How many times has this happened to you? You start to bake a cake, then realize that you don't have any parchment paper to line the pan. Use a coffee filter instead! Grease an eight-inch cake pan, place a large (eight- to 10-cup), flattened basket-style paper filter in the bottom of the pan, spray it with non-stick cooking spray and pour in the cake batter. There's no need to trim; the coffee filter will fit perfectly inside the pan.
This tip comes straight from Steven himself! Use a serrated knife to make a 1/8-inch cut down the side of the cake, perpendicular to the top. Cut the cake horizontally into the desired number of layers, fill as needed, then replace the layers, taking care to line up the vertical cut. By putting the layers back in their original orientation, any unevenness in the way you cut them will be concealed.
Here's a great way to give your cakes a professional-looking finish: After frosting the cake, use a hair dryer (on low heat) to slightly melt the frosting. This will give it a smooth, glossy look.
A gooey, moist cake, like cheesecake, is always a challenge to cut perfectly. Normally, you'd dip the knife in warm water, wipe dry, cut, wipe cake from knife and repeat... Here's a much easier way: Use unwaxed, unflavoured dental floss to slice the cake. It works perfectly every time—even with the stickiest of cakes!
This edition's winning Vileda Quick Kitchen Tip comes from viewer Murielle D'Eon Toole:
" I have a kitchen tip that eliminates the mess of greasing and flouring a baking pan. Mix equal parts shortening, flour and vegetable oil into a paste and store in a sealed container in the fridge. When you bake a cake, brush paste generously onto pans with a pastry brush before pouring in the batter."
Do you have a quick kitchen tip to share with us? Let us know what it is for a chance to get your tip mentioned on-air, plus $500 and a prize pack from Vileda!