Best Tips for Baking Cakes by Bridget

Cake. Just the word makes me happy. I like being happy, which means I bake a lot of cakes, like the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Snacking Cake you see above.

Here are a few of my favorite tips for successful cake-baking!

 
 

Everything at room temperature.

That means the butter, eggs, milk—everything. Creaming room temperature butter with sugar aerates it, giving your cake that light texture. Adding cold milk or eggs will solidify that creamed butter.

 
 

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.

As in, mix the two for several minutes. The butter should lighten in color and the mixture will be creamy.

 

Be careful substituting fats.

Most cakes call for butter or shortening. You can substitute one for the other, or use a combination, but don’t just directly substitute a liquid fat where a solid is called for.

 
 

Scrape the bowl.

As you mix cake batter, bits of flour or butter can “hide” on the bottom or sides of the bowl. Occasionally, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl with a silicone spatula.

 
 

Separate eggs when cold.

If your recipe calls for separated eggs, do that before bringing them to room temperature. They separate easier when cold. Remember our post on separating eggs?

 
 

Prepare pans.

No matter the pan shape, grease, line, and flour the pans.

 
 

Grease first, then fit the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Place the paper in the pan and grease the parchment. Add flour to the pan and tap until the bottom and sides are floured. Shake out excess. (Skip the parchment for Bundt cakes—that might be tricky.)

Is it weird that I love lining pans?

 
 

Grease pans with shortening.

If you’ve read The Help, you know that shortening can do just about anything. It’s perfect for greasing pans. It’s not sticky and it works like a charm.

 
 

Use a kitchen scale to divide the batter.

If making a layer cake, use a kitchen scale for even layers. (Please ignore my well-loved pans. Also, make this carrot cake.)

 
 

Smooth the tops with an offset spatula.

Smoothing the batter helps cake to bake evenly. Although of course, a lop-sided cake still tastes great.

 

Check cakes early.

Set the timer for 5 minutes less than the recipe states. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve baked a cake and it’s done before the time listed in the recipe. It’s good to check early to avoid overbaking. A cake that’s done will bounce back when lightly pressed in the center.

 
 

Remove cakes from the pans to cool.

The cakes will continue to bake in the hot pans. After removing from the oven, set the timer for 5–10 minutes. Invert the cake out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 
 

You know what I’m craving right now? CAKE! Let’s all meet at The Merc for a big slice. I bet Ree has some ready for us!