Baking cakes is an art that needs a lot of experience to master. Many times you might have tried to bake a cake at home. And in spite of doing everything in the perfect manner, you might end up failing. It is very important for you to identify where did you go wrong. For baking a perfect cake you not only need the right equipment and ingredients but you also need the right technique and remarkable experience.
However, baking the perfect cake along with desserts at home is not as difficult as you may think. When baking a cake there are a lot of small things you need to consider. These minute details can help to improve your chances of getting a perfect finished product.
Here’s how to start
The first thing that you need a perfect recipe. Make sure that you start with a basic recipe that is easy to make if you are a beginner. Get all the ingredients that you need in the right quantity. Having the right ingredients is very important as even one small ingredient missing can lead to a complete failure. You can get all the ingredients from the wholesale cake supplies store. Also, make sure that you have all the tools and equipment handy with you that are needed to bake a cake. Once you have everything in place then you need to follow some basic and simple tips to make sure everything goes smoothly and the results are perfect and delicious.
Following are the tips that will help you to bake a perfect cake:
1. Stick to the recipe
There are many different types and flavors of cakes available throughout the world. All you need to do is pick a recipe of your favorite flavor and type of cake and start preparing from thereon. The first and most important cake baking tip is that you should always follow and stick to the recipe from start to end.
Never try to substitute any of the ingredients from the recipe. Many times you end up doing alterations in the recipe by reducing the sugar, using liquid sweetener instead of dry, subbing out eggs, etc. it is strictly recommended that you avoid doing so until and unless the recipe suggests alternatives. Some times a small substitute can take the entire end result for a toss and might lead to sheer disappointment.
2. Room temperature
The temperature of the ingredients plays a very important role while baking a cake. If the recipe calls for ingredients at room temperature then make sure you use room temperature ingredients only. Usually, ingredients like eggs, cream, butter, and milk are recommended to be at room temperature.
The main reason behind this is that room temperature ingredients mixes and bonds together easier and quicker as they are warmer. This helps to reduce overmixing and also reduces the time taken to mix them. Low-temperature ingredients do no emulsify together,
3. Accurate measurement
This tip might sound weird as it is common sense to measure ingredients accurately. But this is where you often tend to make mistakes. The difference between a beautiful looking delicious cakes and a blunder could lie within one mismeasured spoon of sugar. Measuring ingredients is very important while baking a cake.
The most commonly mismeasured ingredient is flour and then comes the sugar. A slight error in measuring these ingredients can have a great impact on the final outcome. Make sure that you have the right measuring tools that will give you 100 percent perfect measurements. Adopting the correct measuring technique for a particular ingredient will ensure perfect results.
4. Cake flour
When baking cakes at home you often tend to use all-purpose flour. However, it is highly recommended to use special cake flour especially when you are baking white base cakes. Cake flour is a low protein flour that has a very delicate consistency. This helps to give a very soft and tender texture to the cake. You can get the cake flour from the wholesale bakery supplies stores near you. However, if your making a chocolate cake then it is recommended to use all-purpose flour. Use cake flour when making a vanilla cake, fruit cake, red velvet cake, and any other white cake.
5. Perfect mixing
Whenever you are baking a cake there is a lot of mixing of ingredients involved. No matter whether you are using an electric mixer or a whisk, make sure that you are mixing the cake batter just enough until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing of the batter can lead to a tough texture as all the air is deflated and excess gluten is developed. So make sure that you don’t turn on the mixer and then forget about it. Take breaks while mixing and keep checking the batter.
6. Avoid opening the oven
The biggest mistake you tend to make while baking a cake is you open the open again and again to check the cake. You don’t have to be so impatient as the cake will take its time to bake. And opening the oven, again and again, lets the cool air in, and the drastic temperature change causes the rising cake to sink. The best idea is to follow the baking time in the recipe. You can check the cake one or two times for doneness. Make sure that the temperature is set accurately as per the recipe. An inaccurate temperature can ruin baked goods.
7. Test whether the cake is done or no
There a few different techniques to check where the cake is done or no. An easy way to do so is, take a toothpick and stick it in the center of the cake. If the took pick comes out dry and clean then it is cooked. If it appears wet and sticky then your cake needs to spend some more time in the oven.
Another technique is also quite simple. Remove the cake out of the oven and gently press down on the cake. If the cake bounces back to its normal position completely then it’s done. If it doesn’t then it needs some more time.
8. Allow it to cool completely in the pan
Once you are done and get the cake out of the oven, don’t just rush to take it out of the pan. Let it cool in the pan for around 20 to 25 minutes before removing it. Once it’s cooled down you can remove it and place it on the baking sheet. If you rush to remove it from the pan immediately then it might lead to a disaster.
