Kids' Cake Baking Tips
Top Baking Tips For Beginners

Baking
  • When preparing your cake pan, only grease the bottom of the pan and not the sides as this assists in
    creating a level cake.

  • If you're greasing and dusting your pans then try using cake mix or cocoa powder instead of flour as your
    duster.  Or try a product like Wilton's Cake Release which is a liquid that you can brush on your pan using
    a pastry brush.

  • If you're making a cake from scratch then be sure to measure your dry ingredients first and then sift them
    to remove any lumps.

  • Try adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of meringue powder to your cake mix.  This will help your cake rise a bit
    higher and make its texture a bit lighter.

  • You can help prevent the top of your cake from splitting or cracking by adding 1 envelope of unflavored
    gelatin to the batter.

  • You can use "bake even strips" to help bake a level cake.  You simply damp them down and wrap them
    around the cake pan.

  • Always preheat your oven.

  • Bake only on one rack on your oven and place the rack in the center of the oven.  This ensures even
    baking across all layers of your cake.

  • Don't place your pans too close together in the oven as this can cause uneven baking.

  • Don't fill your cake pans more than 1/2 to 2/3 full.

  • Once you've poured the cake batter into the pan, jiggle the pan a bit so that the batter rises up along the
    sides with the middle being slightly lower.  This will help in baking a level cake as the middle will rise to
    meet the sides.

  • You can test to see if your cake is done by sticking either a toothpick or a piece of raw spaghetti into the
    middle of the cake.  If it comes out clean then your cake is done.  If you see cake batter on it then your
    cake needs to bake a little longer.

  • If you cake is stuck in the pan try this trick - put a towel in your kitchen sink and pour boiling hot water over
    it to soak it (let the water drain out of the sink).  Then place the cake pan on top of the hot towel for a few
    minutes.  The heat on the bottom of the pan should be enough to release the cake from the pan.