After the cake has cooled one hour, you may need to level your cake if it has a crown. This is true for all cakes, even for shaped cakes. You may also wish to cut the cake in half to create additional layers. If you used a 3" pan, you will want to slice the cake in half to fill. You can use either a serrated knife or a cake leveler (recommended) to remove the crown or torte the cake.

NOTE: The cake must be at room temperature to level or torte.

Leveling the cake

Removing the crown from the cake center allows your cake to stack evenly. The bottom of the baked cake should always be placed on top to provide a flat surface to decorate. The leveled portion of the cake should be used as the bottom of the cake or the center of the cake to hold the filling. It should never be used as the top of the cake since this would increase the likelihood of crumbs getting into your icing.

Place your cake on a cardboard cake circle then place on a turntable.

If you are using a cake leveler, place the cake leveler along the side of the cake to determine where the wires on the cake leveler should be placed. Move the ends of the cutting wire into the side notches to reach that position. Keep the legs of the cake leveler level on your work surface, and cut into the cake, using a sawing motion.

If your are using a knife, move the knife back and forth across the top of the cake in a sawing motion while slowly rotating the turntable to remove the crown. Keep the knife level as you cut.

Brush off all loose crumbs on both the cake and the cake board.

Torting the cake

You can add height to your tiers and flavor to your cakes by torting and filling each cake. Buttercream, pudding or thick-consistency fruit fillings can be used. Filling which may spoil or runny fruit fillings which may seep into the cake and discolor it should be avoided. See the recipe section for filling recipes.

If you are using a cake leveler, place the cake leveler along the side of the cake to determine where the wires on the cake leveler should be placed. Move the ends of the cutting wire into the side notches to reach that position. Keep the legs of the cake leveler level on your work surface, and cut into the cake, using a sawing motion.

If your are using a knife, measure the cake sides and mark with dots of icing or toothpicks all around. While slowly turning the cake on a turntable, place one hand on top of the cake to hold it steady. Move the knife back and forth to cut cake along the measured marks. Repeat for each additional layer.

Place a line of icing over both layers before separating the cake so that you can easily replace the layers back in the same position after filling. This will help keep the cake level.

Brush off all loose crumbs on both the cake and the cake board.