It’s crucial to know what went wrong in the kitchen when something goes wrong. There are many things that you can do to increase your chances of baking a successful cake. Bad habits can also have a negative impact on the outcome of your cake. Here are some important tips and tricks to help you bake the perfect cake.
These are the seven rules to baking the perfect cake.
1. Always grease the pan with butter and line it with parchment.
This is a guarantee that your cake will come out cleanly when it cools.
2. Let the oven heat up completely before you open it.
No shortcuts are allowed when baking cakes.
3. Bake in the middle of the oven (unless otherwise noted)
If the recipe doesn’t state otherwise, it’s as intended. Your results may be affected by changes.
4. Bake according to the dimensions of the pan.
You’ll end up with uneven baking, which will result in an uneven cake.
5. Do not try to make the recipe twice as good.
There are many cake recipes that are more complicated than this. Instead, find a recipe that yields a greater volume.
6. Use fresh ingredients
Old ingredients taste bad and old learners, such as baking soda, don’t work.
7. There are no substitutions.
Except for spices, do not substitute ingredients, particularly if they have a structural impact.
How to avoid these common baking failures
1. Too dense a cake
Overly dense cakes are usually made with too much liquid, sugar, or leavening. This is not the case with excess flour.
Solution: Check the freshness of your baking powder and baking soda to ensure they are in good condition. Also, check your oven temperature to ensure it is hot enough. Baking too slowly can cause a cake to fall and take longer to set.
2. Your cake has holes and tunnels.
Holes in cakes are a problem, especially if they are to be sliced horizontally. Incorrect mixing (generally, over-mixing) can cause holes in cakes. While frosting can be used to fill in any holes, it is better to prevent them from occurring.
Solution: Think about the mixing method that you are using.
Mixing a recipe that requires hand-mixing will require you to use a hand blender. Although standing mixers can be very efficient, they will also mix your cakes quickly. To ensure proper mixing, make sure all ingredients (eggs and liquid) are at room temperature.
3. Your cake is dry
Ingredients that absorb moisture, such as flour, starches, or cocoa, are the main culprits in dry cakes. Overbaking is another culprit.
Solution: Make sure you measure your flour.
Place the flour in a measuring cup. Level off evenly. Do not dip your measuring cup in the bag. This will cause the flour to settle into your cup, and you’ll end up with too much flour. The same method is used to measure cocoa powder. To avoid over-baking, you will need to look for three signs. A cake tester should be inserted into the center of the cake, and the cake should spring back if gently pressed.
4. The cake is not easy.
Mixing cakes is difficult. To achieve the best texture, you need to mix at the right speed, temperature, and time. Over-mixing or using the wrong flour can cause toughness in cakes.
Solution: Make sure you follow the recipe.
The order in which ingredients are mixed is important to achieve the desired texture. Gluten is formed when flour is mixed with liquid and fat. Mixing gluten into cakes is not a good idea. Make sure to mix as little as you can. Use the right flour. A recipe that calls for pastry flour or cake flour will not work with an all-purpose flour. This can cause a hard crumb.
5. When you take the cake out of its pan, it will break.
Over the past 30 minutes, a cake has been through many changes. After being removed from the oven, it takes a few minutes for it to regain its composure.
Solution: Line your pan’s bottoms with parchment paper.
After baking, cakes should be allowed to cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes on a rack. You can increase the chances of your cake falling out by covering the bottom with parchment. It is also a good idea to place a knife between the bottom of the pan, and the cake.
6. Your icing is full of crumbs
Crumbs are the enemy of cake decorators! If you make a layer cake, they are inevitable. However, there is a way to reduce these annoying little morsels.
Solution: Make a ‘crumb coating’ on your cake before frosting it.
For starters, you can put a thin layer of icing over the cake. This glues down the crumbs. After the crumb coating has been set, chill the cake and then decorate your cake. You shouldn’t see a crumb.