Wire Racks

Cakes should be unmolded onto a wire rack so the air can freely circulate around the cake to cool quickly. (If cakes are cooled completely in their pans, they become soggy from the trapped steam.) Some simple cakes are meant to cool in the pan, but the pan should still sit on a rack to speed up the cooling. Round wire racks are fine for round cake layers, but a large rectangular rack is more versatile. Bakers with restricted counter space should look for the tiered model that has three stacked racks. The Baker’s Catalogue from King Arthur Flour (see Sources) has a big selection of racks.