Before you start mixing, turn on your oven and preheat it to the correct temperature.  Place the pans as near to the center of the oven as possible.  Don’t let the pans touch each other or the sides of the oven.  And don’t place the pans directly under each other.  If necessary, stagger the pans on two shelves. 

The baking process goes like this: During the first quarter, the cake begins to rise; second quarter, the rising continues and the surface begins to brown; third quarter, the rising is completed and the browning continues; fourth quarter, the cake finishes baking.

There are several tests you can apply to decide when your cake is done--the cake will shrink slightly from the sides of the pan, it will spring back when pressed lightly with a finger, and a cake tester or a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.  Regardless of the time given in a recipe, always test the cake for doneness.

More Baking Topics

High-Altitude Changes

Conventional Cakes

Cakes with Shortening