Perfect cake baking tips and tricks

There is nothing like freshly baked homemade cakes. These tips and tricks will give you perfect results every time.

• Use a good recipe
Get a good recipe from friends who bake good cakes and follow it exactly. You may also experiment with recipes from cookbooks or the Internet, until you get the perfect one.

•Invest in a weighing scale
In baking accuracy matters, so invest in a weighing scale. An electronic weighing scale will cost more than ordinary kitchen scales, but is worth it, as it is more accurate. Measuring cups are not very accurate – you may for example, use more or less flour than is required by packing it too tightly or too loosely in a measuring cup.

•Use the correct pan size
If your cake pan is too small the cake will rise and overflow and if it is too big, the cake will not rise to the correct height, so use the correct pan size indicated in the recipe.

•Grease your tins well or line them with parchment paper
Grease your baking tin well and dust with a little flour, tapping the tin while upside-down to get rid of any excess flour. For light cakes, or cakes that require longer baking times however, it is best to line the baking tin with parchment paper, to prevent them burning or sticking at the bottom.
•Preheat the oven
If you put a cake in an oven that has not had enough time to heat up, it will not rise well. So as not to waste too much power however, heat the oven for at least 15 minutes before putting the cake in.
•Position the cake correctly
Put the cake rack in the middle of the oven and the cake in the centre of the rack unless indicated otherwise in the recipe. This will prevent it burning on the top, bottom or sides of the cake, before it is ready in the middle.
•Stick to the cooking time
Stick to the cooking time indicated in the recipe. Do not open the oven door to keep checking on the cake before it is ready, as this may cause it to collapse. You may check if the cake is done about five minutes towards the end of the time however, as ovens often vary in temperature.