Rotating the Pans
Many recipes direct you to “rotate the pans halfway through the baking time.” This step is necessary to help things bake evenly. Most ovens produce uneven heat, so when you rotate the pans you help to compensate for that. When rotating one pan, just turn it around 180 degrees so the part of the pan that was in the back is now in the front. If using two pans in the oven at the same time, remove the one on the top and place it briefly on the oven door, turning it around 180 degrees as you do so. Then move the pan that is on the bottom up to the top, turning it around 180 degrees. Try to do this as quickly as possible so you don’t lose too much oven heat.
Leveling a Cake
Sometimes we need the top of a cake to be perfectly flat – in order to stack layers, so the cake looks very smooth and flat when it’s frosted. When that is the case, gently place your hand flat on the top of the cake, use a long serrated knife and, with a gentle sawing motion, cut across the top of the cake to remove the part that mounded when the cake was baked. The part you cut off can be broken up over ice cream, or baked with a little custard mixture to make a pudding cake.
How to Frost a Cake
When frosting a cake, trim the rounded tops off with a knife so the cake layers are level. (See the photo above.) Then place the bottom layer so the cut side is facing up. Spread the filling using an icing knife evenly on the cut surface, and then place the top layer onto the filling with the cut surface facing down. Frost the sides of the cake first. It is really helpful if you have a small lazy Susan that you can place the cake on, so it will turn easily while you frost it. Use an offset spatula and grab a heaping amount of frosting on it. Hold it next to the side of the cake and spread it firmly against the cake while moving the spatula along the side. Keep the spatula parallel to the side of the cake while you do this. Frost part of the side of the cake, turn the cake, and frost some more, continuing in this manner until all of the sides are frosted. Spoon frosting on the top of the cake in the center, and spread it out to the sides with smooth, even strokes. This will help to keep the crumbs out of the frosting.
