Tips for Baking

Last week I made a cake for my friend's birthday. I'm pretty much the designated cake-maker among my circle of friends. Since coming to college and living with people who see me make the cakes, but have no idea why I do certain things the way I do has made me realize how much my mom knew about baking that most people don't know.

So here are two things I've learned from my mom that are really helpful when you want to make a cake.

1. Put down the Crisco! I found out coming to college that people will put Crisco and flour on their pans so the cake doesn't stick. Way better option: get some wax paper and trace the bottom of the pan. Cut out the wax paper and put it at the bottom of the pan. Your cakes will come out (don't worry about the edges, they don't stick) and just peel off the wax paper. Seriously, it's 100 times better.

2. Freeze your cakes. Before you put the frosting on, it's best to let your cakes freeze for an hour or more. This makes them stiff, so it's easier to spread the frosting around. And my roommate noted that when I frosted the cake, there weren't any crumbs getting all up in the frosting. I've been watching this be done this way for so long, I didn't even know crumbs were an issue.

There you have it. Two easy ways to make your cake-baking experience easier! Do you have any culinary tips others don't often know about?