Q: Try to figure out what your friend is trying to tell you through the behavior. Behavior is always communicating something; you just have to really look deep to see what your friend's behavior is signifying. Hiding anxiety or social phobias is one reason some people will avoid social situations at all costs. This would be the friend who seems nice and involved in things but at the last minute simply does not show up. He or she may not know how to tell you how scary social situations feel for him or her, and figure you are less likely to get hurt feelings by a no show. A friend who comes up with excuse after excuse for not attending an event or even jokes about you overacting to a no-show may not really be a friend. In a normal relationship, if a friend misses an event for a real reason there would be an apology and a genuine concern for the resulting feelings. There's a chance a friend who is frequently unreliable may not be as committed to the relationship as you are. Perhaps you were hoping to turn a coworker or social acquaintance into a closer relationship, but this person hasn't gotten the message. Find out where you stand with this person. A flaky friend's motives may also be tied to a lack of boundaries on your friendship. Some people prefer for example to leave work friends at work and will never socialize outside of the office. If this is the case, he or she may not feel comfortable making that clear so invites are accepted but never followed through. This does not mean this friend thinks any less of youhe or she just doesn't mix business with pleasure so to speak. A friend may seem to be unreliable is that he or she isn't really a friend in the same light that you think the person should be. If a coworker is only friendly in front of others because of status or a perceived value in the friendship, you may have a social climber on your hands. Part of how he or she got to the point of being that unreliable friend also includes the behavior after the problem. This may be as simple as acting like nothing happened because he or she forgets commitments or making a choice to act as if nothing happened. The friend who always seems disorganized and forgets things in the office, loses documents and even misses work deadlines may have something more going on than skipping your event to be hurtful. If this is a new development for someone who is always well organized, this could indicate problems at home or a medical issue. It's easy to say your friend is "flakey" or a whole list of negative descriptors, but what is the basic behavior you see as being negative? You may have a friend who just doesn't show up to an event or is he or she simply forgetful? When you look at the specific behavior, also look at whether or not there is a pattern of behavior for you and for others. Are you the only friend he or she stands up or does the evasive behavior apply to many people in the office? An unreliable friend may also fall into the category of only being your "friend" when it benefits him or her. This is a very different situation as it isn't someone simply being forgetful but perhaps using the friendship for some sort of gain. Defining the undesired behavior versus things that are just a part of your friend's personality will help you deal with the situation. A friend who thrives on being spontaneous may seem unreliable because he or she will not commit to attending an event, which is very different from a friend who lies about attending an event he or she knows won't happen. Is there a pattern to the behavior? Is your friend only flakey when it comes to social events or is he or she forgetful in different situations? Seeing a pattern in the behavior may show you an underlying cause of why he or she isn't following through on commitments. If you can see a pattern when things are happening and when they are not you may find that the negative behavior actually has little to do with you. Is the negative behavior consistent or is the friend a good friend at times? If the friend is hiding a secret to explain the behavior he or she may be fine in some situations but not OK in others. Is your friend a good meaning person who just seems to overbook to the point of disappointing others because they can't say no? Is this your only unreliable friends or does this seem to be a pattern in your life? Is there a chance you are taking things too personally for this one friend for some reason? There are times when you run into a friend that all of the sudden just gets on your nerves for some unknown underlying issue. This may play manifest with you focusing undo attention on behavior that is normally fine within your social circle.
A: Analyze the behavior. Clarify the extent of your relationship. Decide if there is an underlying problem. Pinpoint the issue. Search for recurring problems. Look beyond this single friendship to other relationships.

Q: . Use a paper towel or silicone brush to cover the inside of the pan with a thin layer of butter or shortening. Add about a teaspoon of flour and shake the pan so the flour begins to stick to the grease. Tilt the pan on its side and tap the pan. Turn and tap until the entire bowl is evenly coated with flour. Greasing the pan not only ensures your cake will pop out easily, it helps the cake climb the sides of the pan and gives your it more volume. Turn the pan over and tap gently to remove any excess flour. If you are baking a chocolate cake, you may want to use cocoa powder to prevent a white film that may be left by the flour. By radiating heat from the center of the cake and not just the sides of the pan, the heating core ensures your cake bakes evenly and the middle, sides, and top of the are all done at the same time. You can use a core shaped like a nail, placing the "head" of the nail on the bottom with the spike pointing upward, or one that is shaped like a long, narrow plug, with the opening pointing up. You can bake this cake without a heating core, but the depth of the pan means you may over-brown the exposed top and sides of your cake. A heating core may also prevent your cake from deflating or sagging in the middle. Use a spatula to make sure the batter is even, but be careful not to touch the sides and scrape the grease off the side of the pan. If you use a plug-shaped heating core, don't forget to fill the core with cake batter, too. Fill it a little higher than the level of batter outside the core. The plug-shaped bit of cake will fit into the hole created by the core once it's removed. Bake on the middle rack. You may want to place the round bowl in a standard 8 inch (20.3cm) cake round pan to make sure it stays level in the oven. Test the cake by skewering near the center (but not inside the heating core) with a toothpick or kebab stick. If the stick comes out clean (a few crumbs is ok), then the cake is ready. If the cake is done, the sides should be just starting to pull away from the pan and the center should feel springy when you press it with your finger. Removing the heating core (if you use the core shaped like a plug) can speed up the cooling process. If the top of the cake is raised above the pan, use a knife to carefully trim it flat. Give the pan a little shake to feel if the cake has released the pan and is moving easily. If it seems to be sticking, stick it in the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes. Otherwise, place the cooling rack on top of the pan. Holding the rack against the pan, carefully turn them upside-down, together, so the rack is on the bottom you can lift the pan off the cake. You can loosen the sides by gently running a knife around the edges. Allow the cake to cool for at least an hour. Frosting or slicing a cake before it has cooled can ruin your cake and will cause your icing to melt.
A:
Grease the the pan Grease and place the heating core in the bottom of the pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan. Bake the cake in an oven heated to 350F (177C) for 30-40 minutes, or as instructed by cake recipe. Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan.