Rosquillas de sabor


CONTINÚAN VIGENTE EN EL GUSTO PUERTORRIQUEÑO
(el nuevo día / wanda liz vega)Por Liz Sandra Santiago / lsrivera@elnuevodia.com

Dona, rosquilla, donut, doughnut... ¿quién no se ha visto tentado por este dulce antojito que puede ser tan sabroso como lleno de color?
“En la cultura americana la dona se utiliza como desayuno, pero para el puertorriqueño es más un postre o un antojito dulce. Lo bueno es que es fácil de comer, lo tomas con la mano y ya”, menciona el chef Héctor Merced, de Galluzzo Bistro Cafe, en Miramar, quien añade que es especialmente atractivo para los niños.
Dentro de la pastelería, este antojito dulce se clasifica como un bizcochuelo o buñuelo, porque su proceso de confección es diferente a otros postres que se hornean, dice el chef .
Un estilo de dona muy conocido -y podría decirse que el más popular- es el que utiliza aceite para freír la masa que contiene levadura y que se esponja logrando una forma redondeada casi perfecta.
La dona tuvo su origen en Holanda, cuando los pasteleros comenzaron a confeccionar una masa frita a la que llamaba ‘olykoek’ o bollo de aceite.

Esta receta fue llevada a América por los peregrinos y casi 250 años más tarde -en 1847- Hanson Gregory, un marino de Maine, tuvo la idea de hacerle un orificio justo en el medio. Este alegaba que, al dejar ese espacio vacío, la dona se freía de manera más uniforme.
En la actualidad, el proceso de preparación de la dona, aunque simple, requiere de tiempo y técnica.
“Se hace con ingredientes básicos como harina, azúcar y levadura; es parecido al proceso de hacer pan. Pero una vez se hace la masa y se pica hay que dejarla reposar para que la levadura se active, produzca gases y se esponje. Una vez está al punto correcto de altura se pone a freír”, comenta Merced.
El secreto de una buena dona radica en la combinación de ingredientes de calidad, su frescura y la temperatura a la que se fríe.
Comúnmente puede saborearse tal cual sale de la cocina o con diferentes ‘toppings’ como chispas de color, crema, chocolate, azúcar regular o glaseado.
“Se puede inventar mucho con la dona porque tiene muchas posibilidades, es bien versátil. La puedes hacer de chocolate o incluirle almendras a la masa. También puedes hacerlas rellenas y ahí las posibilidades son infinitas, y puedes rellenarlas de jaleas o de dulce de leche. También cuando las fríes puedes decorarla como prefieras”, comenta el chef.
Otra receta que ha tenido éxito en el mercado local es la creada por la compañía Holsum que presenta una dona “abizcochada”, como explica José Miguel Pérez, director de ventas senior de la compañía.
“La dona abizcochada tienen ventaja sobre la dona regular porque dura más tiempo fresca”, explica Pérez, quien añade que el éxito de producto en términos de negocios se debe a que es una receta con la que se puede experimentar hasta lograr diferentes opciones.

Muchos nombres, un gran sabor
Aunque la dona tal como fue creada en Holanda y modificada en América tiene una forma definida y una elaboración bastante similar, en otras partes del mundo cuentan con recetas similares que tienen el mismo fin: deleitar el paladar de los amantes de la pastelería.
• En Francia, se le llama ‘beignets’ a las masas fritas, que pueden estar rellenas de frutas o con azúcar.
• En Alemania se conocen como las ‘krapfen’, con la particularidad de que no tienen el agujero en el centro y se rellenan con mermelada.
• El ‘fritole’ italiano viene con frutos integrados en la masa y espolvoreado con azúcar.
• Los turcos comen ‘lokmas’, unas bolitas fritas bañadas con miel y canela.
• En Hungría y Austria disfrutan del ‘langosh’, donas hechas con harina de papa, fritas en manteca de cerdo y luego son frotadas con ajo fresco. Pueden comerse cubiertas de queso crema o con azúcar.
Fuente: curiosidadesgastronomicas.com

