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There are several methods to achieve level cakes. You may want to try one or a combination of these:
- Check to make sure you’re baking at the right temperature. A separate internal oven thermometer is recommended if you don’t already have one. Built in oven thermometers are often not calibrated correctly and you may be baking at too high a temperature, which may lead to a cracked, dome shaped top.
- Make sure you are not over-mixing your batter.
- Using the right kind of pans is really important. For example, I have used the same chocolate cake recipe in both one 9” springform pan and two 9” x 2” high pans. I prefer separating the batter into two 2” pans. I have had a much more success with cakes coming out level when using 2 pans. The cakes come out much moister, as well, as they are not baking as long. Of course, there are times and reasons for using a springform (e.g. if you want a three layer cake) vs. a two layer (which you can further split into 4 layers).
- You may also want to try using magi-cake strips (available at any cake supply store). You wet the aluminized strips, squeeze the excess, and wrap them around your pans. They prevent the sides from heating too quickly during baking so the cakes bake more evenly.
- My cakes don’t always come out dome-free to start (my husband actually likes when this happens as it means cake scraps!). I level the layers using a cake leveler for smaller diameter cakes or with a serrated knife for larger cakes. The less expensive leveler costs $3-5.

Hope this helps!