I'm absolutely LOVING all of these secrets/tips! I have another one. If you're making a cake that's going to feed a large group of people that you don't know (ex.-a wedding cake) & the person ordering the cake wants any nuts in it, try to steer them away from it. There are so many people with allergies that there may be one in the crowd that could become seriously ill from eating the cake. If the person ordering insists on having nuts in the cake, you might want to consider placing a card somewhere, where it will be seen, that will alert the guests that the cake does contain nuts.
I've only been doing cakes for a few months now but I've learned a few tricks which have been invaluable!
1. When your cake comes out of the oven place a clean dishtowel over the top and press down to level. Cakes are slightly more dense and I have yet to use my cake leveler.
2. Use a rose nail instead of a heating core. Again, bought one and never used.
3. Wrap a strip of wet towel around you pan instead of buying bake even strips.
Hope these help!
I am confused about the cake nail instead of the heating core. do you place the rose nail in the pan and then pour the batter or do you pour the batter in and then stand the rose nail in it? I am VERY new to cake decorating and am just starting to decorate. I am learning sooooooo much from this thread!!! please keep the tips coming!!! Thanks to such a supportive group of people willing to share their expertise!!
Nataliesmom,
I LOVE using the flower nail in the center of my cake pans when baking! I just spray my pan with Wilton Cake release, fold my fitted parchment paper in quarters to find the center, open the paper back up, poke my flower nail through it at the center point so that the flat head is beneath my parchment paper as I place it in the pan and then spray again with Cake Release and bake. I just use the flower nail with 10" or larger pans. 
Pan Grease - I found this product and have never had another cake stick again! No flour - no parchment - nothing!
Nataliesmom,
I LOVE using the flower nail in the center of my cake pans when baking! I just spray my pan with Wilton Cake release, fold my fitted parchment paper in quarters to find the center, open the paper back up, poke my flower nail through it at the center point so that the flat head is beneath my parchment paper as I place it in the pan and then spray again with Cake Release and bake. I just use the flower nail with 10" or larger pans.
Thanks so much! I think I can do that! What is fitted parchment paper? I've only seen it in the rolls. Do I cut it to fit the pans or can I buy it already cut that way? Thanks so much!!!
i forgot to put my flower nail in before the batter one day so i just greased it and wriggled it into the center , making sure to hit the bottom, then when the cake was cooked it came out fine, a tiny dent, but nothing a little buttercream couldnt fix
My tip: I don't measure my Crisco at all.
Instead I purchase the pre measured Crisco that comes as a package of 3 one cup sticks. I hated to measure the Crisco when I used to do it and found this to be a big time and hassle saver. Simply open the Crisco stick, dump it in my bowl and throw away the wrapper. It may be a little more expensive than the big tub of Crisco, but not by much and the time and hassle I save myself is definitely worth the extra cost
my tip is a small one but one that works for me. I always use a larger egg size than what the recipe calls for. I also use more cake mix than most directions call for. I load my pan up almost 3/4's full. Between the two I always have a nice, moist cake.
I love post like this i always learn something new...so i guess ill add my 2 cents worth now...most i have gotten from on CC and others i have figured out by trial and error...
1..a cake mix extender makes a cm taste oh so much better.
2..if your doing a choco transfer...add crisco to the melted choco..it pipes so smooth
3..wrap warm cakes in plastic wrap and let cool while wrapped...makes for a VERY moist cake.
4..i wrap the ends of ALL my decorating bags with pony tail holders ( the ones with no metal ) like 97 cent for 30 at walmart..tha way i can put them down and not have to worry ..
5..i sift EVERYTHING..flour, sugar, coco, salt, baking powder, soda, cake mixs...youd be suprised what has clumps..
6..baking spray with flour in it..its all i have ever used and i have yet to have anything stick.
7..beat the air bubbles out of cake batter..it only took me having one cake come out looking like swiss cheese for me to start doing this.
8..icing dam for filling..again took one cake that leaked filling for me start doing this.
9..if you dont have you butter at room temp...chop it with a hand chopper or use a cheese grater
10..eggs can be put under warm water to be gotten to room temp.
11..a good mixer makes a world of a difference.
12..i also have graduated sizes of plastic mixing bowls..like 3 buxs at walmart..i have 2 sets..great for measuring and sifting dry ingred.
13..tinker with your oven temp...i have found that the perfect temp for my oven is about 8 degrees lower than the suggested baking temp for most things.