Hechas en casa

Ingredientes
1 taza de harina
1 huevo grande
3/4 taza de leche
1/2 cucharadita de polvo para hornear
4 cucharadas de azúcar
aceite

Procedimiento
Mezcla la harina, dos cucharadas de azúcar y el polvo para hornear.
Agrega el huevo y la leche, y mezcla muy bien hasta hacer una masa.
Coloca un poco de harina en una superficie plana y estira la masa con un rodillo hasta tener un espesor de unos cinco centímetros.
Luego utiliza un vaso para cortar las donas y una tapa de botella para hacer el agujero más pequeño en el centro de cada una de las donas.
Déjalas tomar aire por 15 minutos para que se levanten.
Calienta el aceite a fuego mediano y fríe las donas por alrededor de un minuto de cada lado.
Coloca dos cucharadas de azúcar en un recipiente y pasa la dona por ambos lados.

Nueve alimentos que socorren tu corazón

Archivo El Nuevo Día
Por Doelys Hernández / Especial para ELNUEVODIA.COM

Las enfermedades cardiovasculares son la primera causa de muerte en los puertorriqueños. Si quieres cuidar tu corazón y prevenir estos males, hay ciertos alimentos que no deben faltar en tu carrito de compras.
La avena es rica en ácidos grasos omega 3, acido fólico y potasio. Es un superalimento alto en fibra que ayuda a bajar los niveles de LDL o colesterol bueno evitando que las arterias se tapen. Elige las opciones de hojuelas regulares o gruesas, las cuales contienen más fibra y añádele frutas o guineos para añadirle 4 gramos de fibra adicional.
El salmón es un alimento rico en ácidos grasos omega 3, ayuda a reducir la presión arterial y cuidar las arterias. Se recomienda consumirlo dos veces por semana, para reducir el riesgo de morir de un ataque al corazón. Si no te gusta, escoge atún o sardinas.
Añadir un poco de aguacate a un sandwich o a una ensalada de espinacas, no sólo le suma sabor, sino que le añade grasas saludables a tu dieta.
El aguacate está lleno de grasa monosaturada y contribuye a disminuir el colesterol malo y aumentar el colesterol bueno.
El aceite de oliva está lleno de grasas monodesaturadas, por lo que reduce el riesgo de padecer enfermedades cardiovasculares.
Las nueces también son altas en grasas saludables
Fresas en todas sus variedades, ya sean blueberries, fresas, raspberries funcionan como excelentes antiinflamatorios, ayudando también a prevenir el cáncer.
Granos como lentejas, habichuelas pintas, rojas o negras, garbanzos son alimentos altos en fibra soluble y calcio.
La soya es rica en fitoestrógenos, que ayudan a mantener los niveles de colesterol malo (LDL) bajo y aumentar el colesterol bueno (HDL), así que no temas en consumirla con regularidad.
Por último, el tofú, que también es una excelente alternativa para consumirla.
Cuida tu corazón con los alimentos que consumes, y si ya padeces de enfermedades del corazón comienza a consumirlos, tu corazón te lo agradecerá.

La mala fama del huevo

No es tan malo como lo pintan

Por la Redacción de El Tiempo
Pocos alimentos tienen una fama tan mala como el huevo. Pese a contar con un valor nutritivo tan alto, a su alrededor se han tejido mitos a lo largo de los años; el principal es que su consumo dispara los niveles de colesterol malo en la sangre, razón por la cual llegó a desaconsejarse su consumo diario. Este es, vale decirlo, el primer mito que desvirtúan los especialistas.
"El huevo -sostiene Claudia Angarita, directora del Centro Colombiano de Nutrición Integral- contiene proteínas de alta calidad y su valor nutritivo es muy importante para niños y adultos. Dentro de una alimentación balanceada no tiene por qué ser malo comer huevo todos los días".
Angarita afirma, además, que "es falsa esa mala relación que se ha tejido entre el huevo y el colesterol" y dice que "su consumo moderado no altera los niveles de colesterol en el organismo".
La nutricionista Lucía Correa agrega que "este es un alimento con características nutricionales magníficas, dada la calidad de su proteína; se puede decir que, a nivel nutricional, es la de mayor valor biológico". Aclara, sin embargo, que es natural que en las personas con altos niveles de colesterol se vigile el consumo de huevos dentro de una dieta controlada, "eso sí, sin eliminarlos completamente".

