Sift-busting
Sieving the dry stuff doesn’t add air, per se, but it
is great mixing tool, evenly dispersing leaveners
(e.g. baking powder), spices and salt into the flour.

Use the sieve to dust flour onto delicate foams
and batters (rather than dumping in all at once),
preserving the air in the foam base. And multiple
sifts will fully blend flour and cornflour (cornstarch).

In good hands
For the most tender cake batters with minimal air
loss, scrape the whipped/creamed base from the
stand mixer bowl into a wide mixing bowl. Then sift
and fold the dry ingredients in. Sometimes, with
creamed base cakes, I’ll get even handsier and mix
with my actual hands, giving mixing attention where
I can actually feel it is needed most.

Drop it cos it’s (too) hot
A slightly lower (than the norm 170–180°C/340–
360°F) oven temperature will give you an even
(no dome) rise for level layering and a moister
crumb in creamed batter cakes.

Internal affairs
For $10+, a digital probe thermometer will give
you the worry-less rest of a confident baker – no
underbaked insides for you! In place of touch
and skewer tests, or listening (what the actual?!),
insert the thermometer into the centre (close
to the tin will read higher). Aim for 93–98°C
(199–208°F) for butter and sponge cakes,
70°C (158°F) for cheesecakes.

Layered to rest
While you are having a rest between baking and
assembling, let your layers linger too. Resting sets
the ‘crumb’ of the internal cake for easy assembly,
deepens the flavour and diminishes the egginess
(most pronounced in warm cake).

Cut it up
Choose a thin knife to slice your cake, not a thick
or serrated blade. Dip the blade in hot water and
pat dry so it’s damp and warm. Look at your cake
and visualise the point at which two intersecting
lines on the cake would meet.

With confidence, push the knife tip in at that
junction and then lower the knife to cut all the
way through to the bottom edge of the cake. If
there are any crisp or chunky bits layered into the
cake, use a gentle sawing motion. To get a perfect
point on your slice: when you are halfway deep
into each slice, push the knife forward as you slice
downwards on each cut. This will release the point
of the slice perfectly.

It’s a wrap
Protect a cut cake by pressing a piece of plastic
wrap or baking paper against the cut side. If
your cut side is a bit slumpy, like a cheesecake,
make a strip of folded-over foil and press to
hold the structure.

It’s a keeper
Chill cream-filled cakes. With buttercream cakes,
the ideal eating temperature is the consistency
of the buttercream at assembly. If you have to chill
leftover cake, ensure it has a long time (at least
4 hours) out of the fridge to return the cake and
buttercream to soft. Cold buttercream cake tastes
dry (it isn’t … it’s just cold) and is unpleasant to eat.

centre