Taking Time Before Baking Time

Photo team associate editor Chris O’Connor, surrounded by stacks of meticulously portioned baking ingredients, measures out cream of tartar into eleven small plastic cups while getting a jump start on a video shoot involving eleven (yes, eleven!) batches of our recipe for Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake with Foolproof Chocolate Frosting. Measuring out every ingredient ahead of time (even these pinches of cream of tartar) helps: this way, when the day of the shoot arrives, the photo team test cooks can jump right into baking without worrying about having to get their prep done.