How to Shape the Sheet Cake

A sheet cake usually doesn't come out of the oven perfectly, regardless of how skilled a baker you are. To make a perfectly shaped sheet cake, you need to do some shaping after it's baked. Once the cake is frosted, nobody will ever know that you shaped it.

Things You'll Need

• Baked sheet cake
• Tray
• Pan
• Parchment paper
• Scissors
• Serrated knife
• Frosting

Instructions

1. Remove your sheet cake from the pan carefully by inverting the pan onto a tray. You can only see its flaws if it's on a flat surface outside the pan.

2. Evaluate the shape of your sheet cake. Sheet cakes often dip in the middle and rise higher at the sides or corners, though sometimes the center rises higher. You may also see a flare at the sides of your sheet cake.

3. Cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of the sheet cake pan. Place the paper in the bottom of the pan. Return the sheet cake to the pan by placing the pan over the cake on the tray and flipping it over.

4. Move your eye level down to the top of the cake to more accurately see where your cake is too high. Use a serrated knife to cut off any higher parts of your cake, sawing the knife back and forth gently to make sure you don't rip your cake.

5. Return the cake to the tray to check the edges of your sheet cake for uneven or flared sides.

6. Cut each side straight using the same sawing motion as you used for the top. Your goal is to achieve a cake with perpendicular sides.

Tips & Warnings

• If your sheet cake moves on the tray as you're trying to cut it or frost it, place a few dabs of frosting underneath the cake. The frosting should hold it in place.

• Save the parts of the cake you cut off to use as sweet breading or as a topping for another dessert.

• You can also use a serrated knife to cut a sheet cake into unusual shapes.