Basic Cake Making
From Carroll Pellegrinelli,Your Guide to Desserts / Baking.
Everyday Tips
Ingredients
Measure ingredients carefully.
Use the specified flour.
Always use room-temperature, large eggs, unless recipes calls for other. (If in a hurry, the chill can be removed from eggs by dipping in a bowl of warm water.)
Use the shortening called for in a recipe.
Butter should be at room temperature.
Baking
Most recipes require that the oven be preheated.
Always use the size pans called for in a recipe.
...To calculate the width of the pan, measure across the top from inside edge to inside edge.
Shiny metal pans produce the best cakes.
Dark non stick or glass pans readily absorb heat. Cakes baked in these pans might do better in an oven set for 25 degrees lower than recipe specifies.
Unless otherwise specified, grease and flour pans.
Generously grease the inside of pans, bottom and sides.
Sprinkle with flour.
Shake pan to evenly coat.
Tap out any access flour.
Bake on center rack. Don't allow pans to touch each other or wall of oven.
Test for doneness 8 minutes prior to recipe directions for doneness.
Use a toothpick to prick the center of the cake.
If the toothpick comes out with just a few dry crumbs, the cake is done.
If the toothpick is wet, continue to bake, checking at 2 minute intervals.
Cooling
Cooling Layered Cakes: ...Cool for 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan and completely cool on wire rack.
Cool tube pan and snack cakes completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Let cakes completely cool before frosting, unless specified differently in recipe.
Use serrated knife to trim cake layers, so cakes will sit evenly.
Use a 1-inch wide, dry paint brush to brush-off any loose crumbs.
Freezing
Unfrosted cakes can last up to 6 months if tightly wrapped.
Frosted cakes should be placed, unwrapped on a foil lined cookie sheet. Freeze until hard and then tightly wrap cake.
Unwrap and then defrost in the refrigerator.