GIVE PANS ENOUGH SPACE IN THE OVEN. Cakes placed too close to one another will rise toward each other and end up lopsided. Cakes placed too close to the oven walls won't rise as high on the side nearest the wall. Keep pans at least three inches from each other and the oven walls and on the middle rack of the oven. If your oven is small, stagger the pans on racks set at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions to allow for proper air circulation.

USE YOUR FINGER AND A CAKE TESTER TO JUDGE WHEN LAYERS ARE DONE. Layer cakes should be baked until firm in the center when lightly pressed and a cake needle or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering.

COOL CAKE LAYERS IN THEIR PANS, THEN ON RACKS. Grease racks with nonstick vegetable spray to keep cake layers from sticking to them. Do not frost the layers until they are completely cooled. Cake layers are best frosted the day they are made. However, layers may be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored at room temperature for a day. For longer storage, freeze wrapped layers for up to one month. Defrost them on the counter and unwrap them just before frosting.

FROST THE CAKE TWICE. We prefer to apply a thin base coat of frosting to seal in the crumbs. We then refrigerate the cake until the frosting is set and add a thicker second coat of frosting (see figures 5–11).