I collect baking tips, and as mentioned in past newsletter articles, I’ve created a chapter in my Cook’n 11 to hold and organize these tips for me. Baking Tips happens to be one of the most visited chapters in my Cook’n 11. I’ve just added a few new tips that you might be interested in:

First, here’s some wonderful advice from the experts at America’s Test Kitchen on how to give Bundt cakes the crackliest, most sugary crust. This type of crust is not only pretty and yummy, but it saves on the need to add an icing or drizzling.

The Test Kitchen chefs brushed their Bundt pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil before coating it with 1/3 cup of sugar. This provided a thick coating of pure fat that was easy to brush on and guaranteed that the cake released with ease. And of course, as mentioned, the sugar coating sparkled and added a flavor dimension that pleased every cake-tester.

Next, here’s a tip on how to get a stuck Bundt cake out of the pan in one pretty piece. Who hasn’t done this? You fill your favorite intricately-designed Bundt pan with homemade cake batter and wait the 50-60 minutes for it to bake, only to have the cake stick to the pan. I know I have. There is nothing more crushing than trying to invert a yummy-smelling cake from its pan and having it stick or fall out it clumps. Well, no more! Try this "steam" method with your next stuck Bundt cake.

Try releasing the cake with steam:

· Boil a teakettle of water.

· Place a clean kitchen towel in your sink.

· Very carefully pour some of the hot water over the towel (the towel should be damp but not dripping).

· Carefully drape the towel over the top of the pan and leave it there until the pan is cool enough to handle, 15 to 20 minutes. During this time, the warm pan and moisture from the towel will create steam, and the steam will help release the cake from the pan when you invert it.

And another tip: Besides greasing and sugaring the pan prior to adding your batter, after the cake is baked, set it on its side while it cools. This helps keep the cake from settling on the bottom.

But then, if the cake just won’t come out, no matter what, do what a reader of www.thekitchn.com suggests: “Last time I made my blueberry lemon Bundt cake in my mother-in-law’s old Bundt cake pan, it simply wouldn't come out. So I basically spooned it out, toasted the cake pieces, then topped them with vanilla ice cream and a pretty swirl of lemon icing. Everyone thought I’d planned this. I let ‘em think it.”

In closing, let’s go back to the Test Kitchen pros. Besides advice on Bundt cakes, they also have a tip for cutting cheese cakes and mousses. Their favorite tool is a cheese wire (which works much better than a knife, producing cleaner and neater slices). But when a cheese wire isn’t available, they suggest using a long length of dental floss. They say that both the cheese wire and the dental floss create less drag, which is why the slices come out crisp and perfectly shaped.

I hope you’ve found a tip or two here that you can use. If so, do consider creating your own Cook’n 11 chapter for best baking tips. Meanwhile, here’s to beautiful Bundt cakes and pretty cheesecake slices!