Splitting cake layers

A single baked cake layer can be cut in half across its width to make two thinner layers. This adds filling and frosting and gives the finished cake extra height, which is a common way to turn two pans of batter into a tall, bakery-style cake.

Cutting the layers evenly keeps the stacked cake level, and the extra surfaces give more room for buttercream, jam, pastry cream, or whipped cream between the layers. A cake made of two or three split layers looks taller and more generous when it is cut.

The bottom of a baked cake is the straightest piece, so cake decorators place that layer on top when they stack the cake, giving a flat surface for the final coating of frosting.