It’s crucial to know what went wrong when something in the kitchen goes wrong. There are many little things that you can do when baking a Cake to increase your chances of getting a good product. Baking fails can also be caused by bad habits. Here are some important dos to help you in your quest for the perfect cake:
Seven Rules to Baking the Perfect Cake
- Grease the pan and Line with parchment
This is a guarantee that your cake will come out of the pan cleanly when it has cooled. - Let the oven fully heat up before
No shortcuts, the cakes need to be baked at the correct temperature. - If not otherwise specified, bake in the middle of the oven
The recipe is designed as it was if nothing else is specified. Changing the recipe will change your results. - Use the pan size specified
You’ll end up with an uneven cake if you bake unevenly. - Do not double the recipe
The cake recipes are much more complicated than that. Instead, find a recipe that will yield a larger quantity. - Use fresh ingredients
The taste of old ingredients is bad and the old leaveners, like baking soda, simply do not work. - No substitutions
Substitute ingredients only for spices. Particularly those that can have a structural impact.
How to Avoid Six Common Baking Failures
- Your cake is too dense
If a cake is too dense, it is usually due to too much liquid (such as too much sugar), or not enough leavening.
Solution : Check the freshness and quality of your powder and baking soda. Also, check that your oven temperature is hot enough. The cake will take longer to bake and set, which can result in a dense texture. - Your cake has holes and tunnels
Holey cakes are problematic, particularly if you intend to cut them horizontally. Cake holes are usually caused by over-mixing (or improper mixing). Filling the holes can be done with frosting, but preventing the holes in the first instance is better.
Consider your mixing technique.
You will need to mix less if you are using a hand mixer for a recipe which calls for mixing by hand. Standing mixers can be very efficient but they will also mix your cake quickly. To encourage mixing, make sure that your ingredients (liquids, eggs and dairy products) are at room temperature. - You cake is dry
Ingredients that absorb moisture such as cocoa, flour, or other starches are the culprits of dry cake. Over-baking is another equally harmful culprit.
Solution: Make sure you measure your flour correctly.
Pour the flour in the measuring cup, and then level it off. You will end up with too many flour if you dip your measuring cup in the bag. You can also weigh it. cocoa butter should be measured the same way. You can avoid overbaking by observing three signs. The cake should slightly pull away from the sides of the pan. A cake tester should come out clean when inserted in the deepest part. - Your cake is hard
When it comes to baking, mixing is tricky. It is important to mix at the right speed, temperature, and duration in order to create a soft crumb. Over-mixing or using the wrong flour can cause cakes to be tough.
Solution: Prepare your cake as per the recipe.
The order of ingredients is important to achieve the desired texture. Gluten is formed as soon as flour and liquid are mixed. Cakes should not contain gluten, so be sure to mix as little as you can. Use the right flour. A cake flour or pastry flour is required if your recipe requires it. All-purpose or bread flours will create a hard crumb. - You broke your cake when you took it out of its pan
The cake has been through a lot in the past 30 minutes. It’s gone from liquid to solid. Once the cake is removed from oven, it will take a few minutes to regain its composure.
Solution: Line your pan bottom with parchment paper.
After removing the cake from the oven, it should be allowed to cool for 15 minutes in its pan. You can increase the chances of your cake slipping out when you line the bottom with parchment paper. It’s also a good idea to run a knife between the inside and outside of the pan. - You have a lot of crumbs in your icing
The crumbs is the cake-decorator ‘s nemesis! If you’re building a cake with multiple layers and need to divide them, these little bits are inevitable. But there’s a way to reduce their number.
Solution: When frosting your cake, apply a “crumb coating”.
Start by putting a thin layer of icing over the cake. This layer will help to glue down the crumbs. The crumb coating should be firm. Continue icing the cake. You shouldn’t see a single crumb.