How To Bake A Cake

To make a birthday cake you will need a boxed cake mix (the favorite type of the person for who the cake is being made), shortening, eggs, oil, flour, and birthday candles (the number of candles will vary depending on the age of the birthday person.) When you get home, you will need to gather a few items to accomplish making the cake: a large mixing bowl, a large cake pan (either a rectangular shaped pan or a circular pan, use your discretion as to which one to use), an electric mixer or a large mixing spoon, a spatula, and measuring cups and spoons.

First you will need to thoroughly wash your hands and the area that you will be using while preparing the cake. Carefully read through the directions on the back of the cake box to be sure you have everything you need that is necessary for the type of cake you are baking. Then, gather all of the equipment and food items to be used in the process and place them into your work area, organize them according to the order they will be used to make your cake. Be sure to preheat your oven to the appropriate temperature before you begin.

Next, open the bag of dry cake mix and pour the mixture from the bag into the large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs, one at a time, on the lip of the bowl and open it over the bowl so that the yolk falls onto the mix. Pour the amount of oil specified on the box into the measuring cup, make sure it is at the proper amount, and pour it into the bowl with the egg yolks and mix. Repeat this step for the water. Then, with the electric mixer or mixing spoon, mix the ingredients until it is smooth and free of clumps like batter should be. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with the spatula to ensure all of the mix gets used. Be sure to rinse the spatula off to remove the batter left on there as you will be using it again. Next, grease the cake pan with the shortening. To do this, simply take a paper towel and spread the shortening around to make sure the entire inside of the pan gets covered. If you wish, you can wrap your fingers with wax paper to prevent your fingers from getting greasy. Take a small amount of flour into a cup and pour it into the pan. Spread out the flour to make sure the shortening has been covered by the flour by holding the pan up and turning it side to side. If done over the garbage can it will be easier to clean your work area later.

Next, pour the cake batter into the cake pan, using the spatula again to scrape all of the batter off of the sides of the bowl. Be sure the batter is level in the pan so it will rise evenly as the cake bakes. Carry the pan to the oven and place the cake on the top rack of the oven and bake for the amount of time allotted on the box. The time is generally around thirty minutes, however, more time is sometimes needed. While the cake is baking, clean up your work area and the tools