HOW TO MAKE A CAKE

From classic white and yellow cakes to German chocolate, devil's food, and red velvet cakes, many of our most beloved cakes are variations on the same method: The batter begins by beating butter or shortening with sugar until fluffy.

These cakes are sometimes refered to as creamed cakes (because the butter and sugar are "creamed" together). Creamed cakes are often layer cakes -- tall beauties showy enough for celebrations.

The tips here will help you perfect a creamed layer cake. If you want to know how to bake a cake that's not a creamed cake, skip to the links at the end of this article for how to make angel food, pound cake, sponge cake, and cheesecake.

• choose a recipe:
  Here are some classic cake recipes:

• Classic Vanilla Cake

• Yellow Cake with Chocolate Butter Frosting

• Red Velvet Cake

• German Chocolate Cake

• Devil's Food Cake

If you want to know how to make cakes specficially for birthdays, browse Our Best Birthday Cake Recipes.

• choose the right baking pens:
  Simple, sturdy, single-wall aluminum pans, with or without nonstick coating, are perfect cake pans. Other points to keep in mind:

• Dark or Shiny? We prefer shiny pans for cakes with delicate, golden crusts. If you use dark or dull-finish pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees F and check doneness 3 to 5 minutes early to prevent overbrowning.

• Sizes and Shapes. Many recipes call for either 8x1-1/2-inch or 9x1-1/2-inch round pans. You can use them interchangeably, but cakes baked in 8-inch pans generally require 5 to 10 minutes longer baking time. Square and round pans may be used interchangeably as long as they're the size called for in the recipe.

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