14..coco powder helps get a better brown..as well as helps with barn red 
ok thats all i can think of that hasnt been mentioned. but i would like to say..if you havent tried the microwave for cleaning your tips yet your missing out..i was not so sure about it...was scared honeslty...and this past weekend i had 3 doz cookies, 2 sheet cakes , and a choc transfer i had to do , and i was so pressed for time i was like what the heck ill try it...it works like a charm..i will never clean my tips by hand again...and i did it with my couplers too...
hth someone
Keep em coming!
the only one I can think of is one I have recently discovered when baking a large volume of orders. I measure out my dry ingredients and put them in ziplock bags and then when it is time to bake I just pour everything out like its boxed cake mix. Measuring out a couple of days before seems less stressful and less time comsuming.
Here's one I came up with in a pinch one night. I was baking a half-sheet cake and couldn't find my flower nail. So, I cut off a piece of aluminum foil (about 4 inches, and the width of the roll) and rolled it up into a make-shift flower nail. I stuck it in the center of the cake on end, and it worked like a charm! When the cake came out, I pulled out the foil and tossed it in the garbage. I've since discovered 2 more things about this: if you make your foil 'nail' too short, the cake rises over it and it has to be dug out. If you make it too tall, the weight makes it tip over before the cake is baked. 4" seems just right though!
I'm loving all of these tips! Oh, one more, to add to the microwaving your tips, I always place my bowl of tips inside another bowl to avoid water boiling over in the microwave.
Keep em coming!
the only one I can think of is one I have recently discovered when baking a large volume of orders. I measure out my dry ingredients and put them in ziplock bags and then when it is time to bake I just pour everything out like its boxed cake mix. Measuring out a couple of days before seems less stressful and less time comsuming.
I love this tip! Sometimes it is so stressful (especially if you're not feeling well, etc.) when making a cake. I think this coupled with making the icing ahead of time would lessen the stress tremendously. Thanks!
ok thats all i can think of that hasnt been mentioned. but i would like to say..if you havent tried the microwave for cleaning your tips yet your missing out..i was not so sure about it...was scared honeslty...and this past weekend i had 3 doz cookies, 2 sheet cakes , and a choc transfer i had to do , and i was so pressed for time i was like what the heck ill try it...it works like a charm..i will never clean my tips by hand again...and i did it with my couplers too...
hth someone
does microwaving the tips still discolor them the way a dishwasher does?
My butt is numb from sitting here so long reading all these wonderful tips.
I am DEFINITELY gonna do the microwaving the tips thing! 
Now I am just going to add my bit on wrapping the icing before inserting it into the icing bags. I have been doing this for years now. I learned as a teen @ Baskin Robbins and haven't done it any other way.
I usually get all my icing ready..all the colours a day before doing a cake. I have all these neatly wrapped icing cartridges that I just pop into the bags as I need em. You can see this in the pic below... (behind the mixer)
My tip is that I have found rolling out fondant on the slick side of freezer paper is great. It doesn't stick and I don't have to grease my rolling area.
I only have a small silicone mat so this was an alternative for me when rolling a larger piece of fondant.
It works great to wrap it in for fresh keeping as well, no stick. I then wrap that in glad press and seal and I can make sure I get it air tight unlike in storage bags, or with non cling wrap.
What is slick freezer paper?
I always put a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter next to my mixer. I crack the eggs on the wrap and set down all of my dirty spatulas, utencils, and measuring cups on it as well. When it's time to clean up, I just throw it away and my counters are clean!
Awesome!!!
Here's a tip I just learned recently (although the freezer paper idea does work as well). Buy some VINYL. Ya know...the kind that your grandmother used to cover her lawn furniture with. They sell it at Wal-Mart for less than $2 a yard. Put that down on your work surface for fondant and gumpaste...IT DOESN'T STICK!!! So, now all you have to do is dust your rolling pin- Less mess and less dust on your finished fondant pieces. Oh yeah, and remember that really expensive blue silicone mat they used on the Food Network Cake Challenge???- Forget it! You can slide your hand right under vinyl the same way and flip your fondant right onto your cake! Awesome for oversized fondant pieces.
-Michelle
No way shut up! I am so lovin this. Keep 'em coming everyone
you should be able to find freezer paper with the other alum foils, plastic wraps
http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/en/faq_detail.asp?info_page_id=755&prod_id=1798&cat_id=1337
Thanks for the link 'cause I really never even heard of freezer paper. I assumed it was just another way of saying aluminum foil or something.
Awesome tips. Wish I had one to share. Thanks to everyone else for sharing.
You probably do. Just think of something that you think everyone already knows. Thats what I did and wouldn't you know it helped someone out.
I hesistated to mention this since I stole it from this site but .....I roll my buttercream in plastic wrap in the shape of the pastry bag, cut the end and place it in a the pastry bag cut end down. much less mess, much easier to refill (no need to for the tall glass) and ready for the freezer in the perfect size portions.