¿Qué aporta?
Un huevo aporta 213 miligramos de colesterol y las recomendaciones de ingesta diaria en una persona sana van hasta 300 miligramos; claro está que si se tiene una enfermedad cardiovascular, el tope son 200 miligramos.
"El huevo tiene todos los aminoácidos esenciales que el ser humano no produce y es uno de los alimentos más completos por su gran aporte de nutrientes: proteínas, vitaminas A, D, E, B1, B6 y B12, calcio, hierro, fósforo, yodo, magnesio, zinc, beta carotenos y lecitina", dice Angarita.
Esos nutrientes favorecen el crecimiento y desarrollo de los niños y permiten la formación, construcción y regeneración de tejidos gastados en los adultos. Es más, según una revisión de estudios sobre el tema publicada en el Journal of the American College of Nutrition hace unos años, un nutriente esencial para el funcionamiento cardiovascular y cerebral, que está presente en el huevo, ayudaría a metabolizar y disminuir la homocisteína, cuyo nivel elevado está asociado al aumento del riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares.

Una vez al día no hace daño
Los expertos recomiendan consumir un huevo al día a cualquier edad, después del primer año de vida. También se puede comer de cualquier manera, aunque para los niños es mejor que sea tibio, cocido o revuelto. "Si es frito, lo mejor es no abusar del aceite o hacerlo escalfado, es decir, en agua", dice Lucía Correa.
213 miligramos de colesterol, son los que aporta un huevo. Los expertos recomiendan que una persona sana coma hasta 300 miligramos de colesterol por día y, en caso de enfermedad cardiovascular, el máximo so
200 miligramos.

Para comprarlos y conservarlos
Es bueno que te fijes, al comprarlos, si la cáscara está limpia y no está quebrada.
Se recomienda guardarlos en la nevera, porque así duran más tiempo frescos, aunque si lo hace por fuera durante unos días, no hay problema.
También deben estar lejos de alimentos con olores fuertes. Si los huevos se dejan a temperatura media o se exponen al sol, se descomponen rápidamente.
Para saber si un huevo está vencido, ponlo en un recipiente con agua. Si flota, es mejor no comerlo. Además, fíjate en la cáscara: si está porosa, el huevo está pasado.

Algunos tips sobre los utensilios


Al cuidar tu equipo alargas su vida.
Use un palillo para limpiar bien las orillas dentro de los moldes. Estos restos que les pueden quedar al molde les deja un sabor rancio al bizcocho.
Las mangas y las boquillas deben lavarse tan pronto que termines de usarlas.
Venden unos cepillitos para lavar las boquillas, o en las tiendas de 99 centavos hallaras unos cepillitos que son para limpiar biberones de bebe que quizas tambien puedas usar.
Inmediatamente que termines de lavar todo (moldes, boquillas, espatulas, bowls y ganchos de la batidora), lo debes de secar para que no se manchen.
No deje caer sus moldes al piso, porque se deforman.
Si su boquilla se le daña, venden un reparador para arreglarlas (de la casa Wilton).
Siempre limpie bien su batidora Kitchen Aid para remover cualquier grasa que le haya quedado. Principalmente si hizo la masa del bizcocho y va a hacer el azucarado luego. Si no lo limpia bien, pueda que tengan problemas en hacer su azucarado. La limpieza incluye desde donde se ponen los instrumentos de batir, hasta donde se aumenta la velocidad - ya que en estas partes se acumula sucio y no se ve facilmente.
Yo tengo una espatula de goma solo para hacer el batido del bizcocho y otra solo para el azucarado- de esta manera estoy 100% seguro que nada le pasara a el azucarado.
Use una olla con mango (sauce pan) solo para hacer el almibar que usara para mojar su bizcocho o hacer el sirop para su azucarado de claras. Y solo uselo para este proposito. Nada de usarlo para la cocina diaria.

