So you've found the easy dessert recipe that you were looking so hard for, and now you're ready to start dessert-making. The dessert you found is so easy, that it'll definitely come out wonderful! Well... not always... especially when the dessert you're preparing involves some cake baking.

Regardless of how easy a dessert recipe is, 101 different things can still go wrong if the equipment or methods that go into making them are not handled in the right way. These problems can result in the dessert you are making to not be able to reach its full potential. Sure, the dessert may turn out delicious, but could it have been even better than delicious? It may not even turn out delicious sometimes, even though the recipe was so easy...

One of the most overlooked areas of baking or dessert making when dealing with cakes concerns how you handle the cake baking pan. This is the main subject covered by this article, and along the way, you'll find several tips and important points that will help to improve the taste of your fine dessert beyond deliciousness.

Before you start making your dessert cake, it is important that everything is well-prepared beforehand. This is especially true for the cake pan, and all the equipment and ingredients that are going to come into contact with it.

Usually, recipes will provide instructions about the type of cake pan to be used during baking and how it should be prepared. Make sure you follow the intructions carefully, and use the pan size that is called for. Measure across the top of the cake pan, from one inside edge to the other, to find the width of the pan. To find the depth, use a standing ruler in the pan and measure the distance to the rim. The ruler should stand up vertically and not be slanted. To measure the volume of the pan, fill the pan up to the brim with water, and measure the volume of water used.

If you don't have the exact size of cake pan requested by the recipe and want to replace it with one of similar size, go for a slightly larger pan rather than a smaller one. Take note that baking times will change, and you should check for signs that the cake is done rather than relying on the exact time mentioned in the recipe.

If you use a larger pan than requested in the recipe though, you should know that the cake will bake faster and might be a little drier than it should be if baked too long. However, if you are using a smaller pan than is needed, you risk the cake batter overflowing over the pan.   

In general, there are several different types of cake pans available. This article only covers a few of the more common types and goes into how you should handle them. The different types of cake pans are made with different materials and have different heating properties so there are some things which you should be aware about. You should also read the manufacturer's instructions for your pan.

Metal cake pans

Metal cake pans are one of the most commonly used ones, and based on the colour of the metal, there are generally two types: dark-coloured metal cake pans and shiny, light-coloured metal cake pans.

Dark metal cake pans absorb heat much more readily than shiny, light-coloured cake pans. This means that you will need to adjust the baking temperature to accommodate for this. A general rule of thumb is to reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit when using dark baking pans in place of shiny pans. They will result in cakes with dark coloured crusts. Shiny cake pans reflect much of the heat, so they don't absorb heat as readily and will give you cakes with tender, light-coloured crusts.

Glass cake pans

Glass cake pans are actually not called cake pans; they are called cake baking dishes. But there are a lot of people who call them cake pans as well. Glass cake pans do not get heated up that easily, but once they are heated up, they retain the heat very well, giving a brown, crispy crust. It is generally advised to lower the required baking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit if you are using glass cake pans instead of metal ones.

Specialty cake pans

There are also cake pans that are specially made into beautiful shapes. These pans save you the hassle of shaping the cake later on, and all you have to do is decorate them. These specialty cake pans may not always be usable in every situation, however.

Springform cake pans

Springform cake pans are special types of pans with a latch and spring-loaded hinge which you can use to expand or contract the pan. These types of pans are very convenient as they help you to get the cake out of the pan easily without damaging it. All you have to do is unlatch the pan, and it will expand and loosen, allowing you to take the cake out with ease. Especially useful if you are making cheesecakes and do not want to cause cracking.

Preparation of the oven which the cake pan is going into is important as well. It is preferable to use the middle rack of the oven for baking cakes, unless the recipe states otherwise. You also shouldn't bake on more than one rack.

If you are planning to bake two at once, then ensure that they are both baked on the same rack, and that there is sufficient space (at least 1 inch) between them to allow heat to circulate. Try to avoid baking with one cake pan on the lower rack, and another cake pan above it. This will affect the baking and heat distribution process.

