I've used floss on really firm cakes--but more tender cakes I've not had success with the floss/thread method. I have a cake layer cutter now, which uses a metal wire. Works pretty well, but the fluffier cakes are problematic.
Narmer, did your question about cutting get answered? Your typical yellow American birthday cake with chocolate frosting will have two or three layers. So if you bake it in one springform pan- then you will have to cut the layers with a bread knife. It really isn't that hard. Make sure the cake is completely cool. I like to cut notches all the way around the cake, then slice it through.
For cutting the cake into layers, you can also use sewing thread, holding it between your two hands and pulling it - sawing back and forth a little - through the cake horizontally to cut a layer. It works surprisingly well, though sometimes you need to start with a little knife incision so the thread can get traction to begin with.
Hi narmer! I actually do this all the time because the major type of birthday cake I bake is a Norwegian birthday cake and it calls for a cake to be cut into 3 layers, rather than being baked in separate pans, but there are certain American yellow cake recipes I like to use for it. You do have to take into consideration how dense the cake is because even airy cakes can become a bit dense in the center baking them this way, but I've had pretty good luck using yellow birthday cake recipes. I've baked this one: http://food52.com/recipes/11618-tender-yellow-cake and this one: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/ in a 10-inch springform successfully. They each took around an hour to bake fully - I'm not sure exactly what the cooking time was, I was just careful to test fairly frequently with a toothpick after 45 or 50 minutes. The biggest challenge is with the edges becoming overly dark before the center is baked. This is partly because my pan is dark, so if yours isn't, you have an advantage. If this is happening, you can also cover the outside of the pan with a layer of aluminum foil, and that seems to help a bit. Good luck!!
Also consider how dense your cake is. Some cakes work beautifully in a springform pan, and others...well...not so much. Dense cakes will be tough to cook right--dry on the outside and gummy/overly dense and falling in the middle. Most traditional layer cakes are light enough to use this treatment, but if your recipe is a heavier, uber-moist cake you may want to just buy the cake pans.
Oh, I wish my problem were that I was avoiding buying the pans! I live in Europe and it's quite difficult to find round cake forms - well, the kind that we're used to in the States. I've used the springform "method" before with relative success; but I wonder if there are ways to improve what I've done. There must be. (These tips are most helpful, I must say.) For my son's 8th birthday last year I baked a very rich chocolate cake using a springform and it was gummy on the inside and fell. It wasn't tragic; on the contrary, it was quite amazing! But I feel that something could've been done to make it even better - texture wise. This time I'm making quite a simple yellow cake. I'm concerned somehow that the simplicity of it might not work well with the pan. Somehow. Fingers crossed! Thanks for your responses!
If you are contemplating this because you want to go with the pans you have, after a lifetime of baking cakes, I'm going to advise you to go buy the proper cake pans. It will bake in much less time and your success variable will go up by leaps and bounds. And then you'll have those cake pans next time you want to bake a layer cake.
As for the baking time, that is really dependent on your oven. I wouldn't adjust the temperature. But you will need to add time if you bake it in a larger springform pan. It might take up to an hour.
How good are you at cutting? Baking one large cake will require I assume, either two or three cuts. We also need to take into consideration the volume of the 10" springform versus two 8" rounds or two 9" rounds. You're 10" springform will hold about 11 cups. 9 by 2" cake pan will hold about 8 cups each. 8 x 2" round cake pan will hold about 7 cups each. Here is a link from the Joy of Baking regarding pan sizes. Check on the bottom of the pan for the exact size. http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Based on the conversions, you will have extra batter if you bake it all in a 10" springform pan.
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Based on the conversions, you will have extra batter if you bake it all in a 10" springform pan.