How do you make the top of a sponge cake flat??

[TooYoungToBeOld]

Whenever i make the two halves of a sandwich cake they always come out as a mound shape rather than flat, which makes it difficult to put a topping on and put on a cake stand.

Is there anything i can do to keep them flat?

Lol yes you turn it upside down.

What I would do is cut the top off to make it flat, then turn the cake upside down so the bottom is on the top and then it will be much easier to ice or put butter cream on it.

I am not sure why they come out like that?

But then it wouldn't sit right on top of the bottom one, would it?

Honestly if you turn it upside down and spread your filling on the raised side it's fine. It comes out like that because it rises in the oven. You can minimise it by making sure your top is smooth and flat when it's placed in the oven.

I turn mine upside down and it's always fine but you could also (carefully) slice through the mound

Ah, i think i'm just being a bit clueless here aren't i!

I'll try the upside down thing

Hang on i've just realised I don't even turn it upside down so am not even sure if it will be fine putting the filling on it! I just ice the mound so to speak. Ignore me i had a drink last night!

I'm making a cake for my friend's Birthday this afternoon I don't hold out much hope....

I don't know whether my strange mind will be able to cope with knowing the cake is upside down though

Mum suggested leaving a dip in the mixture before it goes into the oven to compensate for the rising mound, but she can't bake cakes to save her life so i don't know whether to try that or not

Honestly it's fine, you leave the bottom one sitting normally on the flat bottom, then you put the filling on top of it so it still has the mound sticking up but as I said, you can also gently slice it off a bit if it's too extreme. Then turn the other sponge cake upside down and gently press it down so it sits flat.

When it has been iced, you won't notice that the top one is upside-down.

Now go off and make one and report back to HQ

Butter icing is also useful for hiding any damages and evening things out a bit, also glueing on bits that break off etc.

You can get your strange mind around it. My mind is strange and copes fine with it

Seriously I make a chocolate cake fill with chocolate butter cream and a bit of horlicks powder. Ice the top and sprinkle cadbury's flake on it and crumble maltesers over it with whole maltesers placed on top you can't see the mound!

Right, off i go and thank you all for the quick responses. Glad i'm not the only one on MN in the middle of the day. Always makes me feel so guilty

ZZZen i'm trusting you that i won't even notice it's upside down!!

*I mix the horlicks powder into the chocolate butter cream to make it nice and malty.

*I mix the horlicks powder into the chocolate butter cream to make it nice and malty.

Blimey Ledodgy!

I'll swap you your cake for the 'cake' i am about to make

If you leave the cake to cool on a cooling tray with teh wires and without the cake tin base, you would get lines on the bottom which you would see with plain icing just made with icing sugar and water IYSWIM

Not expressing myself well I know

So if you just want to dust with icing sugar or use that kind of icing, turn it upside down to cook on the tray then the lines will mark the mound side if you get what I mean or don't remove the cake-tin bottom whilst it is cooling, then it'll stay flat

hmm that sounds good ledodgy

aagh sorry my tipos I mean turn it upside down to COOL not to cooK obviously

The reason they rise more in the middle is if the oven is too hot iirc. Mine is really fierce so I put a baking tray on the top shelf to protect the cake while it's cooking and they come out much flatter.

how to make sponge cake

You know how to make it already of course but this site looks nice, you can do nice things with the sponge cake once its made, can't you? I feel a cake coming on in fact

Their cake comes out nice and flat. Wonder if that was because they shook the tin a bit before putting it in the oven. I never do that apparently it takes out any air pockets.

Did it turn out ok? Mine looked fab but I got so pissed at the party I forgot to have any!