The oven should be preheated before starting anything else, and ready to go once the cake batter is ready and poured into the cake pan.  

After preparing the oven and turning it on for preheating, the cake pan should be well prepared before you start scaling out for the ingredients. If you wait until the batter is ready before you start bringing out the cake pan and preparing it, the leavening power of the batter will be reduced. Thus, the importance of preparation before baking or making desserts.

To prepare the cake pan, make sure to follow your recipe carefully as to whether the cake pan should be greased or floured, or not. Some recipes do not require you to prepare the pan beforehand.

Proceed to grease and/or flour the pans if instructed by the recipe. Make sure the inside of it is well greased with butter/margarine or shortening. You can keep your fingers from becoming greasy if you use a piece of wax paper or pastry brush to spread it.

Then, add flour, and tilt and shake the pan so that the flour covers the whole area of the inside of the cake pan. Gently knock the excess flour out of the pan. You will notice that the grease causes a thin layer of flour to stick to the inner surface of the cake pan. This helps to prevent the cake from sticking to the sides of the pan after it is baked, and it will be much easier for you to take the cake out after baking without damaging the cake.

An alternative to using flour to cover the sides of the greased pan is to use cocoa powder if you are making a chocolate cake, or to use very fine bread crumbs. Using cocoa powder on a chocolate cake helps to prevent whiteness on the cake due to the imprint of the flour. Using very fine bread crumbs in place of flour is known to allow the cake to come out more easily. You may also try using cake mix.

Many people prefer the use of parchment paper. Parchment paper is very good for lining cake pans as well and makes it easy to clean up later on. You don't need to grease the pan too heavily when using parchment paper, just enough for the paper to stick to the sides of the pan. You may need to grease the top of the parchment paper if the recipe calls for it.

When using parchment paper, one thing you have to be careful of is that the paper doesn't crease or wrinkle. These creases in the paper can cause bad looking marks on your cake once it is done baking, and may cause some unevenness in baking too.

Do not fill the cake pan more than 1/2 or 2/3 full, as the cake will rise during baking, and may overflow.

Once you are done baking, allow the cake to cool in its pan for about 10 minutes. This gives time for the starches in the cake to gelatinize, so that the cake does not break apart once you take it out. Make sure the cake pan with the cake in it is placed in a proper area for cooling. Do not place it on surfaces of wood or plastic, as the heat from the cake pan will cause these surfaces to warp.

Also, when letting the cake cool, remember to always inform everyone around you about where the hot cake pan is resting so that no one accidentally comes in contact with it.

After the cake has cooled for about 10 minutes or so in its baking pan, the starches in the cake will now have gelatinized. You want to take the cake out of the pan now, and let it cool on a cooling rack to stop the baking process and prevent the cake from sweating in the cake pan. It is advisable to let the cake cool on the cooling rack right side up, especially if your cake has a rounded top. One way to do this is to place a tray or other flat, solid surface over top of the cake pan, and then in one smooth and quick motion, flip both the cake pan and the tray upside-down. You may need to use a knife and run it along the edges of the cake pan to loosen the cake up first before doing this.

Slowly lift the cake pan up, and if the cake pan was well-lined or greased (which it should be), it will come out easily and the cake will be resting upside-down on the tray. Place a cooling rack on top of the upside-down cake, and repeat the smooth flipping, upside-down motion, holding both the tray and cooling rack tightly together.

The cake will now be right-side up on the cooling rack where air can circulate through and help it to cool faster. If possible, it would be convenient to use a springform cake pan to avoid the hassle of taking the cake out of the pan.

If at any chance you find the cake to be stuck to the bottom of the cake pan during the process, place a cloth in the kitchen sink and pour boiling hot water over it. Let the water drain, and then put the cake pan on it for a few minutes. The heat should loosen the cake after that and you should be able to take it out.

Alternatively, if you have a flame torch at home, you can gently torch the bottom of the pan while resting it on top of a cooling rack. You may also try covering the bottom with a thin cloth and using a steam iron.