Este articulo ha sido adaptado del desaparecido blog de la Sra. Cindy Rodriguez, de New York.

BUDIN DE MAIZ ANTIGUO

2ndo lugar Platos con Maiz
Flora Rodriguez

Ingredientes
10 tazas de leche de coco fresca, natural
1 1/4 tazas de azucar
2 cajitas de pasas de 1 onza cada una
2 1/2 tazas de harina de maiz
sal a gusto
vainilla a gusto
canela a gusto

Procedimiento
En una olla de hierro mezcle todos los ingredientes.
Cocine en calor alto hasta que hierva, moviendo constantemente.
Baje el calor a moderado y continue moviendo la harina hasta que este cocida, ya cuajada.
Deje cocinar por 5 minutos en calor bajo.
Vierta la mezcla en un molde engrasado.
Hornee a 300 grados Farengheit durante 20 a 25 minutos, hasta que dore.
Deje refrescar y sirva.

La historia del cafe


La historia del cafe comienza con una leyenda de un pastor etiope que cuidaba su rebaño de cabras y noto que durante la noche los animales en vez de dormir y descansar, no hacian mas que saltar y moverse de un lado al otro. Extrañado, comento el hecho con unos monjes establecidos cerca del lugar. Estos comprendieron que los animales habian ingerido alguna planta que producia estos efectos; inspeccionaron el lugar y observaron unos arbustos recien despojados de sus hojas por los animales y al probar los frutos de estos comprobaron los efectos. Aprendieron a hervirlo en agua que tomaban cuando tenian que pasar la noche en oracion.

El proceso de tostado, molido y confeccion de la bebida, se le atribuye a los arabes durante el siglo XIII y XIV y estos introdujeron el cafe en Europa durante el siglo XVI. El cafe fue transplantado al nuevo mundo por los colonizadores españoles y portugueses pero en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX adquirio importancia como producto de exportacion.

Algunos beneficios del cafe
te llena de energia
ayuda a estar alerta y concentrarte
reduce el dolor de cabeza
evita coagulos sanguineos
reduce el riesgo de sufrir Parkinson
mejora el asma y las alergias
no aumenta el riesgo de osteoporosis
disminuye el riesgo de desarrollar cancer
no afecta al embarazo
no afecta su consumo en la infancia
previene las caries
disminuye la presion
reduce el riesgo de desarrollar diabetes

Apple pie


Ingredientes
¾ taza de azucar morena empacada en E. U.
3 cdas de harina para todo uso
½ cdta de canela en polvo
1/8 cdta de sal
6 tazas de manzanas peladas y cortadas en cubitos
2 crusts refrigerados para pie

Procedimiento
En un sarten amplio ponga todos los ingredientes excepto el crust y cocinelos hasta tener las manzanas casi tiernas.
Deje refrescar durante unos minutos y vierta sobre el crust.
Coloque el otro crust encima y una bien todo el borde. Haga unas incisiones encima para que el relleno “respire”.
Hornee a 350 grados Farengheit durante 45 minutos.
Deje refrescar, corte y sirva.

Supplies
I will not tell you to run out and buy every piece of equipment and every cake decorating tool available at this minute. But I will tell you that certain tools will make the job easier.


