Baking the Perfect Cake

Making a layer cake from scratch is easier than you might think. Follow these tips to ensure your cakes turn out perfect every time:

Mixing Cakes

Have all ingredients — especially, butter and eggs — at room temperature.
If the recipe calls for separated eggs, separate whites from yolks while eggs are still cold. They'll be easier to separate cold, and they'll come to room temperature faster out of the shell.
Measure ingredients carefully before you begin, using dry measuring cups for dry ingredients and liquid measuring cups for wet ingredients.
Beat butter or shortening until it is light and fluffy. Then add sugar, and beat for 5 full minutes to incorporate air into the mixture.

Preheat oven for at least 15 minutes before you begin.
Generously grease and flour-layer cake pans with solid vegetable shortening (such as Crisco®) and all-purpose flour. For a change of pace, substitute cocoa or cinnamon for flour.
For the smoothest, easy-to-frost layers, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Grease the bottom of the pan, place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom, then grease and flour the bottom and sides.
To prevent the cake from "doming," swirl batter around sides of pan before placing it in the oven. Tap pan on the counter to eliminate air bubbles in the batter.
Don't open oven door until cake has baked for 3/4 of the recommended baking time. The rush of cold air that hits the cake when the door is opened could cause it to collapse.
Test for doneness by inserting a tester in the center of the cake. (A toothpick or a dried spaghetti noodle works well in a pinch.) It should come out clean with no wet batter clinging to it.
When in doubt, take the cake out of the oven early — slightly underdone is better than overdone.
Cool cake layers in the pans for no more than 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Let the cake layers cool completely before icing. For best results, place in the freezer for 30 minutes before icing.
If you don't have time to bake a cake from scratch, a homemade icing will give the cake a homemade taste.
Start with a level surface. Trim cake layers, if necessary, to make them level.
Spoon icing in the center of the cake and push it toward the edges with a spatula.

Most cakes will keep for up to five days at room temperature — wrapped in plastic, inside a cake keeper, or under a large, inverted bowl.
Cakes made with meringue, custard, whipped cream, cream cheese, or fresh fruit should be covered and refrigerated.
You can freeze cake layers, unfrosted, for up to 2 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and place in a close-fitting freezer bag.
A cake that has already been iced should be placed in the freezer, unwrapped, until it is hard, then wrapped in plastic wrap and foil.
To thaw unfrosted layers, loosen the wrappings and sit at room temperature for 2 or 3 hours. Frosted cakes should thawed in the refrigerator overnight.