Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi,
I am planning on baking Paul’s chocolate cake in a 12″ heartshaped tin.
Would you recommend using flower nails or anything similar to ensure it bakes evenly?

Hello CaseyGreen

I think it’s a good idea to give any large deep cake a helping hand with flower nail heating cores.If you can, make some cake strips too. I make my strips from old towelling and kitchen foil and attach it to the cake tin with a tailors pin. It all helps to distribute the heat evenly in the batter.
There are lots of comments, hints and tips from members here:

‘Paul’s moist chocolate cake’ My feed back

If you read the later comments you’ll see how some members have reduced the sugar by 100g to give them better results and some members have baked the recipe as it stands without any problems. It’s good to get everybody’s opinions.

More information here : http://www.cakeflix.com/questions/pauls-chocolate-cake-timing
Throughout the site there are many more comments and tips, to see the comments type in the search box
‘choc cake’, ‘choc moist cake’ ‘Paul’s moist cake’ use lots of key words, different comments come up which all help. Good luck with your baking.

Thanks for the fast response!
Could I also ask if you would bake on a lower temp for a larger cake?
This is my grand daughter’s wedding cake so I have to get it right!

I bake this recipe at the given temperature. You’ll need to keep an eye and nose for the done time, as a guide this whole recipe fits into one 10″ square tin. I treat heart shaped tins as rounds, so a 10″ square is a 11″ round, it gives me a bit of a guide. Don’t be tempted to open the oven door until full time other wise the cake will sink for sure! Let it bake for the whole given time and an extra 15-20 minutes before attempting to check. You’ll have a better idea because it’s your oven and you can see how it will be doing. Obviously if you think the centre is set check it with a wooden skewer. It may be done or if not bake on and check every 5 mins until done. That’s how I do it, this works for me so I hope it will for you as well. Eyes and nose can’t be beaten!