Do not over-whip the egg whites. Whip the egg whites only to medium peaks. As you can see above, the peaks droop slightly - this is what you're looking for. Whipping them to stiff peaks will make the egg whites too dry, causing them to deflate as they're folded into the batter.


Use cake strips to create flat cake layers. Soak these wilton cake strips in ice water before starting the cake batter. Just before baking, wrap the cake strips around the pan. The cold temperature on the outside of the cake will prevent the edges from baking faster than the center, resulting in an evenly baked flat cake.


Freeze the cake layers before decorating. Since this is such a moist cake, I highly recommend freezing the cake layers for at least two hours before decorating.


Use cold cream cheese & room temperature butter. In order to create a sturdy, pipeable cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while room temperature butter will ensure all of the ingredients cream together properly.


To create smooth sides when cake decorating... Run an offset spatula (or any cake decorating tool) under hot water, then wipe dry and use immediately to spread the frosting on the cake. The hot tool will help create smooth sides!