Choose the Best Ingredients

• Cake batter should have the proper balance of wet to dry ingredients, as well as the correct amounts of fats and flour. If a cake recipe calls for real butter, the success of the recipe hinges, in part, on the flavor and consistency that the fat in butter provides. Margarine simply won’t yield the same batter. Any substitution, even if it still yields an edible cake, does not yield the exact cake the recipe should produce. Some substitutions, such as exchanging almond extract for vanilla, only alters the flavor of the cake and the result is not necessarily undesirable. But using egg substitute in place of whole eggs may give the cake a slightly artificial taste or prevent it from holding an even shape.

Use Fresh Ingredients

• It is best to use the freshest ingredients available. Over time, flour, eggs and butter absorb flavors from the environments in which you store them. They may also experience moisture loss. It’s not always economical to purchase new ingredients each time you bake a cake. But, to get the best results, avoid using ingredients that are more than a few months old.

Measure Ingredients Properly

• Measure ingredients as precisely as possible to ensure the proper balances of wet and dry ingredients as well as the correct ratio of fat to flour. Sift flour and level it in the measuring cup by sweeping the blunt edge of a knife across the top of the cup. If you press a cup of flour against the side of its container you pack excess flour into the cup, which ultimately yields a cake that is too dry. Some recipes may call for an ingredient -- usually flour -- by weight rather than volume. Use a food scale to weigh those ingredients when possible to ensure the best results.

Achieve Ideal Temperatures

• Whether you are handling ingredients or a baked cake, the most important quality is temperature. With few exceptions, ingredients should be room temperature when you blend them to make the batter. It’s nearly impossible to achieve the proper emulsion without softened butter. Melted butter yields a flat cake; chilled butter yields a cake that rises unevenly. Eggs incorporate more effectively if they are room temperature, even though most recipes do not specify a temperature for eggs. Allow a baked cake to cool to room temperature before you attempt to remove it from the pan or decorate it. Warm cake is prone to breaking. Cool cake is firmer and can withstand the impact of being removed from the pan.

Adjust for Altitude

• High altitudes cause cakes to rise more due to decreased air pressure. Baking at a high altitude also causes a cake to dry out faster because liquids tend to evaporate quicker at higher elevations. If you live above 3,500 feet, increase the volume of liquid in the recipe by 2 tablespoons per cup used and add an extra egg or egg white. Decrease the volume of sugar by 2 tablespoons per cup, then decrease the volume of baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon per teaspoon. Increase the baking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit, but reduce the baking time by five to 10 minutes.