Icing bags
Featherweight - These are a lightweight polyester bag that's reusable and come in a variety of sizes. These bags are more expensive, but they are easy to use and last for a long time if cared for properly.
Disposable - You can purchase plastic, see-thru bags that come in a variety of sizes from a multitude of manufacturers. They can usually be re-used a few times before they need to be thrown away. They are less expensive but have a very limited life-span.
Parchment - parchment can be purchased pre-cut and boxed, or you can buy parchment paper and cut your own triangles. It's a little bit of a hassle to fold your own bags, but they're the least expensive and disposable. I also find it's more difficult to re-fill parchment bags. I do use them for colorflow.
Vinyl - Every once in awhile I'll see decorating bags on the market that look very similar to the featherweight bags. These bags are much heavier and made of a tougher fabric. The problem with these bags, I've found, is that they're more difficult to squeeze and it's much harder to twist and close the back of the bag when piping.
Other. In a pinch, I've used wax paper and ziplock or sandwich baggies for piping icing. It's quick and easy, cheap and disposable.
Icing tips - As you decorate you'll find that certain tips you need more of than others, depending on the types of cakes you're doing. If you're doing a lot of cakes with star fill-in techniques, then you'll need several #16 tips. If you're doing a lot of cakes and don't want to be doing a lot of dishes in between, sometimes it's just easier to have multiples of each tip. Where do you keep your tips? Do you have a tip case? A box? Are they all mixed together? I like to keep my supplies organized. I have a box like this, with labels on the front of the drawers where I can easily access and find my tips all the time.
Turntables - There are multiple sizes and styles of turntables on the market. Some sit close to the table, while others are higher on a pedastal. There are electric turntables, rectangular turntables, tilting turntables and some made especially for fondant. While not absolutely necessary for decorating a cake, they are extremely helpful, particularly when actually icing the cakes.

Spatulas
Straight - straight spatulas are straight with plastic or wooden handles that come in a variety of lengths and widths. While used in icing the whole cake, they are particularly helpful when icing the sides.
Angled or offset - The first four spatulas to the right are offset spatulas. These are used most when icing the tops of cakes. They allow you to ice the cake with the flat of the spatula held flat, without having to drag your knuckles through the icing.
Tapered offset - The very first spatula in the picture is a tapered spatula. The end of this spatula comes to a slight point which is helpful when icing into corners, or having to remove sections of icing.
Couplers - Couplers are a 2-piece tool that fits into an icing bag and allows you to attach and change tips on a bag of icing. While it is possible to place your tip into the bag and then add your icing, you will be unable to change this tip should you need to use that icing color for another technique that uses a different tip. I highly recommend having multiple couplers handy.
Fondant smoothers - I use fondant smoothers for smoothing both buttercream and fondant. They're a smooth, flat, plastic tool with a grip that allows you to smooth your icing and fondant by putting pressure on the cake to "iron" out the wrinkles. While this is not absolutely necessary, I find that this tool has been quite beneficial to me.
Icing colors - There are several brands of color on the market. Some are liquid, some are paste or gel, and some are powdered. You can even buy color in a can and airbrush colors, as well as pearlizing and metalic colors.
Generally speaking, when coloring icings, you'll use a paste or powder food color. If you add liquid colors to your icings, it will thin it down and change your icing consistency. Most gels will not unless adding a great deal of color to achieve a very dark icing. If this is the case, you may need to add additional powdered sugar to stiffen your icing back to it's usable consistency.
When coloring your icings, use a toothpick or a clean spatula and add a little bit of color at a time until the correct shade is reached. Pastels will require very little color, while reds, blacks, browns and other dark colors can require quite a bit. Too much food coloring can make your icing bitter, so here are a few tips for making darker colors:
Use a "no taste" food color if available.
When making black icing, start with chocolate icing first. You'll need much less color to make it black.
When making red, use a koolaid packet of color to get it started.
Don't try to make your icing the full depth of color right away. For instance, for black - color your icing a dark grey, and usually after sitting for a while, it will darken. This is the same with red, navy and any very dark color.
Powder colors don't seem to have as bitter a taste.

Cake boxes
Many decorators can put out a pretty cake, but if it's not displayed well, it will lose value, particularly in the eyes of a paying customer. Cake boards or cake circles can be purchased from most craft stores, as well as many party supply stores and specialty cake supply shops. Shipping can be cost prohibitive on cake boards and boxes due to the weight, so if you can find a local vendor, even if paying a little more for the items, you'll probably come out ahead in the long run.

