12 Essential Cake Tips From Baking Legend Dorie Greenspan

Much of what you do when baking cakes is similar to other kinds of baking, but over the years, I've collected a few pointers that make the process easier, more effective, or simply more enjoyable. These tips aren't tied to any one recipe—think of these as general truths for better cakes, with the understanding that there's always an exception or two. Below are my top tips for better cakes, based on my own experience.

Baking cakes is a game for the patient. While mixing a batter might take just minutes, it usually takes longer to measure and weigh all the ingredients, even longer to bake, and longer still to let what you've baked cool to its peak of enjoyability. And that's not even counting layering and frosting the cake. This is why I tell beginning bakers to focus on the process and learn to appreciate every step leading up to the moment when everyone gathers around the table to share in the triumph. Much of what you do when baking cakes is similar to other kinds of baking, but over the years, I've collected a few pointers that make the process easier, more effective, or simply more enjoyable. These tips aren't tied to any one recipe—think of these as general truths for better cakes, with the understanding that there's always an exception or two. Below are my top tips for better cakes, based on my own experience.

12 Essential Tips for Baking Better Cakes

1. Preheat your oven. Your oven should be waiting for you, and not the other way around. Bringing it up to temperature takes time (typically 15 to 30 minutes), so plan accordingly. When the indicator light blinks or the buzzer dings to signal that it has reached your set temperature, smile, nod, and give it another 15 minutes. These gauges are notoriously inaccurate, and the extra time helps ensure the oven is properly heated. Fully heating the chamber ensures you're baking at the correct temperature, resulting in the best results.

2. Properly prep your pans. I'm a belt-and-suspenders girl—I grease cake pans even if they're nonstick, and most of the time I line them with parchment paper, too. If you're using butter, spread it evenly with a pastry brush, then dust with flour if the recipe calls for it. If you're using baker's spray—the easiest way to grease Bundt pans—coat the inside generously, then invert the pan so the spray doesn't pool in the base.

3. Bring ingredients to room temperature. Butter holds sugar better, and eggs whip more voluminously when they're at room temperature rather than cold from the refrigerator. To speed up the eggs' warm-up, place them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. For softening butter, cut it into small pieces and let it sit out while you measure the rest of your ingredients.

4. Weigh your ingredients. It's a simple step toward better cake baking. Since there's no uniform weight for a cup of all-purpose flour—it can vary by as much as 20 to 30 grams depending on how you scoop or pack it—use the specific weight your recipe calls for. If you bake frequently, establish your own "house measurement" by weighing a cup of flour, emptying the cup, and repeating the process a few times, then averaging the results. That’s the number to use when a recipe doesn’t specify one. (My house weight is 136 grams.)

5. Set up your mise en place. A latecomer to mise en place, I'm now an evangelist. Before you put a single ingredient into the mixing bowl, measure everything and arrange the ingredients in the order you'll use them. Count the number of ingredients in your recipe, count the number on your counter, and proceed with confidence that you haven't left anything out (as I did—many times—before becoming a mise-en-place convert).

6. Flavor your sugar when possible. Flavor your sugar when possible. If you're using citrus zest in a cake batter, grate or mix it into the recipe's sugar, then use your fingertips to smush them together until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Not only is this a nice bit of aromatherapy, but it also boosts the flavor you get from the zest. What's happening is a little like making oleo-saccharum, a classic syrup created by rubbing citrus peels with sugar: The sugar's rough texture helps draw out the essential oils trapped in the zest, dispersing them evenly through your batter. The result is a brighter, more aromatic cake than you'd get from zest alone. You can use this same trick with vanilla paste, herbs, or even tea leaves to infuse the sugar with a subtle flavor before you start mixing.

7. Scrape, beat, repeat. Many cakes rely on a combination of leavening and air for their lift and crumb, so don't skimp on the beating. Follow the recipe's instructions for mixer speed and timing, and scrape early and often. It's always wise to give the batter a final stir with a flexible spatula to make sure nothing's lurking at the bottom of the bowl. If you're adding anything chunky, mix it in by hand.

8. Measure when filling your cake pans. To ensure equal amounts of batter when using multiple pans, either weigh the batter in each or—more fun—use an ice cream scoop to portion it out, counting scoops as you go. For Bundts, once filled, plunge a table knife in and out of the batter in several places to break up air pockets and coax the batter into the crevices. You can also rap the pan against the counter.

9. Don't mindlessly follow baking times. Once you slide your cake into the oven, let it bake undisturbed until about five minutes before the recommended time. It's a good idea to start testing a little earlier than the instructions indicate. Check the color of the cake. Gently tug at the edges to see if it's pulling away from the pan. Press the surface lightly to see if it springs back. Insert a tester—I like a thin bamboo skewer—into the center to check if it comes out as the recipe indicates. And if the cake needs more time than the recipe suggests, keep it in the oven; doneness is often a judgment call.

10. Be patient, and let cakes cool fully. Cakes should be transferred to footed racks so air can circulate all around. Unlike cookies, which are often best warm, most cakes benefit from complete cooling before slicing. If you've made a spice cake, consider waiting an extra day to let the flavors settle, permeate the crumb, and fully develop.

11. Frost mindfully. You can glaze a cake with jam while it's still warm—such a nice way to finish a simple loaf or snack cake—but for frosting, the cake must be at room temperature. Pro tip: Spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake, let it set briefly, then apply a thicker layer in whorls or swirls. That almost see-through base is called a "crumb coat" because it seals in stray crumbs, preventing them from marring the final finish.

12. If baking in advance, freeze for best storage. If you need to make a cake ahead of time, don't refrigerate it or store it at room temperature. Instead, wrap it airtight, freeze it, and thaw it in its wrapper at room temperature before decorating and assembling. For a fancier cake finished with a freezable glaze or frosting, freeze it uncovered until solid, then wrap it well.