Cutting Cake Layers
While some layer cake recipes, like the fluffy yellow cake in this class, bake the two layers in separate pans, for cakes with more than two layers you need to cut the individual cake rounds in half, creating multiple layers. Read on to learn how.
Measure
Measure the height of the cake and use a paring knife to mark the midpoint at several places around the sides of the cake. Scoring the sides of the cake provides you with handy markers you will use in the next step, and ensures that the layers have an even thickness. If the cake is slightly domed, account for this and measure from the top of the dome. If the cake is seriously domed, trim the domed top (see the lesson on troubleshooting to learn how).
Score
Using the marks as a guide, score the entire circumference of the cake with a long serrated knife. Make sure to hold the knife parallel to the work surface. A knife with a 10-inch blade is ideal because the blade is long enough to cut the entire cake with each stroke.
Cut
Following the score lines, continue to run the knife around the cake several more times, slowly cutting inward. Once the knife is inside the cake, use a back-and-forth motion. Keep your hand on top of the cake (to steady the cake) and make sure the knife remains aligned with the scoring around the sides of the cake. Work slowly and check often to see that the knife is horizontal so you get even layers.
Separate
Once the knife cuts through the opposite side of the cake, separate the layers by gently inserting your fingers between them. Lift the top layer away and place it on the counter or board. At this point, each layer can be wrapped. If there are a lot of crumbs, use your hands or a pastry brush to get them off the cake layers, otherwise they’ll mar the appearance of the frosting.
