Cake makers, help a novice please :)

psylent_kate, Jan 29, 8:20am
I have always been not that flash at making cakes, and my daughters first birthday is coming up and i want her cake to be awesome.Im making a double layered cake covered with fondant and want to know the trick that makes the cake rise more evenly!mine always seem to peak in the centre and then crack, how can i get it as flat as possible so that i get the perfect surface for my fondant!will i have to resort to trimming the top flat!thank you

bluecalico, Jan 29, 8:26am
after you have placed the mixture in the tin you could hollow out a little bit of the centre, or wet your hand and lightly smooth the top.maybe a small hollow in the centre would be the better option.the latter is really for a fruitcake.these are my opinion only.

elliehen, Jan 29, 8:46am
Annabel Langbein says to fill cake pans no more than two-thirds full.Often the cake will peak if the pan is too small or too full.

From Google:
Peaks or Cracks on Top
1Too hot an oven
2 Over mixing
3 Too much flour

loulou104, Jan 29, 8:50am
When the cake is cooked and cool tip it out and use the bottom as the top. It's usually dead straight.

psylent_kate, Jan 29, 8:55am
i wondered about the overmixing too, i might hand mix this one instead of using the cake mixer. will do a test run too next weekend, never been so excited to make a cake in my life!

thanks everyone for the tips

very_hotpants, Jan 29, 8:56am
Dont have the oven too hot and dont open the door while cooking - only near the end when testing .
Otherwise the loss of temperature couses the uncooked centre to collapse
Same with too hot an oven - outside is cooked and the centre isnt as firm and cant hold the rest of the cake up.

wow_jst4me, Jan 29, 9:12am
also if it does peak you can trim the cake with a knife before icing

fifie, Jan 29, 9:32am
#1 cut the top off to level it, turn your cake upside down put it on a plate and ice the bottom no one will ever know.

3goonies, Jan 29, 6:32pm
Once the cake mix is in the baking tin, give the tin a decent, sharp bang down on the kitchen bench before placing in oven.

camper18, Jan 29, 6:36pm
Cook on Bake not Fanbake

rainrain1, Jan 29, 7:02pm
yes turn your cake upsidedown

psylent_kate, Jan 29, 10:18pm
thanks again for the tips, the cake needs to be perfectly level on both sides, fingers crossed!ive not baked a cake in this oven yet, my prev one was a fanbake only oven so perhaps this one being a bake only oven will be the big difference :)