Claim to Fame: Will bake cakes more evenly, without the "dome" on top that we usually end up sawing off anyway.
Price $ ($0 - $10): It was marked at $8.99 for two strips, but I used my $40% off coupon that Joann Fabrics loves to throw my way every other day and bought two strips for about $5.50.
Testing Them Out: I'll be honest, when I was told these things existed, I was a bit skeptical that they would work. You mean to tell me I wrap some fabric around the outside of my cake tins, bake them like I normal do, and magically the cake bakes more evenly without that dreaded dome? Seriously??
I decided to give them a whirl when a lady I'm taking decorating classes with bought them, tried them...and loved them. She brought this cake in, I swear, it was so flat you could've shot pool on the darn thing. I knew right then and there that I wanted to try this out for myself.
So I bought some tonight, because I'm making a princess birthday cake this week, and really didn't want to waste half the cake to the dome sacrifice (like always). I followed the instructions, they're not that hard, put my cakes in the oven, and waited. Preparing the cakes with the Bake Even Strips was practically no different than without. It took me probably an extra minute to minute and a half to wet the strips, squeeze the excess water out of them, and secure them around my pan. Time wise, it's really no different. The only part that was slightly more challenging was securing the strips with the pin. It's not that the pin isn't up for the challenge, it's just hard to get a firm grasp on it when the strips are wet and the pan is full of cake batter.
The Results: A half hour later I pulled two bright pink cakes out of the oven, and looked to see what had happened. The results...
Not too shabby for my first try! Now, as you can see, there's definitely a small dome forming on the cake, but it's much better than it usually is. The camera angle might not be the greatest for this shot, but it's minimal at best. Instead of hacking off up to a third of the cake I just baked, this will result in a much smaller portion heading into the garbage (or my belly).
Final Verdict: Surprisingly simply to add to your baking, anyone who likes to bake cakes on a semi-regular basis should definitely invest in a set of these. With the price so moderate (2 strips for $9), even the recreational cake baker could buy these, use them only once or twice a year, and still get a good value from them.
Rating: **** out of ***** It's an easy solution to a problem that has plagued bakers for years. These strips definitely earn their name. They'll earn the full 5 stars from me when they make it easier to attach. The pinning is a little tricky at times, especially when you have a pan full of cake batter.
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