Your level best

OK, it looks a little funny -- like a strung piano wire with a handle -- but it makes a world of difference if you want perfectly level layers for your cake or want to cut one layer in two. Just adjust the height of the wire for the height you want, hold the handle with one hand, keeping the two feet on the work surface, and push the cake underneath and through the wire. Adjustable for layers from five-eighths inch to 2 inches, it levels cakes and tortes up to 10 inches wide.

Cake leveler, $2.99 at Gloria’s Cake & Candy Supplies, (310) 391-4557, and at www.sugarcraft.com and www.fantes.com.

-- Amy Scattergood