Baking Tips

1. For a cake that is perfectly flat on top, invert one layer onto another one. It will be flat from the bottom of the cake pan.
2. To quickly soften butter for a recipe, simply shave the cold hard butter with a potato peeler and it will soften up in no time.
3. Syrup can be brushed onto baked layers for added moistness. You can flavor it with liquors or extracts.
4. Decorate your cakes by covering the sides with chopped nuts for and added crunch.
   If your layers are higher in the center than you would like, slice off the top with a serrated knife.
5. When beating egg whites use a clean glass or metal bowl… not plastic. Plastic can contain hidden oils and fats that can ruin the delicate egg white foam. To help stabilize the egg whites add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white prior to beating them. (If using a copper bowl omit the cream of tartar). Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form that do not droop over. Beating the egg whites longer causes them to dry out and they become even less stable. When adding sugar to beaten egg whites add it when soft peaks just begin to form and then continue beating to form soft peaks that don't droop over.
6. If layers are crumbly, frost the cake and freeze cake until it hardens. Then frost the cold firm cake.
7. To substitute for self-rising flour, use 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/2 teaspoon salt.
8. Cheesecake can be frozen for later use. Firm cheesecake in the freezer before wrapping so you won’t smash the soft cheesecake.
9. Double-wrap baked goods tightly.
10. Layers of cake can be frozen for up to a month. Fill and decorate once completely thawed.
11. Do Not freeze cake after decorating with frosting.
12. Cover frozen items to defrost to prevent absorbing refrigerator odors.
13. Cheesecakes tend to get overcooked. A cheesecake is done when the center is still soft. It looks undercooked at this stage, but it isn't. Keep the door to the oven closed and turn off the heat and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for at least one hour. This helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking in the center. After chilling, the once wobbly center should firm up without the cracks that can be caused from overcooking.