Food Cooking Tips & Techniques Baking 6 Baking Tips for Flawless Cakes We can't emphasize #2 enough. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 22, 2016 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: James Baigrie/Getty Images Try these foolproof techniques, brought to you from the Real Simple test kitchen. 01 of 06 Avoid Using Cold Eggs James Baigrie/Getty Images Sure, you know to bring the butter to room temperature, but it's just as important for eggs—otherwise the mixture won't emulsify properly. If you're short on time, microwave cut-up butter on low in 5-second intervals, checking in between, and place eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Want to make a cake that looks as good as it tastes? It's easy with Real Simple's cake decorating techniques. 02 of 06 Measure the Flour Properly Richard Jung/Getty Images Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, then sweep off the excess with a knife. Don't scoop it directly from the bag with a measuring cup. The flour will become compacted, and you'll get more than you need for the recipe. 03 of 06 Use a Pastry Brush to Butter the Pans Foodcollection/Getty Images You'll get better coverage than with a piece of butter in paper—plus, it makes buttering parchment a breeze. Simply swipe the brush over a tablespoon of very soft butter, then onto the pan or paper. Want to learn more? Watch a video on how to prepare cake pans. 04 of 06 Position the Pans as Close to the Center of the Oven as Possible HD Connelly/Getty Images They shouldn't touch each other or the oven walls. If your oven isn't wide enough to put pans side by side, place them on different racks and slightly offset, to allow for air circulation. 05 of 06 Rotate the Pans During Baking Tino Tedaldi/ Getty Images This will ensure even baking. But wait until the cake is set—about two-thirds of the way through the baking time—to prevent collapse. If you're using more than one rack, this is also the time to swap the pans. 06 of 06 Cool Cakes Upside Down David Murray and Jules Selmes/Getty Images This will flatten out the tops, creating easy-to-stack disks for layer cakes. If the top of a cake is still too rounded, slice it off with a serrated knife. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit