two things to reduce the chances for gluten development:

. Use cake flour which has minimal protein (that produces gluten),

. Stir the batter as little as possible to discourage gluten formation. The high fat in cakes

is helpful—fat coats flour particles and insulates them from moisture. Without

moisture, gluten cannot develop.

Planning ahead

Before you start the baking project, decide if you want a layer cake and if so, how many

layers. You can have a two, three or many layers. The authentic, glorious Hungarian dobos torta has

seven bread-slice thin layers. There are two ways to make layers. Either divide the cake batter into

as many portions as layers in the cake and bake each in separate pans, or bake the cake in a single

pan and cut the cooled cake with a serrated knife into layers. There is a difference. If you bake in a

single pan, the cake bakes longer and you have more chance of a collapsing catastrophe. But with a

serrated knife you can cut even, flat-topped layers. In single pans you are safer when baking, but

you may need to trim off the domed tops for even layers, and the cake tends to dry out more in the

shallow pans. For 2 or 3-layered cake, the choice is yours. For a 7-layered cake you need seven cake

pans—it is very difficult to cut a single cake into seven thin, equal layers.

Have sets of good-quality, heavy pans and torte pans (with removable bottoms), preferably

in more than one size. Light, inexpensive aluminum pans will not help for even baking.

You can grease the pan either with solid fat (butter, vegetable shortening) or, for

convenience, with oil spray, both produce identical results. Dust the greased surface with flour and

shake off excess to assure that the cake will release easily. For additional insurance, cut a round of

waxed or parchment paper to fit the bottom. Fit the paper into the pan after greasing and flouring

both the pans and the paper's surface in contact with the cake. You will have virtually no chance for

the dreaded stuck-to-the-pan cake.

And here is another professional trick that is an extra step for you but helps baking

professional-looking and high quality cakes and tortes. The sides of cakes and tortes brown faster

than the rest because they are in direct contact with the hot metal. Home bakers generally leave the

over-browned layer on the cake and cover it with frosting. If too brown, they may trim it off. Many

professional bakers, on the other hand, want to avoid too much browning. They wet a kitchen towel,

fold it until it is a long, thin narrow strip and tie it around the cake pan. The moisture in the towel

slowly evaporates in the oven, cooling the metal just enough to reduce over-browning. An extra step

but it is worth it.

Don't let them collapse

When a cake bakes in a cake pan, the temperature is the highest where the batter contacts the

hot metal surface. Solid structure first forms along the sides and bottom, then the top begins to

color, while the cooler center is still a moist batter. Such a cake may look done, yet the center

portion is still at the critical pre-gelatinization temperature (see Baking section above). Many an

overeager cook has watched the center sink a minute after the cake is out of the oven, producing a

bowl-shaped rather than a dome-shaped art work. There is nothing you can do to remedy this

situation—you cannot rebuild the structure—perhaps you can convert the cake into an edible fruit

bowl. Or you can salvage the outside part and serve it in chunks covered with a sweet sauce. To

avoid such baking catastrophe, touch the center ever so gently with finger near the end of the baking

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