Glossary
Baking strips
Damp fabric bands around pans that slow heat at the edges so cakes bake flatter with less doming.
Baking strips are damp fabric or silicone bands wrapped snugly around the outside of a cake pan before it goes in the oven. They slow down how quickly heat reaches the batter at the edges of the pan, which helps the whole cake rise at a more even rate from edge to center.
Without strips, the edges of a cake pan heat up faster than the center, so the outer batter sets and rises earlier while the middle keeps rising afterward, producing the dome and sometimes cracked top that leveling has to trim away later. Strips reduce that gap in timing, so layers come out flatter and need less trimming.
Look for strips that soak thoroughly before use, since a dry strip does little to insulate the pan. Trim or fold strips to fit the exact height of the pan being used. A common mistake is wrapping the strip too loosely, which leaves gaps where heat still reaches the pan directly and reduces the strip's effect.