Handle The Heat » Recipes » Cake Recipes
Here is a collection of the very best cake recipes! Whether you’re looking for a layer cake for a birthday celebration or a quick and easy sheet cake – you’re bound to find your new favorite cake recipe below.
With these helpful how-to articles, you’ll became a cake pro and never go back to store-bought cake.
The easiest ingredient to mis-measure is flour. That’s because it can be so easily compacted into a container or measuring cup without you even realizing. Too much flour in cake results in a dry, dense, and even crumbly cake instead of a tender and moist cake. Check out my article for How to Measure Flour here.
Never use dark colored nonstick cake pans. They conduct heat too aggressively and often lead to hard dry edges and undercooked or sunken centers.
My favorite cake pans are the Fat Daddio’s pans.
It bears repeating: make sure to measure your flour correctly.
Avoid substituting any ingredients such as eggs, milk or sour cream. Eggs + egg yolks add richness and moisture. Sour cream tenderizes as well as adds more flavor to cake. Using whole milk will help to create a tender and moist cake as well – never use skim milk.
Also be sure not to overmix your cake. This can lead it to become rubbery and dense. At the final steps, mix JUST until combined.
This *free* printable PDF contains my best buttercream recipe, my favorite piping tips, and lots more!
Step into my kitchen and bake these easy cake recipes step-by-step with me. Plus, the best frosting ever and more baking tips!
Are you measuring your ingredients correctly? Too much flour can result in dry, dense cakes!
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Yes. That’s what helps create a tender cake.
Avoid DIY cake flour substitutions. They simply don’t work as well. Check out my Cake Flour 101 article here to understand why. The best thing to use in this recipe is bleached cake flour (like the Swans Down brand).
Never use dark colored cake pans. They tend to overcook the edges, making them too brown and dry.
My favorite cake pans are definitely my Fat Daddio’s pans. They bake evenly and clean up easily!
If you’re baking at a high altitude, you’ll probably want to make some adjustments to this recipe. Since I live at sea level, I can only recommend following the advice in King Arthur Flour’s guide here.
If you need help frosting and decorating a cake so it looks nice a pretty, check out my Easy Cake Decorating video in this post. The biggest tip I can give you is to freeze your cake layers before frosting so you can avoid crumbs or tears.
Wrap unfrosted cooled cake layers completely in several layers of plastic wrap. Place inside a freezer bag. Store at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Don’t defrost at room temperature or you will end up with mushy, sticky cake.
Since frosting acts as a protective seal that keeps the cake moist and fresh, frosted cakes can be stored at a cool and dry room temperature for up to 2 days. Cover with a cake keeper to keep the frosting intact. Don’t use plastic wrap, which will not only ruin your frosting but also create condensation that can cause the frosting to separate.
I personally don’t worry about keeping frosting at room temperature since the sugar acts as a preservative, but if this concerns you then just keep the cake in the fridge.
