Baking Cakes

Photo: flickr user orphanjones

Preparation

Read every word of the recipe (BEFORE) you start. Gather everything you will be using first, this way you will be sure that you have everything you need. This includes all of the ingredients, utensils, and pans.

Make certain that the pans are the right size and that they are clean, bright and shiny, this will insure that they will brown evenly. If you are using glass or real dark pans, remember to reduce the oven temperature by twenty-five degrees.

If the recipe calls for something to be prepared before using it (nuts to be chopped, fruits to be peeled and sliced), go ahead and get it done. And don't forget to turn the oven on early enough so that it will be heated and ready before the batter is. (Double-check that it is set on BAKE)

Additions:Add sugar by thirds to the shorteningAdd eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each Add flour by fourthsAdd milk by thirds

If you have kids at home, try to make sure that they are outdoors, asleep, or otherwise occupied during the baking time. Some cakes are sturdier than others, but they all can FALL.

By following these simple rules, your cake baking experiences will go a lot smoother and the cakes will turn out better.

Icing a Cake:Most recipes call for the Icing to be put onto a cold cake. Don't get in a hurry, make sure it's cooled all the way to down to room temperature or the Top layer(s) may just slide off of the bottom layer(s). Once, I thought I'd be smart and cool the layers down quick in the refrigerator, bad idea, the outside cooled off but the inside didn't. When I began icing the cake, the warm inside heated the outside back up and the second layer went bye-bye.

If you don't have AC and it's a hot day, you may have a problem with the layers slipping on a completely cooled cake. To keep this from happening, take some wooden skewers cut to a little longer than the cake is high, and stick three of four of them down through the cake to hold it steady. When time comes to serve the cake, remove them and smooth the icing and your guests will never know that they were there.

No matter how good the cake is, most people (especially the kids) like the icing better, so give them more of it. Take each layer, then using a bread knife, slice each of them into two layers. That gives you twice the layers so make twice the amount of icing and you'll be the favorite baker in the neighborhood.