Cooking Tips: Cakes
- When butter is cold right out of the refrigerator and is too hard to cream, shred it into a warmed bowl and it will cream faster.
- When pouring batter into cake pan, be sure the batter is higher on the sides of the pan than in the center so the cake will bake with an even top.
- After removing a cake from the oven, place the pan on a damp cloth for a few minutes an the cake will com loose from the pan easily. Or grease cake pans on bottoms only with unsalted shortening or vegetable oil, but brown or waxed paper to fit bottom of cake pan, and line pan with it before pouring in batter. Nonstick cake guaranteed. Layer cakes will not not burn on the bottom if brown or waxed paper is used to line the bottom of the pan after greasing the bottom of the pan. Let cake stand in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cool.
- Prevent nuts and fruits from sinking to the bottom of cake batter by coating them with flour or by heating them in the oven for a few minutes before adding them to batter. Three-day old eggs are best for making cakes.
- If cake is stuck to the pan, stand it on one side for a few minutes then on the other side; its own weight will help pry off. Loose sides with a spatula.
