How Do You Get Cakes to Bake Flat? Proven Tips for Even, Level Results

Getting cakes to bake flat isn’t as tricky as it sounds. The real secret is controlling heat evenly—think good pans, cake strips, and mixing your batter just right.

That way, your cake rises smoothly and bakes flat. You can skip all that annoying extra trimming.

Don’t crank your oven up too high or overmix the batter. Both can make your cake puff up in the middle.

Parchment paper helps, and letting your cake cool completely before stacking makes a difference for layered cakes.

If you’re tired of lopsided layers, a few baking tricks really do help. Let’s dig into some practical, pro-approved ways to get even, flat cakes every time.

Essential Techniques for Baking Flat Cakes

Flat cakes come down to how you handle the batter, your pan setup, and the oven temperature. Each step matters if you want to avoid domed or patchy layers.

Leveling Batter Evenly

Pour the batter evenly into your pan. Use a spatula and smooth out the top.

Give the pan a few gentle taps on the counter. That knocks out air bubbles that could mess things up.

If the batter’s thicker in some spots, those areas will rise faster. That’s how you get the dreaded dome.

Make sure the batter spreads to the edges—don’t let it pile up in the middle.

Weighing the batter for each pan keeps layers consistent. It’s a little extra work, but totally worth it.

Using Bake Even Strips

Wrap damp cake strips around the outside of your pans. These slow down how fast the edges bake.

That way, the cake rises at the same pace from edge to center. No more edges pulling in and making the middle balloon up.

You can buy cake strips, or just soak a strip of towel in water and wrap it around the pan. Squeeze out the extra water first.

A lot of bakers swear by this trick, including folks at Preppy Kitchen.

Adjusting Oven Temperature

If your oven’s too hot, the cake edges set fast and push the center up. That’s classic doming.

Try lowering the temp by about 25°F—so, bake at 325°F instead of 350°F. Slower baking means a more even rise.

Don’t open the oven door early or too often. That messes with the heat and can throw things off.

Use an oven thermometer to check your real temperature. Ovens can be sneaky and run hotter or colder than the dial says.

Plenty of bakers find this simple tweak works, like over at Completely Delicious.

Pro Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Flat cakes happen when you make good choices about pan size, mixing, and cooling. It’s the little details that add up.

Choosing the Right Pan Size

Pick the pan size your recipe calls for. A pan that’s too small makes the batter thick, and it’ll dome up as it bakes.

A bigger pan spreads the batter thinner, which helps it bake flat. Stick to metal pans—they heat more evenly than glass.

You can use cake strips here too. They wrap around the pan and slow down the edges, which really helps prevent domes and cracks.

Avoiding Overmixing the Batter

Mixing too much adds extra air, which makes cakes rise fast and then collapse. That’s where domes and cracks come from.

Fold in dry ingredients gently, and stop as soon as you don’t see flour streaks. If you use a mixer, keep it on low and don’t overdo it.

Sometimes, less really is more—especially with cake batter.

Letting Cakes Cool Properly

Getting your cake to cool the right way really makes a difference if you want it to stay flat.

After you pull the cake out of the oven, just leave it in the pan for about 10 to 15 minutes. That little pause lets it firm up a bit.

Next, take the cake out of the pan and set it on a wire rack. Some folks actually flip their cakes upside down to fight off doming—though, honestly, I’d only try that if the cake’s super soft and you’re worried it’ll collapse.

Try not to cool your cake in a hot or humid spot. Heat and moisture can mess with the texture, sometimes making the cake sink or come out a little uneven.

For extra tricks on getting flat cake layers, check out Preppy Kitchen’s guide on how to get perfect flat cake layers.