The previous post reminded me of my 11th birthday. I don't use a lot of boxed mixes now, but when I was turning 11, I insisted on having a 12 layer cake for my birthday. Since I'm a DIY type of person, I figured, I could just go out and buy 12 boxes of cake mix and make myself a really awesome cake.
Just thinking about it now, I wonder if there were actually 12 different flavors out there. I know one layer was brownie, then the usual with the chocolate, vanilla, yellow, etc. Hm...
Anyway, the cake fell apart. It couldn't support the weight b/c the shape of each individual layer wasn't uniform...and it was really just awful looking. I ended up using a ton of frosting to try to "glue" it back together. I think part of it just jumped off the table in attempted suicide when I tried to put at the top of the cake.
So one thing I wish I had known then, but know better now is that...the layer should probably be flat before you stack them. (common sense, right?)
When the cake bakes up in the pan, it might stick to the side and rise up the edges of the pan, or it may puff up in the middle. I compensated by just flipping it over and hoping for the best b/c at least it would be flat for the next layer to sit upon. I was looking at a cake book a few years ago and when I saw the baker actually cut the cake to the proper shape and for smoother surfaces, I was totally floored. It just seemed genius!
Ok, now that I'm older, it seems silly to mention this. But in case you've never seen a similar book...when you pop your cake out and it's all sorts of funky at the top, just take a long knife (like a bread knife) and carefully cut off the uneven parts (the puffy middle or sticking sides) until smooth. Then you can add your frosting and whatnot and stack!
I think this might become a weekly installment b/c there's actually a lot of silly things that I know now and didn't know then. Like how to make smooth cheesecakes.
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