C.J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Best Cake and Dessert Making Tips and Tricks
Originally published 3/9/21
Updated 5/31/23 with Bonus Ideas, scroll to bottom for new ideas!
I have been making cakes and desserts since I was a little girl. My first memory of creating my own delicious dessert from scratch comes from a day I spent at a friends house. Her mom let us experiment in the kitchen with various baking ingredients and we ended up coming up with a chocolate chip cake that was AMAZING! Her mom put some in foil for me to take home and I remember sharing it with my parents and loving watching them enjoy something delicious I created.
Some of my best memories come from moments I’ve spent in the kitchen. I spent time at another friends’ home where I learned how to bake and decorate sugar cookies to perfection. Every Christmas I made buckeyes that my family and friends looked forward to receiving (and devouring!).
Cooking and baking is an art form to me and the more I practice, the better I get. I’ve been creating cakes, cookies, desserts and more for years, so I thought it was time I shared some of my best tips and tricks with anyone that would like to know them.
See my top tips and tricks below!
1- How to Grease a Pan Without Getting Messy Hands:
Simply dip a paper towel into shortening and use it to grease a pan. I was tired of always having greasy hands when prepping my baking pans and found that this method always works perfectly!
Grease pans without a mess using a paper towel
2- How to Always Have Smooth Cake Batter:
Either use cake flour (it’s usually more fine in consistency) or sift your flour before using. I also sift powdered sugar before using it in icings.
I like to use cake flour
3- How To Prevent Cakes From Sticking To Pans (Easy Release Method):
First, grease your pan. Then add about one tablespoon to the pan and shake to coat it with the flour. Dump out any remaining flour.
Flour your pans
Next, use your cake pans to trace out circles onto parchment paper.
Tracing out parchment liners for cake pans
Don’t worry about them being perfect…
Tracing out parchment circles
Then cut out the circles and add to the greased and floured pan. I make sure to cut off all pencil marks to ensure it’s not transferred into my baked goods.
This allows you to easily flip a cooled cake out of the pan with no sticking. It has worked for me EVERY. TIME!
Parchment lined baking pan
Pin the image below to share this great tips!
How to easily release cakes
4- How to Make Your Own Buttermilk (Vegan or Non-Vegan Method):
Many times I make a cake that calls for buttermilk. I never drink the leftovers, so after wasting tons of buttermilk over the years, I figured out how to make my own out of things I have at home already. You can add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to one cup milk, let it sit for a few minutes, and have “buttermilk” that can be used in any recipe that calls for it.
Making DIY buttermilk
I use almond milk (instead of dairy milk) and it works just fine. You can see in the photo below how it curdles. This is the consistency you want, as it’s thick like buttermilk.
How the buttermilk texture will look
5- How to Keep Chocolate Chips From Sinking:
I love a chocolate chip cake or cheesecake, but don’t like when the chocolate chips fall to the bottom of the cake. Here’s how to fix that: Add chocolate chips to a bowl with one tablespoon flour.
Coat chocolate chips in flour
Mix to coat all the chocolate chips. Add to the batter. Your chocolate chips will no longer fall to the bottom of the dessert while it bakes.
Flour coated chocolate chips
Just fold it meme by Schitt’s Creek
6- The Best Way to Incorporate Add-Ins (How to FOLD!):
When adding fruit, candy pieces or chocolate chips to a baked good, you should always fold them in last. To fold: Add the fruit, candy pieces or chocolate chips to the batter and use a spatula or large spoon to VERY GENTLY stir them into the batter. This only needs to be done enough times to spread the add-in throughout the batter.
Chocolate chips floating in batter
7- How to Make a Cake Cuter, Taller and Taste Better
Many recipes for cakes (and boxed cake mixes) make one 8 inch cake. After making many 8 inch cakes over the years, I thought they just looked flat. One person said an 8 inch cake I made looked like a hat (and that was not the look I was going for), so I started making many of my 8 inch cakes into taller 6 inch cakes.
Instead of using two 8 inch cake pans, try using three 6 inch cake pans. This method can make your cake look cuter and taller.
If you are making a box cake mix, add in one small package (about 3.4 oz.) of WHITE CHOCOLATE Jell-O Pudding mix. This will make your cake taste better and it will be the most moist cake you’ve ever made. I always use white chocolate because it doesn’t alter a cake flavor (it just seems to enhance it), but you could use chocolate pudding mix for a chocolate cake, vanilla pudding mix for vanilla cakes, etc.
Using three baking pans for one cake
8- How to Make Cake Decor POP:
Anytime I create chocolate pieces for cakes and desserts, I like to dust them with edible luster dust. You can get it via Amazon as well as many craft and baking supply stores. The dust seems to make details pop and it also makes everything a bit more sparkly and pretty.
I use a fluffy paint brush (one I only use for food) to dust it on. It also can be combined with water and be used to paint on food with.
Luster Dust
Before the luster dust…
How to paint chocolate
After the luster dust…
Luster dust coated chocolate
9- The Best Method for Piping Chocolate Into Molds:
I always melt my chocolate and then spoon it into a piping bag instead of trying to spoon it in. I then cut off the tip and squeeze the chocolate into each mold. You can also use a Ziplock style bag. To easily spoon the chocolate into the bag, I place the bag in a large glass. It keeps it steady and upright.
After piping the chocolate into the molds, I tap them on the counter to remove air bubbles. I then place them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or long enough for them to harden. Then I flip over the molds and they pop right out!
I like flipping out my chocolate pieces onto these inexpensive cutting mats I found on Amazon. They are large and keep my counter (and my chocolates) from getting messy!
Chocolate Seashells
10- How to Make Gelatin Bubbles (Fun Cake Decor!):
I made my first gelatin bubbles for a birthday cake in early 2021 and they turned out great! They last for a long time (I made some two weeks ago and they are still sitting on my counter, perfect as the day I made them!).
While I learned how to do them via other people’s blog posts, I had to read MANY posts in order to gain enough knowledge to feel comfortable enough with actually creating the bubbles. Since I learned a lot during the process, I wrote it all up, combining lots and lot of tips and tricks. Click here to view my gelatin bubble instructions or watch the video below via our Pinterest page @carolynjbraden.
Gelatin Bubbles
11- Use fresh flowers
Sunflower birthday cake I made for my husband
If you don’t have the most creative streak going through you but still need to decorate a cake, try using fresh flowers. Or, if you are like me and love fresh flower cakes, start with using them as cake decor, especially if you are just starting to get into baking. Flowers have always been my go-to easy way to make a simple cake look fab.
Watch the sunflower cake come together in our quick YouTube video below or via our channel @carolynjbraden:
Natural sunflower and orange cake design
I have used a variety of fresh flowers on cakes, which all depends on what is in season. I cut the flowers to fit the cake as needed, then slide them into the cake according to how I feel they should look. I design with flowers using one part idea from planning and one part feeling. How it turns out is how it is supposed to be.
The back of my sunflower cake
This sunflower cake was one I made for my husband for his birthday in 2023. I gain inspiration from people and what they like in my designs, as the sunflower represented his love of nature and baseball. He also LOVES orange creamsicle and carrot cake, so I used oranges as a design accent and made the cake carrot with cream cheese icing. The cream cheese represented his love of cheesecake too.
If you love this article, we know you’ll love this one too: Easy Simmering Potpourri Recipe and Gift Idea
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.