Top 12 Cake tips

1. For light textured cakes, use self-rising cake flour.  To convert regular cake and pastry flour to self-rising, use 1 cup cake flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/3 teaspoon salt for equally good results.
2. Remember, cheescakes taste much better if allowed to mature in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. 
3. Use jarred baby fruit as a low fat alternative to flavor cakes and brownies.
4. To get your angel food cake to rise an extra 2 inches, freeze the egg whites solid, a few days before you are ready to bake the cake.  Thaw the egg whites to room temperature to use.
5. A sprinkle of salt under the baking tins in the oven will prevent cakes from burning.
6. To prevent a cake from sticking in the pan after it has been taken out of the oven and turned upside down on a wire rack or board, place a cold, damp cloth on the bottom of the tin for a few minutes.
7. To prevent sliced cake from sticking to the bottom of the plate, sprinkle a little white sugar on the plate.
8. To keep cake fresh longer, cut slices from the middle of the cake, then push the two sides together.
9. If you don't have an icing bag, use a clean mustard container with a squirt top.  Fill the container with icing and pipe away!
10. To keep icing from running on a cake, first dust the cake with a little flour or corn starch.
11. Freeze cakes in individual pieces.  This makes an easy treat for your kid's school lunches.  The piece will be thawed by lunch time.
12. When making a cake calling for raisins, heat the raisins for a few minutes before adding them to the batter.  This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake pan.