There are a variety of boards on the market; plain, waxed, gold foil, scalloped, etc. How do you know which to use? Sometimes it comes down to cost and sometimes just preference or ease of use. In my opinion, a cake does not present well on just a plain board, or even one covered with aluminum foil. They tend to look tacky, cheap and non-professional. (Even if you ARE non-professional, you should still want to put out a product that looks professional.)

Waxed boards will keep the moisture from the cake and icing from soaking into the board, but it's still a plain board and does nothing to enhance the look of your cake. There are some waxed boards that have a design on them that aren't quite as plain, but they come in limited sizes and styles.

Gold foil boards are more costly, but they take less time to prepare. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They also have an unfinished edge which can be unattractive.This is where a decorative foil can be handy. You can purchase decorative foils for cake boards in a variety of colors. There are some that are specifically made for this purpose and come in white, gold and silver and are FDA approved to be used with food products. A roll of this foil can be pretty expensive, but when comparing the cost of plain boards covered with foil to the cost of purchasing boards already "finished", it is relatively comparable.
Many cake decorating supply stores will also carry a variety of foils known as florist foil. This foil is NOT FDA approved, but is also considered non-toxic. Many decorators will use this foil, but will take care to not have the cake sitting directly on top of the foil. This foil is moisture resistant and comes in a variety of colors, and is less expensive than the others on the market.
I have also seen decorators who have covered their cake boards in wrapping paper. Please keep in mind that wrapping paper is also not FDA approved, nor is it moisture resistant and it will discolor fairly soon after putting your cake on it. However, it comes in an endless supply of colors and designs for any occasion.

How to cover a board with foil
So - now you have a board fit to display your cake on. Now what? I think my biggest decorating pet peeve is the person who then sticks toothpicks into their cake and covers it with plastic wrap! Let me clarify, if this is for your own family and you don't want to go to the extra expense of a box, then invest in a cake saver to keep and transfer your personal cakes in. It looks nicer and will keep your cake from drying out as quickly. Or, you can even use the same cardboard box over and over. If you are selling this cake, it needs to be boxed properly. You want that cake to get where it's going safely and you should want to be professional in the manner in which it is viewed.Please remember that when you're figuring your cost for your cakes, always work the cost of the boards, foil and boxes into your cost.

Baking Tips and Hints

This page will be dedicated to tips and instructions for cake decorating. Some will be supplied by me and some will be submitted from other decorators.

Baking Cakes:
Everyone bakes differently, from how they prepare their cake pans, to what temperature they bake at and for how long. Keep in mind that home temperatures, altitude, your specific oven - all of these things have a bearing on how you bake. Let's start at the beginning:

Pans - If you're going to do a lot of baking, you should probably invest in some good pans, rather than the cheap aluminum pans that you can pick up anywhere. There are a few brands that have nice, straight sides without a pattern on the bottom. These pans will give you straight corners and edges, which help you get a straighter edge when icing the cake. They aren't required, but they're durable and work wonderful.
Pan preparation - Different people find different things work for them. I always tell my students that if what they're using "ain't broke - don't fix it". Here are some different ways to prepare the pan:
Grease and flour - With this method you lightly apply a solid shortening all over the pan, then you take about a tablespoon of flour in the pan, turning it and bumping it until the entire pan has a light dusting of flour. Throw away any excess.
Sprays - There are a number of pan sprays on the market that work just fine for coating your pans. Be careful not to overspray because I've noticed that this can cause your cake to be "soggy" in spots.
Brush-ons - There are a few different types of pan preparations that can be brushed on. Again - just be careful to not put on too much as it can cause your cake to be too wet. However, if you don't apply enough, the cake can stick.
Here's a recipe for a homemade pan grease that's easy to use, works well and is relatively inexpensive. This recipe does not have exact measurements so that you can make as much or as little as you need.
Mix equal parts solid shortening, vegetable oil, and flour until it's smooth. Put it in a plastic container with a good airtight seal. Brush on with a pastry brush. Does not need to be refrigerated.

