake (you may want to use a little piece of saran between your hand and the cake), so you can spin it around as you slice.

Using your knife, just cut about a half inch in, and spin the cake as you do so. All you're trying to do here is make a small cut all the way around to mark it evenly. It helps if you get eye level with the cake when you do this.

When you've gone all the way 'round, just keep turning the cake with your one hand, and slicing into the initial cut you've made....don't try to cut it all the way through in one swipe, just keep turning and cutting. Keep your knife level. Pretty soon your cake will be cut all the way through.

Nice and level.

Another tip: use a nice smooth sawing motion....let the knife do the work for you.....don't try

to press the knife in as you cut.

Hope this works for you!

[culinary bear]

I can't add to that splendid advice above, except to emphasise the need for an exceptionally sharp knife... Blunt knives tear cake.

[ladyyoung98]

there is another alternative...and ive discovered it makes my life a whole lot easier when there is the need to cut a cake such a as u have described....sure u can use a turntable for the about to be mentioned method..but not strictly necessary...

you can use a cake leveler... which while ive got two that are made by wiltons...there are other companies that make them as well im sure...not very expensive,... quite handy and for the ones i know about (wiltons) come in two sizes...you can get the turntable as a eway to spin the cake around while trying to do this...but that part is up to you..you can purchase wiltons cake levelers at michaels or you can purchase cake levelers at any cake supply shop...hope this helps you some

[JeanneCake]

I used to be intimidated by the eyeball method and at the time, bought an Agbay cake leveling knife - it is a one cool gadget and comes in handy at times. What gave me the confidence was lots of practice with the knife - it did take me a while to find a knife that I liked, which everyone knows not to touch (it's about the ONLY thing no one else "borrows"). I ended up with a 14" serrated knife. At the time, the Agbay thing was pretty cheap, but now it isn't. I ended up volunteering to torte all the cakes we were making one day in class, and that was just the practice I needed.

But if you want to learn more about the Agbay thing, check this Agbay Cake Leveler

[Amy Viny]

THANKS ANN-Worked Great!

[chefpeon]

At the time, the Agbay thing was pretty cheap, but now it isn't.

Wow.....no kidding! $149.95 to torte a cake? No thanks! Doesn't look too easy to carry around either. I'll just stick with my serrated and keep my knife skills up!

Edited April 23, 2005 by chefpeon (log)

[culinary bear]

Am I being horribly, horribly cynical, or does the cake in that demonstration video appear to be glued to the table...?

...and for that price, I would want it to get up in the morning before I do and make the kippers for breakfast.

[KatieM]

I use the same method as chefpeon describes above. Works every time. For some reason, I've never been able to get levelers to work for me. But, whatever method works for you . . . is the one you should use.

[BROWNSUGA]

I used to be intimidated by the eyeball method and at the time, bought an Agbay cake leveling knife - it is a one cool gadget and comes in handy at times.  What gave me the confidence was lots of practice with the knife - it did take me a while to find a knife that I liked, which everyone knows not to touch (it's about the ONLY thing no one else "borrows"). I ended up with a 14" serrated knife.  At the time, the Agbay thing was pretty cheap, but now it isn't.  I ended up volunteering to torte all the cakes we were making one day in class, and that was just the practice I needed.

But if you want to learn more about the Agbay thing, check this Agbay Cake Leveler

←

I have heard lots of great things about this Agbay leveler.

[ladyyoung98]

wow...i took a look at the agbay cake lever and while i liked the deluxe model...the price was over and above anything i want to spend...when i purched my wiltons cake levelers...the large one cost me around 20 bucks...with the smaller one coming in even cheaper than that.....and while i know there are others out there who have turned thier noses up at wilton products in the past..i have to say in their defense....they are not any worse or any better than other brands out there...sometimes they cost less...and in truth you dont have to spend a fortune to get a result you want....

im not against the serated knife technique that chefpeon suggested...its just never worked for me and thats ok...we each have our own methods that work for us..and so while there is no right way or wrong way..there is always an easier way...and that easier way will always be...whatever works easiest for you

[JeanneCake]

The cake leveler, as a tool, is pretty reliable and very useful when I have help from someone who is a non-English speaker. But I'm faster with a knife so I don't use it much anymore. I dust it off for sheet cakes mostly - that's when I tend to "drift" and end up cutting a slant. I didn't know they had a two-level version; I think that's overkill, but I guess that saves all the time of readjusting the blade.

Remember to check that the turntable/table, etc is level first. My first month in this particular rented kitchen resulted in all these not-on-purpose whimsy cakes!

[mignardise]

Had my share of torting a zillion cakes in pastry school long time ago.

It's Agbay all the way. Precise cuts. Simple, no headaches!

[andiesenji]

Fantes

has several solutions.

I have a simple solution for cutting one cake into even layers.

I use the long bladed cake knife.

I place the cake on an upside-down sheet pan, place a tart ring that is a little larger in diameter than the cake and simply use that as a guide to cut the first layer which is the bottom of the cake.

I then move the top, uncut part to another spot place the tart ring around it and make my second cut, and so on.

This works fine with sponge cakes, angel food cakes, etc., and I can get 5 or sometimes 6 layers from such a cake.

I also have a large metal bow saw that is strung with piano wire for making cross cuts in large cakes, however it can also be used for cuttling layers, it just takes two people when cutting horizontal slices in very large cakes.

[rooftop1000]

I just use floss....wrap it around the cake cross the 2 ends check it for level and pull the ends across each other gently I think this is only way I have ever done it

great for precutting a cheesecake too

i dunno