For those who use 3" tall pans, a question...

[laurafromtx]

OK, three questions

1) Do you tort your cake layers into 3 pieces, and then use the 3 layers (with filling) as one tier?

2)When/if you do this, are you shooting for 4"+ tall tiers, so that you only have to bake one pan in the diameter you need?

3) Do most cake recipes (mix or otherwise) bake OK in these without the bake strips/flower nail trick or do you find you need the baking strips?

I know a lot of it depends on the recipe you're using, but most of the time I get a least a little doming of my cake layers with the 2" tall pans, I'm wondering if it's worse with 3"?

Thanks in advance for your input!

[likitiki]

I am interested to see how others do their cakes. I typically use a 3" to make two or three layers. It depends on what is desired....
Melissa

[cupcakeshoppe]

i have 3" pans... and i haven't been lucky with them. if i fill them 2/3 the center is still wet while the sides are already done. i've done the strips and lowering the temp to 325 and baking for close to an hour. :(

[2sdae]

I use my 3 inch pans and all my pans are 3. I use flower nails and baking strips all the time, I also do the 325 and bake much longer. The strips really do help with the doming. You can use torn up towels pinned around your pans too, no absolute need to go buy strips...cheaper way to see if it works for you. I also bought a good oven thermometer to kep in mu oven and a digital one too to make sure my oven temp stays regular, through this I found out my newer oven can't seem to keep it's temp level.
Also keep an eye on your items in oven, are there spots that seem hotter? Or foods cook quicker in certain spots in oven,maybe change the heights of your oven shelves too.
I generally fill them 2/3 full and I also tort into 2 layers each most of the time. Occasionally 3 if the look calls for it or is requested.
Sometimes I do only 1 pan of a certain size I need and tort it to get the 4 inch height you spoke of.

[cupcakeshoppe]

2sdae when you bake at 325 how much longer do you bake it for?

[2sdae]

I dont time it, I look at the cakes, the times they give are only estimates...no oven is the same as another. No recipe is going to bake identical to another either, so by site and good ol toothpick tester.

[laurafromtx]

Well, there goes my justification for buying a whole new set of 3" pans.

Thanks for the good info, I'll be sticking with the tried and true 2 inchers.