Recipes for February……Instead of recipes this month here are some great tips for cake baking that I found on the internet. Brew a pot of coffee or tea and lets have cake………

Tips for Baking Perfect Cakes

To keep holes and tunnels out of your cake, run a knife through the batter after you have
finished mixing it. This removes air holes.

To keep loaf cakes fresher longer, cut slices from the middle rather than from the end. When
you're finished slicing, firmly push the two leftover sections together to reform a loaf.
This way, you eliminate leaving an exposed, quick-to-dry-out "end" slice.

To decorate a cake directly on its serving plate, slip strips of wax paper under the
edge of the cake, allowing them to hang over the rim of the plate. Frost cake, then, with
a quick motion, pull out the paper. This leaves the serving plate nice and clean.

To prevent a freshly-baked cake from sticking to the serving platter, dust the platter with
confectioners' sugar.

An angel food cake will slice neatly without crumbling if you freeze it first, then thaw it.

To cool a cake quickly for frosting, pop it into the freezer while you make the frosting.
By the time frosting is ready, the cake will be cool and ready to slip out of the pan.

To prevent cake filling from soaking into the cake, sprinkle layers lightly with confectioners'
sugar before spreading filling.

Cake will be less like to stick to the pan if you put it on a wet towel to cool as soon as
you take it from the oven.

For a fast topping, place a paper doily on top of the cake. Sift confectioners' sugar over it.
Lift the doily off gently.

To keep cake moist, put half an apple in the cake box.

If you sift dry cake mix before you stir in the other ingredients, it won't be lumpy.

Use paper coffee filters to line 8-inch cake pans. Just flatten one into a large circle and
lay it on the bottom of the pan.

Use cold coffee instead of water when making a chocolate cake from a box. It gives the cake
a rich, mocha flavor.

When baking a chocolate cake, don't use flour to "dust" the pan. Use cocoa instead. This way,
the white flour "dust" won't cling to the sides of the cake.

To cut a fresh cake, use a wet knife.

When testing a large cake to see if it is done, use a strand of uncooked spaghetti. It reaches
where a wooden pick won't.

Roll fruits, raisins and nuts in flour before adding to cake batter. They will be less likely
to sink to the bottom of the cake.

If you don't have a ring mold for baking a cake, cover an empty, appropriately-sized can
with aluminum foil, weight it, and place it in the center of a round, deep casserole dish.

If the cake sticks to the pan and threatens to split, hold the pan over a low flame for about
5 to 8 seconds and the cake will come out nice and firm.
To split a cake into layers, loop a length of waxed dental floss around the outside of the
cake at the point you want the cut, then cross the ends and pull gently but firmly. The floss
will cut right through the cake.

If the top of your cake is browning too quickly, place a pan of warm water on the rack above the
cake while it is baking in the oven.

An apple cut in half and placed in the cake box will keep the cake fresh several days longer.

The cake is done when it shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan or if it springs
back when touched lightly with the finger.