The Dizzyingly Simple Spinning Trick For Flat Cakes

Making the perfect cake is an art form, and if you want a quality final product, you need to ensure you have a sturdy base. If you're going to be decorating or stacking cakes, it's even more important to make sure the cake is flat and even, for both aesthetic and practical purposes. There are several ways people can achieve flat cakes, and one of them involves simply spinning the cake pan before cooking. When you measure your cake batter into a round pan, simply evenly spread the batter with an offset spatula then give the pan a quick spin. This helps to evenly flatten the batter in the pan.

Similar to tapping the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles, the spinning motion helps ensure the batter gets to the edges of the pan, without dealing with any of that dreaded doming. While this technique might sound more like a fun way to get your aggression out, it's quite a popular method used in professional bakeries. In order to avoid a cake-baking mistake, make sure you don't use glass or ceramic pans unless you like picking up shards of glass off the floor. We should also note this won't work with delicate batters, so skip it when making a sponge or Angel food cake.

The spinning method was showcased in a TikTok video from @savannahmoses92, where the method was tested alongside two other cake-flattening methods. In the video, the cake batter is evenly dispersed into three round cake pans. One is smoothed with a spatula only, the other is smoothed and tapped, and the third is smoothed and spun. After baking, the cake that was spun was the flattest. People were quick to comment on the trick, with several wondering if it really did work to prevent doming. (A few people shared that this tactic still resulted in a dome-shaped cake.)

@savannahmoses92

Here's the before/after spinning your cake pans! #spin #VenmoSpringBreak #cake #cakehack #caketok #cakepan #cakes #cakeart #cakevideo #cakeboss #fyp #protip

♬ Astronaut In The Ocean – Masked Wolf

If you find yourself still getting an uneven cake even after spinning it, cake strips can also help ensure your treat ends up smooth and even. Cake strips are essentially pieces of fabric that are soaked in water and attached to the outside of the pan before cooking. They help ensure the edges don't cook too quickly, resulting in a more even cook and a flatter cake. While you can purchase cake strips, you can also make your own using pieces of fabric or a towel and some safety pins.