Time and Temperature
Everyone bakes in a way that works for them. Remember, temperature, humidity, altitude, your personal oven, as well as the recipe you're using - all of this will have impact on your cake, how high it bakes, and how long it takes to get done. The important thing to know is how to tell if your cake is done! Just because Decorator "A" bakes her cakes at 350 for 45 minutes, doesn't mean it will work that way for you. Sometimes there can be a bit of a "trial-and-error" time while you're working out the kinks.
Whether you bake from scratch or a mix is up to you. I've had good of both and I've had really bad of both! I've seen decorators get all hot under the color if someone didn't bake from scratch and I've seen other decorators get all miffed if someone else used Pillsbury instead of Betty Crocker! There are all kinds of decorators for all kinds of customers. Use what works for you.
Many recipes call for an oven to be set at 350 degrees. You may or may not need your oven set there. Some ovens run hot and others don't. I always set my timer for 5-10 minutes less than the recipe calls for. I'd much rather check on a cake that's underdone, than take a cake out that's overdone.
I prefer to check my cakes by touch. I touch the center of the cake with my index and middle fingers. If it's still "wiggly", I set it for a few more minutes. I DO NOT want the cake to be "spongy". If it bounces right back, it's overdone. That doesn't mean that it won't taste ok for the first day, but it will be drier than it should be and it will not be good for more than a day or two. What I'm looking for is a non-wiggily, slightly spongey, with a very slight depression from where my fingers touched. Remember, the cake will continue to bake a little while after you've removed it from the oven, so don't wait until it's too done.
Many bakers will use a toothpick or skewer to test the doneness of their cake. Carefully insert the pick into the middle of the cake. When you pull it out there should not be any residue on the pick. If there is, that's an indication that it is not done completely in the center.

Troubleshooting baking problems:
Why does my cake stick to my pans?
There can be a number of reasons for this but here are a few common reasons: Didn't use enough "pan grease"; Baked the cake too long; Left it sit in the pan too long to cool before turning out; Your batter itself may be the problem; Make sure you're using enough pan grease in your pans before baking. When you pull it out of the oven, don't let it sit in the pan for more than 10-15 minute before turning it out. If it sticks at that point, put it back into the warm oven for just a few minutes and try again. You don't want to do this too much or you'll dry out your cake.

Why does my cake have a huge hump in the middle and how can I get rid of it?
The reason your cakes will have humps is because cake will continue to rise as it bakes. The middle of the cake is still baking while the outside edges are already done. There are a number of steps that you can do to either subdue or eliminate this problem:
You can set your oven temperature lower, which will slow the bake-time down overall, allowing your cake to rise a little more evenly.
You can put your baking pan on an insulated cookie sheet which will also slow down the overall bake-time.
You can wrap your pans with towels that have been soaked - this will keep the edges from getting done too soon. (Be careful with this method, because if your towels fall down onto the heating elements, you could start a fire.) There are also products available for purchase called Bake-even strips which are made for this purpose also.
You can bake as usual and just cut off the top with a serrated knife, a cake leveler, or even a piece of string.
You can bake as usual and very gently, with a dampened towel, press down on the cake. This will make for a denser cake and you may still need to cut off part of the hump.
The outside of my cakes are getting done, but the middles are still underdone!

You can follow many of the same guidelines as listed for the previous question. In addition, it wouldn't hurt for some of your larger pans, to use a heating core, or a similar object. A heating core is something you can purchase that you put into the center of your cake while baking. The heat conducts through the metal, allowing the center of the cake to get done at the same rate as the outside edges of your cake. The core also allows you to bake inside of it, so that when the core is removed and you have a "hole" in the center of your cake, you can use the cake from inside the core to fill the hole. I, personally, not a fan. I prefer to just use a regular old metal flower nail. Grease it up just like you did the pan; set it flat side down in the middle of your pan; fill up the pan with batter and bake as normal. The hard part is that the height of the flower nail is usually taller than the cake, so when you're turning your cake out onto your board, the nail has to be stuck down through the board. Another option is to cut down the nail to 2", so that it's no taller than the height of most pans.