20 Tips for Baking the Perfect Cake

1. Preheat the oven. This ensures that your cake will be cooked evenly and at the right temperature as soon as it goes into the oven.

2. Always grease or line your baking pan or cake tin with greaseproof paper. This prevents the cake from sticking and burning.

3. Use good quality non-stick pans as they ensure even distribution of heat across the surface and require little preparation before filling with the cake mix. Loose-bottom tins are particularly useful.

4. Bring all cold ingredients such as butter and eggs to room temperature before use for best results.

5. Pour the prepared cake mix into the centre of the pan and spread the surface evenly with a knife or the back of a spoon. Gently knock the pan to remove any surface air bubbles.

6. Never fill a cake tin more than half full.

7. Place your cake tin in the centre of the oven as this will ensure good circulation of air around the tin during cooking.

8. Always allow at least half to ¾ of the cooking time to elapse before opening the oven door to check on your cake. Any earlier and the cake will sink.

9. As the temperature of oven makes varies, always check the cake up to 10 minutes before the time given in the recipe. Remove it from the oven if it is done, if not leave in for 2 to 5 minute intervals at a time, checking after each interval.

10. To check if a cake is cooked, insert a skewer or cocktail stick (or even a piece of raw spaghetti) into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is done, if it has food stuck to it, continue to cook the cake for a few minutes more and repeat the process.

11. Always cool your cake in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

12. To remove the cake easily from a loose-bottomed tin, place on a tin can or jar and press the side of the tin downwards. This allows easy removal of the base (and cake) from the sides of the tin.

13. To remove a cake from a solid tin, run a knife around the outside of the cake then place a plate over the tin and invert it. The cake should come out cleanly. If not, you can out it back into the oven for a couple of minutes to melt the grease and it should then be easier to release from the tin.

14. Always ensure the cake is completely cool before handling or decorating it to avoid crumbling, breakage or movement of the cake.

15. If your cake is particularly rounded or uneven, level it off with a sharp knife before decorating.

16. To prevent your cake sticking to the plate or board, dust the surface with icing sugar.

17. Use a clean pastry brush to clean away any crumbs from the top and sides of your cake before decorating to help ensure a clean surface.

18. When using two fillings such as jam and cream, spread each one on a different half of the cake and then sandwich together.

19. To cleanly cut through an iced cake, dip your knife in water to stop the icing and cake from sticking.

20. If you are not ready to decorate your cake, wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight or place in the freezer until needed. Most cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.