EQUIPMENTS

MEASURING UTENSILS: The success of a cake depends on the ingredients being in the correct proportion so as to set of accurate measuring spoons and cups is vital. Dry measuring cups are designed so you can level them off with the back of a knife to get an accurate measurement. Take particular care when measuring leavening agents by over-filling first then level the top with the back of a knife.

BOWLS: Whether glass, ceramic or stainless steel, a set of different sized heat proof bowls for mixing, beating and melting ingredients is invaluable for cake-making. If possible choose deep bowls for cake mixing rather than wide shallows ones.

WHISKS Food processors and mixers are excellent for creaming butter and sugar together whisking eggs and sugar to a thick foam and for beating egg whites. You should however always fold in dry ingredients by hand to avoid over-mixing the cake batter. Handheld electric mixers can be used in the same way but are more convenient because they allow you to control the movement around the bowl. They can also be used in a bowl over a pan of near-boilling water when making whisked sponges.

SIFTER: Invest in at least two strong fine stainless-steel or plastic sifters or mesh strainers; a larger one for sifting dry ingredients, such as flour to remove any lumps and make it more easier to mix. Also, you should get a small one for sifting icing sugar over the tops of baked cakes.

SPATULA: A flexible plastic or rubber spatula can be used to scrape the last little bit of cake mixture from the bowl and for smoothing the top of the cake level before baking. It is also useful for folding delicate ingredients such as whisked egg whites into cake mixtures.

PANS: These are available in all sorts of shapes and sizes from round and square pans and rectangular loaf pans to petal, heart, and novelty shaped ones. Make sure you look for tins made from heavy gauge metal; the thicker the gauge the less likely they are to warp or have hot spots. Aluminum is inexpensive simple to clean and responds well to changes in heat. It does however dent easily so treat it carefully or if you can afford it choose anodized aluminum. Tin is also a good metal for a bake ware but it will rust unless thoroughly dried after use. Non-stick pans are the best and make turning out cakes much easier. If you use pans with a dark non-stick lining, you may need to reduce the oven temperature slightly as dark colors absorb heat.

BAKING SHEETS: These can be used in combination with cake hoops and novelty cake pans without bases. They may be be entirely flat or have a lip along the length of one side. Baking trays have a lip all around the edge. It is vital to choose good quality heavy ones which will not distort at high temperature. Avoid, baking sheets that are very dark as they absorb more heat which means that the base of the cake will burn more easily.

TIMER:This is essential, though most modern ovens have a timer but a hand held digital or rotating dial timer is useful particulary if you want to do something else while your cake is baking.

WIRE RACK: The best way to cool cakes, whether they are turned out of their pans straight away or left to cool in their pans, is to rest them on a wire rack. This allows air to circulate so that the cake cools quickly and prevents trapped warmth which can make the base soggy which is not good.

AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS: Because homemade cakes do not contain preservative, they should be stored in an airtight container as soon as they are cool to keep them fresh. Cheesecakes and cakes covered with butter based icing or cream topping or containing ingredients such as fresh fruit should be stored in the refrigerator.

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