Here's The Only Way A Pro Cuts A Large Round Cake Into Equal, Neat Slices

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Home bakers know that the hardest part about making a cake isn't getting the batter right, achieving the perfect bake, or piping delicate buttercream rosettes — it's watching all of your hard work go to waste as your cake is mangled by a knife. Sometimes, you close our eyes and cut the cake, or cross your fingers hoping that the slice comes out looking exactly the same. Spoiler: It never does. It's almost as bad as being the poor soul that is left with the smallest slice. One of the biggest reasons why your round cake never slices cleanly, though, is because you may be hellbent on slicing the classic wedge shape. 

A wedge cut cake usually means that the triangle point in the center gets caught and left behind — and rarely can you eyeball equal slices without using a scorer. The better solution that professionals often use is to cut rectangles. Doing so is simple: Cut your cake straight across horizontally, then start slicing strips perpendicular to the initial cut. If you need even smaller slices, you can slice the slabs again. This is an efficient way to slice a cake, and you won't have to worry about the triangle tip on the wedge getting caught. Plus, each slice will get the perfect amount of cake and frosting, so you won't feel bad about giving someone a measly piece. 

Wedge-cutting is out, and other, more efficient cake-cutting techniques are in. Another one that you should try is the simple strip-cutting method. Grab a serrated knife (this prevents tearing), slice a horizontal strip along the center line of your cake, and slice that into pieces. Then, press the residual halves together, and slice them into quarters or more pieces, depending on the size of the cake. 

This hack is ideal for feeding adults and kids, as the small squares can be served to those without a big appetite, while the larger wedges remain for folks looking for bigger slices (or, more notably, pieces with extra frosting). Besides getting multiple slices, this method will also prevent your cake from drying out, as the remaining halves will also bookend one another. 

Other cake-cutting hacks you'll wish you learned sooner include using the corner of flat-edged tongs (aka pom tongs) to pull out a wedge. You can also grab a piece of dental floss to create straight lines and straight cuts, or invest in a pie scorer like the Winco 8-Cut Stainless Steel Pie Cutter to get even slices on a round cake.