The perfect layer cakes assemble with flat, even cake layers. But so often, cakes are domed on top when they come out of the oven. Baking with cake strips minimizes doming, but even the tiniest domes ...

Rai Mincey is a food writer and baking enthusiast whose focuses include culinary history, seasonal cooking, and Southern cuisine. She splits her time between Birmingham, Alabama, and Tulum, Mexico.