I have been baking homemade cakes now for about 8 years and have really learned a lot over the years. It has been so fun for me to make my own children's cakes and also for friends and family. On this web-page you will find tips, recipes, pictures and other information on Cake Baking.

These tips can be used when baking store bought mixes or handmade mixes. Always be sure to spray your pan with non stick spray. this will help when removing the cake from the pan. i have forgotten this many times and have silently cursed myself every-time.

always remember to poke the cake in the middle after cooking to ensure that is totally done. the fork will come out clean if done. Always cool your cake before icing it. icing will melt if applied to a hot cake. to speed up your cooling time you can place the hot cake pan in the freezer as long as you have room. it usually will take about 30 minutes to cool but it does depend on your freezer.

use a spatula or flat icing tool to make perfectly smooth icing. start on the top of the cake and then go around the sides. If you would like to try using icing and tips go ahead. it is not as hard as it may seem. the trick it to use stiff enough icing so that it will pipe out of the bag and not leak out of it. you can buy professional bags or you can make your own. to make your own you will need plastic sandwich bags that have a Ziploc closure. place icing tip inside corner of bag and then add icing. fill only a small portion of the bag and twist the end close. then ice.

different tips make different shapes. test the tips on paper or plates before using them on the cake. be sure you can get the look you want. if you want to use color you can dye store bought icing or homemade icing with food coloring. the back of a food coloring package tells how to make different colors. be sure to put icing in a bowl and then add food coloring. if you add the coloring to the container it is hard to color all of the white and you may end up with streaky icing.

a great tip i use that makes a fantastic cake is to always place your cake in the refrigerator. i keep mine in the fridge before icing, than after icing. i dont know why but they always taste fresher and more moist.

a basic cake can be made for any theme. for example-my daughter wanted a care bear cake for her birthday. i made a sheet cake using store bought mix. i used the above tips and made it normally. i dyed my icing blue and then added circles of cake to make clouds and then used a star tip to pipe the clouds. a star tip looks like a star and to make the shape you jus place the tip very close to the area you want to ice and then press the icing out slowly. press down on the area and then stop squeezing. press down after squeezing icing out and pull back and you have a star shape. see picture below

cookie cakes can be made very simply. using a cake pan any size and shape. be sure to spray the cake pan with non stick spray so the cookie will come out and not break. now you can make your own dough or use store bought. i like store bought. it is easy to prepare and no wait time. for a sheet cake you will need at least 2 packages. prepare mixes normally and pour into cake pan. use a spoon to create a smooth surface. you will probably have to cook this longer than you would cookies but be sure to watch it because you do not want it to burn. be sure to poke a small hole in the middle of the cookie cake to see if it is done. you may still have some jiggly part in the middle. i used chocolate chip cookie dough and then sometimes happens but it will harden as the cookie cools. after cooling-i suggest placing in freezer- you are ready to ice. i recommend only decorating a small portion because the cake is already going to be very sweet because it is a cookie. you can use tips on it the same as you would a regular cake. my daughter wanted a Halloween birthday cookie cake. see pictures below. i also added cookies along the side of the cake for a more decorated effect.