The dry family.

 Before you start baking, get all your ingredients together in one place to avoid leaving out an important ingredient. For the dry ingredients, it is essential that you SIFT them before use. Don't start the steps if your flour is not sifted with the baking powder and salt. Reason is that unsifted dry family makes your cake dense and lumpy(if there are blocks of flour).

 Also it is important that you don't exclude the salt. Salt brings out the flavor. I remember one time I was trying a new buttercream recipe. It required salt and one egg yolk (Yuck, I know.I still wanted to try it anyway) So in the process of making it, all my ingredients were together as usual. I put in the salt and eggyolk and it was time for the sugar. Hmmn I mistakenly carried the salt, again and poured the whole jar!!!!!!!!! I didnt realize immediately until it was time to taste. You should've seen my boiling point face.

 Point is, if the recipe tells you 'a pinch of salt' , please use your fingers. And if it tells you '1tsp salt' please use a baking teaspoon. Don't form I know what a pinch/tsp looks like. We are not cooking stew here. Too much will definitely ruin the cake.

 Once you are done with an ingredient, put it away so you wouldn't make mistakes and re-use it.

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