The Basics Of Cake

Prep pans by greasing with spray or butter and lining with parchment for even bake; weigh batter for uniform height and tap to remove air bubbles.

Preheat with an oven thermometer and place pans on the middle rack for even temperature. Check doneness by wobble, gentle indent, and toothpick; avoid overcrowding and opening the door early.

Learn common cake fails and how to avoid them by balancing ingredients like baking powder, butter, sugar, and flour, and by setting the right baking temperature and checking doneness.

Make and apply a cooled simple syrup—equal parts room-temperature water and sugar—by brushing or drizzling to keep cakes moist, especially at the edges to seal the tender crumb.

Match buttercream quantities to cake size. Use a six-cup batch for an eight-inch cake, divide filling and coats with one-sixth filling, and reserve crumb and final coats.

Learn to apply crumb coats on square and rectangular cakes, chill the cake to set the crumb coat, then use an offset spatula to trap crumbs and create sharp edges.

Sharpen cake edges with a hot, thin-blade knife, chilling the cake between steps, and dipping the blade in hot water before each cut to keep frosting above the top edge.

Transport cakes using a cake caddy or tall box; secure the board with a non-slip mat or tape, chill beforehand, and drive slowly on a level surface.