OMG! That is the most awesomest gift anyone has ever given me. It brought a tear to my eye. Filling Thanksgiving orders is seeming easier and easier as I read. Keep 'em coming. Dig deep!
I will measure out dry ingredients ahead of time, I will roll frosting in saran wrap in the shape of my piping bag and but in ziplock in freezer ahead of time, I will buy multiple tips, I will buy that scraer thing for my counters. I will sran wrap my table so I don't have to keep washing it. I will need a garbage bowl . . . Holy Cow! Y'all are the best!
I learned a new tip this weekend at the WI ICES DOS, to prevent the icing from squeezing out of the back of the bag: fill your bag, roll/fold top down on bag, then wrap it up all tight on the end with a thick rubber band.
It works like a charm, all the decorators that had their colors pre-mixed had their bags set up this way.
WOW! I thought I was just messy! Thanks.
My tip: I don't measure my Crisco at all.
Instead I purchase the pre measured Crisco that comes as a package of 3 one cup sticks. I hated to measure the Crisco when I used to do it and found this to be a big time and hassle saver. Simply open the Crisco stick, dump it in my bowl and throw away the wrapper. It may be a little more expensive than the big tub of Crisco, but not by much and the time and hassle I save myself is definitely worth the extra cost
me too. It costs slightly more but what price would you put on your sanity?
just a couple of Q, crisco, what is it? im in australia and cant for the life of me find it, we do have a solidified vege oil called copha, its coconut oil solid, is this the same thing??? also with the microwaving of tips, mine are metal, how do you do it without your micowave blowing up?? or are you using plastic?? sorry to be s o dumb
just a couple of Q, crisco, what is it? im in australia and cant for the life of me find it, we do have a solidified vege oil called copha, its coconut oil solid, is this the same thing??? also with the microwaving of tips, mine are metal, how do you do it without your micowave blowing up?? or are you using plastic?? sorry to be s o dumb
Crisco is vegetable shortening similar to lard but doesn't contain animal products. Not sure if the coconut stuff you are talking about would be the same.
Someone explained earlier that all you have to do is make sure the tips are completely covered with water. I haven't tried it but if it works it would be heaven sent.
My tip: I don't measure my Crisco at all.
Instead I purchase the pre measured Crisco that comes as a package of 3 one cup sticks. I hated to measure the Crisco when I used to do it and found this to be a big time and hassle saver. Simply open the Crisco stick, dump it in my bowl and throw away the wrapper. It may be a little more expensive than the big tub of Crisco, but not by much and the time and hassle I save myself is definitely worth the extra cost
me too. It costs slightly more but what price would you put on your sanity?
I use the premeasured Crisco as well!! I cannot stand to measure crisco!!!!! What a time & sanity saver!
I must be doing everything the hard way because I cannot think of any real secrets. Maybe that I cover my KA with a damp tea towel to avoid sugar storms when mixing the powder sugar. I run my icing spatula and paint scrapper under hot water before icing - would not icing a cake without doing that. I keep a plastic cup with a lot of Dawn detergent & hot water in it and as I change my tips I plop them in the cup and when I am done w/ the cake and cleaning my kitchen I drain the water and pour them into the dishwasher utensil holder........clean tips and no need to use that little brush. Someone on CC posted about storing extra BC icing in press - n - seal. I LOVE IT!!! No more cleaning a ton of bowls with left over icing! Although I must waste a lot of icing because I usually end up throwing out the left over icing -like - 1/2 of green & 1/4 cup of pink & 1 cup of blue.
That's all I can think of..... I am really enjoying reading this thread and I LOVE it when y'all post pics to explain better! !!! 
bj
Nataliesmom,
Parchment paper is sold by the roll and I just sit my pan on top of it, trace it at the bottom and cut just inside the line, viola- fitted parchment rounds for your cake pans!
presifting and measuring definitely helps when you've got a lot going on. I have 2 bowls for my mixer and 2 sifters. (sift everything!)and get a convection oven! We got ours scratch and dent for a great price and love it!! If you are using cake mixes for stacked cakes, add 1/4 cup of flour and a tsp of extract to every cake mix. I have invested in Glad's press n seal wrap - I use it to cover all of the cakes that won't go in a box. If you deliver a cake, take a repair kit with you so you can fix any goofups
My hubby and found some masonite board at Lowe's. The sheet that I bought was enough to make a 1/2, a 8" round, and a 12" round. I still have plenty to make a couple more... The board was less than 5 dollards and the are WONDERFUL.... I cover them with wrapping paper and just request them back.....If I dont get them, it is still cheap enough. Probably cheaper than the cardboard in the long run....
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