oakley - that's a beautiful server/stand. I think is going to be a beautiful addition to your hutch. I have a gold finished three layer stand which allows you to use your own plates according to the time of year, or what holiday or event you are using it to serve from. The stand takes standard size china or dinner plates. I've had it forever, but use it frequently when we have dinner guests. I don't have to worry about where I am going to park the desserts. I can put three pies, or three different desserts, one on each layer. Sometimes I will use the top layer for candies or chocolates. The $20 cake stands (set of 3 graduated sizes) I purchased from Target online are clear glass. I purchased them to use in decorating project I was inspired to do after seeing one that judithva created. The three graduated clear stands plus a sundae dish from a dollar store are the "bones" of the project. You can do any holiday or occasion, only limited by your imagination! When they aren't "decorated", the stands can be used separately. Very nice to have the different size options.

How much did you end up getting rid of? I am always confused about those types of things too. My MIL claims that the paste coloring is pretty much good forever, and I've read similar things on the internet, but am not sure I want to keep the ones we have for that long. I guess you just have to use your best judgment, and also think about whether you are likely to ever use it again, or want to buy new anyway if you do. Congrats on getting some of those cabinets cleaned up! I am doing small decluttering tasks left and right lately too. Sometimes it's nice to step back and look at just one cabinet that is clean and perfectly organized :^)

Thanks for the suggestions. I hate to be that person who has a reason the suggestions won’t work but I don’t eat chocolate. So I’d just end up scraping it off to eat so why bother putting it on? I could use the chocolate on the 4 out of 12 cupcakes I won’t eat. 😆 🧁🧁🧁🧁 ”yes dear, that is odd that my recipe makes so few cupcakes. No, I can’t explain all the cupcake wrappers in the trash, it’s a mystery.” I‘m probably in over my head with this idea, will I ever be able to cut the ears so cute?, so I should just make regular coconut cupcakes. Same taste, no hassle. Maybe I’ll wait for the llama faces for next time my niece and nephew visit (when, oh when will that be possible?!). My husband requested a lemon ricotta cake for his bday cake (I make the one at Cafe Sucre Farine but w/o almond extract) so that has to happen before I scratch my coconut itch.

I'm not so scientific. I think my 6” pans are 3”. Whatever they are, whether 6” or any other size, or deep mold like bundt, or loaf, I just make the batter, and fill to what looks right. If I have leftover batter, I just bake it off separately, either as a tester, or to use in something else. If I were baking commercially, I'd perfect the recipe amounts. As it is, I can't be bothered. I do have some anti-doming devices, but they don't work well enough, IMHO, to bother with most of the time. A cake fills best when perfectly flat, or even lightly dished. It's still going to need evening up. Many people prefer fewer taller layers (less “crust” to get rid of), and just slice them to the size they want. Others just make sheet cakes and cut their layers out of those. I just realized. My “eyeball” measure is about an inch from the top of the pan. That's what the half full and 2/3 full are both telling you. So the best way to get equal amounts of batter in each pan is to use a scale. For less formal, I just pour some batter in one pan and let it settle while pouring some in the other, then eyeball the height back and forth until the pans are filled properly. Usually once to start, a second time to divide the batter and a third to adjust and clean out the batter bowl. Measuring batter by volume is a good way to compare the recipe with the how much your pans will hold, but not an easy way to fill them. If you're worried your pans will overflow, you can line the sides with parchment paper or extenders made for the purpose. Don't fuss over precision unless there are judges involved. It's just cake. It's supposed to be fun. What's important is getting your batter in the pans promptly, a good whack to get out air pockets, and get them right in the oven. The moisture or acid acting part of the baking powder is already at work. If you leave the batter sitting around, it'll discharge and deflate. Some recipes do that on purpose for denser cakes, only lifted by the heat action and eggs, but if that's not your goal, make sure your oven has been at temperature for some time, so that the walls, not just the air, are hot, and you get your batter into the pans, and the pans into the oven promptly.