Re: KITCHEN TIPS
To keep holes and tunnels out of your cake, run a knife through the batter after you have finished mixing it. This removes air holes.
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To prevent a freshly-baked cake from sticking to the serving platter, dust the platter with confectioners' sugar.
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To prevent cake filling from soaking into the cake, sprinkle layers lightly with confectioners' sugar before spreading filling.
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Cake will be less like to stick to the pan if you put it on a wet towel to cool as soon as you take it from the oven.
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When frosting cakes, always anchor the bottom cake layer to the serving plate or lazy Susan with a dab of frosting. That way, the cake won't slide around as you frost. This also helps keep a cake from sliding on its plate during transit. The frosting will hold the cake in place deliciously and your dessert will arrive in perfect shape.
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For best results in cake baking, let eggs, butter and milk reach room temperature before mixing.
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To prevent nuts and fruits from sinking to the bottom of a cake during baking, warm them a bit in the oven and toss them with flour. Shake off excess flour before mixing them into the batter.
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If cake flour is hard to find, you can make your own with all-purpose flour: for every cup of cake flour called for in a recipe, substitute a cup of all-purpose flour but replace 2 tablespoons of the flour with cornstarch.
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If you sift dry cake mix before you stir in the other ingredients, it won't be lumpy.
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Use paper coffee filters to line 8-inch cake pans. Just flatten one into a large circle and lay it on the bottom of the pan.
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When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead, no flour mess on the outside of the cake.
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When baking a chocolate cake, don't use flour to "dust" the pan. Use cocoa instead. This way, the white flour "dust" won't cling to the sides of the cake.
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A little flour mixed into the remains of melted chocolate in the pan will get the last bit of chocolate out of the pan and into the cake batter.
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To keep a cake from sticking to the pan, grease the pan with one part shortening and two parts flour mixed until it has a sandy consistency.
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If the cake sticks to the pan and threatens to split, hold the pan over a low flame for about 5 to 8 seconds and the cake will come out nice and firm.
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If the top of your cake is browning too quickly, place a pan of warm water on the rack above the cake while it is baking in the oven.
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To prevent cakes from cracking while they cool, add one envelope of unflavored gelatine to the dry ingredients of any cake batter. This will prevent cracking, and will also make the cake fuller. The gelatin does not change the flavor or moistness of the cake.
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