ANOTHER NEW KITCHEN GADGET

You have heard me say, on more than one occasion, that the proper tool is everything.  When I recently made a 3-layer cake...and found that it was not centered on the cake round, there was not a darn thing I could do about it.  I thought to myself "why didn't you order that cake lifter you have on your wish list BEFORE you made the cake?"  Hindsight is, as they say, 20-20. 

So, I went ahead and ordered one from Amazon and selected the Nordic Ware Cake Lifter.  I'd never actually seen a cake lifter and wasn't sure what to expect ...or even if I was wasting $10 on the purchase.  Boy howdy was I wrong to doubt myself.  This tool looks like it is meant to do the job!  It is huge...obviously big enough to slide completely under a 9 inch cake.  It is very sturdy with a rubber/silicone handle for comfortable gripping.  It's like a big ass old spatula!  The description said it had a folding handle for easy storage - which is of prime importance in my tiny kitchen.  Alas, that was an incorrect statement.  No folding handle.  It is made of a non-stick material but they recommend using a cooking spray to insure the transfer occurs without sticking.  Also, many folks recommend for removing 12 inch pizzas from the oven.  Great!!!  Love a multi-tasking tool.

Not only was my Hummingbird Cake off-center, I nearly broke one of the layers in half by trying to lift it off the cooling rack.  It seemed like such a dense sturdy cake, I thought I could do it...and I saw it starting to crack immediately, requiring a return to the cooling rack, and flipping upside down between two racks to transfer it to the cake in the correct position.  The entire endeavor would have been so simple with this cake lifter!

I can't wait to make another layer cake...this also should solve all those tricky problems involving icky icing smears on your serving platter too (well, I hope).  I'll certainly give you an update after I've used it a time or two and put it through its paces.  If it works as well as I think it will, you'll be wanting to get one too.

Last good thing...it says, right on the front "MADE IN U.S.A." and that's what I like to see!

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!!!