Hi all! Sorry if this has already been asked, I couldn’t find the answer elsewhere on the forum. I’m beginning to cook from the Cake Bible and I noticed that Rose often suggests using bake even (or Magi Strips) to help the cake bake more evenly without over browning the sides. But I know that using them also tends to make the cake take longer to bake. Does anyone know, do the baking times listed on the recipes assume the use of these strips? Or are the times without the strips?

Thank you!! :o)

Hi FB, I always use the cake strips (with the butter/oil cakes anyway) and still go by the times listed. I think that the strips have more of an impact in just delaying the time it takes the sides to set, rather than the overall baking time of the cake.  It is true that my cakes usually take longer than the minimum time listed, but they don’t ever take over the long end of the range.  Hope that helps!!

Intuitively, it seems like the center of the cake would get most of its heat from the top and bottom, rather than from the sides, so I wouldn’t think that the strips would extend baking times by much.  If it does take longer it is still within the range given, unless your oven is running cool.

If you are using the fabric style strips, be sure not to oversaturate (or double up).  I’ve inadvertently done this and in some cases the cakes took almost double the indicated time.  I don’t think it’s a problem with Rose’s recipe times, but rather the variability in how “wet” the strips are.

I think you’ve got something there, Sherrie.  I’ve done the same - overwet them - and the cake has taken a LONG time to bake!  (This is with the paper towell / aluminum foil method.)

I bake without the strips and it takes approximately the amount of time listed.  I found the strips added too much baking time.

Anne in NC - 07 August 2011 10:39 AM

I think you’ve got something there, Sherrie.  I’ve done the same - overwet them - and the cake has taken a LONG time to bake!  (This is with the paper towell / aluminum foil method.)

I second that. In my case I baked a basic yellow cake, and they were so wet that by the time the inside was done, the top had darken so much it looked like a chocolate cheesecake [dark with tiny bubbles, and quite dense because it was in the oven for so long, I guess].

How interesting, I hadn’t realized that the amount of water made such a difference.  I wonder if that could be my problem with the finicky-yet-delicious chiffon layer in RHC?  Next time I’m going to use a liquid measure and go easy .

My experience with butter cakes has normally been that cakes without strips bake up with shorter sides and in the minimum time, while cakes with strips bake up with taller sides and anywhere from the middle of the range to the maximum time.