A Few Holiday Baking Tips

Now is the time where we start baking all those goodies!  I discovered the Silpat AE420295-07 Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-5/8-Inch x 16-1/2-Inch several years ago, and it works really well.  No grease is needed.  Just remove your cookies from the oven and let them cool, and they'll slide right off!

Another way to have good layer cakes is to spray the bottom of your layer pan with Pam Cooking Spray Original - 12 Pack, line the pan with wax paper and spray that again with Pam Cooking Spray .  Add your cake batter, then line the outside of the cake pans with Regency Evenbake Cake Strips or wet paper towels, but the Cake Strips work better.  To avoid a fire hazard, be sure to make sure they're dripping wet.  You should know the cake is done when it has pulled away from the sides of the pan, pressing in the center doesn't leave a dent, and no crumbs or batter sticking when inserting a OXO Good Grips Cake Tester.  Leave your cake pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  It may also be a good idea to bake one extra layer just in case the cake splits when removing from pans.

It's also a good idea to have a Household Extinguisher handy in the event of a kitchen fire.