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Baking can be daunting. Let’s face it, we have all had a soggy bottom or middle or a burnt top. But are there any foolproof ways to produce a perfect cake? I hear you cry? Well yes, follow our top eight tips on making a cake and you’ll be a Berry or a Hollywood in no time.
Ladle of Contents
1. Get the right recipe
Trust your baking recipes to ensure a perfect cake. For the best results, follow all of the instructions and ingredients exactly as they are written in your recipe source’s guides. Recipes found online may not have been tried or tested so look for good reviews, if they have any. And, if it looks too fussy, maybe give that one a miss.
2. Always use the tin the recipe suggests – they have suggested it for a reason!
With your cake tin lined with parchment paper, you’re ready to go. If not using a non-stick surface like aluminum foil or baking dish, then butter and flour them well before sprinkling the powdered sugar on top of that for an easy crusting option. Before preheating the oven first make sure it’s at 180 degrees so set the timer accordingly: 20 minutes in advance if cooking a 9×13 inch rectangle…
If you want some other options (like oil instead), be careful when applying too much as this will lead to burnt edges from over frying. It may seem counterintuitive but wrapping brown paper around all sides can limit how quickly they’ll cook up—but only do this for rich cakes which take longer than 40 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven
You want a cake, not a pancake!
4. Accuracy when weighing is key
When baking, it’s imperative to follow the recipe exactly. Use measuring spoons rather than cups and be sure you use a scale for ingredients like flour that are measured in grams as opposed to ounces. If substituting one ingredient for another—for example if your recipe calls for self-raising flour but all you have is plain white bread flour on hand—be careful not to add more of any dry powders or liquid (baking powder , salt) when adjusting measurements so the end product can maintain its intended consistency
5. Room temperature is best
One of the most important factors in baking success is that your ingredients are at room temperature. This will ensure proper blending and creaminess, as well as prevent curdling from cold eggs.
6. Don’t hang around – get it in the oven
When raising agents like self raising flour they will start to do there thing, so get it in the oven quickly.
7. Use the right shelf and stick to the cooking times
Too near the top and your cake will burn, put it on the bottom and it will take ages to rise. Make sure you follow the recipe, as to which shelf the cake should sit on – remember many of recipes you will find online have been road-tested many times.
8. Cool cake is cool
Warm cake is weird! Most sponge cakes will need to be turned out of their tin after a few minutes whereas a fruit cake will be good to cool off in its tin.
Some other tips:
Remember that being a good cook doesn’t make you a good baker. Many people who have a natural flair for flavours and freestyling their own curries will struggle when it comes to baking. Why? Think of it as the left or right side of your cerebral cortex – cooking is art – baking is maths. Cooking, especially with spicy ingredients can be forgiving, a little too much garlic, say, can be a good thing. A little too much flour can be disastrous. Ever heard the phrase ‘over egg the pudding’? Too much or too little can lead to some grumbles, soggy bottoms, stodgy puddings and disappointment all round.
In our experience, having all of the ingredients and equipment laid out before you start your bake will pay dividends when you’ve started the task at hand. And like a good carpenter, when it comes to baking, measure twice and cut once! That doesn’t mean that baking has to be a serious business. If you have children, you’ll know how much joy your kids will get from licking the bowl and watching the cake rise in the oven. Start simple with, say, some fairy cakes or a simple sponge and you’ll be feeling confident in no time!
We hope you found this useful but if you can’t or don’t want to make your own delicious cake be sure to check out https://www.angesdesucre.com/
