Cool cakes properly, and always follow the recipe's instructions. In general:
- Shortened cakes – should remain 10 minutes in their pans, and then unmolded and optionally, turned upright to the wire cake rack.
Cakes baked in rectangular or square pans, jelly roll/sheet and springform pans: many remain in their pans to cool completely. The warm interior of a cake needs a chance to become firm, so any drastic movements jeopardizes its structure. The cake rack allows even air circulation to prevent condensation and sogginess. A spatula or thin knife can be inserted and moved around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake before unmolding it to the cake rack.
- Unshortened or Foam cakes – Sponge cake: unmolded immediately; Angel food and chiffon cake: suspended upside down until cool
This how to baking technique is used with the Frosted Fresh Cherry Cake Recipe Tutorial.
HOW TO TIPS:
1. Take the cake layers immediately from the oven to a wire cake rack and let them sit for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or sharp knife. Invert onto wire cake rack, peel off parchment paper, if using, and place upright with the support of another wire cake rack to cool completely.
SARAH SAYS: A cake layer is fragile when hot when taken right from the oven and will crack easily and fall apart if unmolded too soon from its pan. Letting it sit for 10 minutes in its pan allows it to cool a bit before unmolding, preventing this from happening. If your cooling rack has short legs and sits close to the countertop, condensation easily forms between the two making the underside of the cake wet. So, prop up your cooling rack by placing a same height glass under each corner. Then air can easily circulate around the cake to cool it and no condensation will form.
2. Unmold the second cake layer.
