Baking Cakes
Learn To Bake Cakes Like A Pro

The art of baking cakes takes time and patience to master. However, knowing these basic baking techniques will help guide you as you become more familiar with cakes. So, let's talk about some of the essentials when it comes to cake baking.

Tips for Baking Cakes

Cake Pans

It is important when baking cakes to have the right equipment. Choosing the right cake pans will make baking easier. Your cakes will bake more evenly and more moist with the right pans.

Always use the shiny aluminum pans when baking. Use heavy weight pans, not the flimsy aluminum or disposable pans. I do not recommend using nonstick pans, dark pans, or glass baking dishes for cakes. These types of pans and dishes do not bake evenly and can dry your cake out.

Cooling Racks

Always use cooling racks to cool cake layers. Cooling racks allow air to circulate around the cake layers. This helps cakes cool thoroughly and evenly. Be sure to spray your cooling racks with nonstick spray to prevent cakes from sticking.

Follow The Directions

Pay close attention to your cake recipe. It is important to follow a cake recipe exactly as it is written. Always use the mixer speeds and mixing times stated in the recipe. Be careful about substituting ingredients. Here is some information on substituting. Know when and how to substitute ingredients in a cake recipe.

Preheat The Oven

Always preheat your oven for 15-20 minutes when baking cakes. Using an oven thermometer helps ensure accurate oven temperature. Having the right oven temperature will help prevent a lot of common baking problems. Oven thermometers can be purchased fairly inexpensively from a grocery store or even Walmart.

Cake Ingredients

It is best to have all of your ingredients at room temperature before mixing your cake batter. Cold ingredients can clump and cause the batter to not mix well.

Be careful of over mixing. One of the most common mistakes when baking a cake is over beating while adding the flour. Mix the flour just long enough so it is incorporated. Over beating can cause your cake to be dry!

Preparing Cake Pans

Always grease and flour your pans well to keep your cakes from sticking. Pan grease is a premixed pan coating that works the best to avoid sticking. Here is an easy recipe for pan grease.

Filling Cake Pans

Fill your cake pans no more than half full. After filling, remove any air bubbles by dropping your pan on the counter several times. This helps your cake bake more evenly. If you are baking a cake with other ingredients such as nuts or candies, do not drop your pans on the counter. This will cause your ingredients to sink to the bottom!

Also, here is a chart of cake batter amounts and baking times.

Baking

Always bake your cake immediately after mixing and filling the pans. Not doing so can cause your cake to not rise like it should.

Place your pans as near to the center of the oven as you can.

Do not open your oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking. Doing so can cause your cake to fall.

Cooling Cakes

Once your cake is baked and removed from the oven, allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

Then, flip your cake onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. The easiest way to transfer your cake to the rack without breaking it is by placing the cooling rack on top of the cake/cake pan. Place each hand on one side of the cake, also gripping the cooling rack. Flip the rack and the cake pan quickly. Then gently shake or tap the pan to remove cake.

Cool your cakes for at least an hour before frosting or freezing.



Here are some great baking tips for some of the most common baking problems.