#cake tips

This month’s tip is a two-in-one. The tips are related so I thought I might as well do them at the same time. I’ll start with the slightly more important one – overmixing.

What happens when you overmix?

It messes with the texture of your cake. It just results in a gummy, heavy cake instead of a nice, fluffy crumb. It can actually end up looking underbaked or raw on the inside. If your cake has a glossy, almost jelly-like look on the inside, you have over mixed it.

How to prevent it?

Don’t overmix duh. Ok jokes aside, you will be fine to mix to your heart’s content until you add eggs to your batter. Most cake recipes start with creaming your butter and sugar. At this point, there is nothing to worry about. Once you start adding your eggs, only mix until just combined. This applies once you start adding wet and dry ingredients – just mix until you can’t see the individual ingredients anymore.

That brings me to the second tip – scraping down. Scraping down the sides of your bowl as you go helps with combining the ingredients well without mixing longer (obviously then resulting in the gummy cake.) Use a rubber spatula to scrape down any ingredients left on the side of the bowl, so that it can be incorporated into the batter. Do this regularly throughout the mixing process.

Bundt Pan tips- tips for using a bundt pan

There are only 4 things you have to remember to get a beautiful complete cake put of a bundt pan1. Ensure your pan is clean. Do not scrub, use a clean soft cloth to wipe it clean2. Butter the pan generously. I find soft butter works better than any oil3. Dust the pan thoroughly with flour for white/yellow cakes and with Cocoa powder for chocolate cakes4. Once the cake is baked, COOL it completely…

Despite the allure of a perfectly made designer cake gracing an occasion like a birthday or anniversary, there is something to be said for baking cakes in the comfort of your own home. A home-made cake will earn you extra brownie points because your near and dear ones will know that you have put in the effort and used your skills to turn out a yummy and delicious cake for them.

Here are some tips on baking a cake in your kitchen

 1. Stick to the recipe: This might sound obvious but sticking to the recipe at all times during the baking process will ensure the cake turns out right. You may be tempted to substitute the ingredients with what you have, but I recommend you not to. Unless the recipe suggests alternatives, do not do it and waste your time, effort and money because the cake will not turn out right.

 2. Room temperature: This is a vital factor in the cake making process and there is definitive science and logic behind usage of room temperature. If the recipe asks for ingredients at room temperature, you should use things like eggs, cream, milk and butter at room temperature only. There are ingredients like butter that have to be used at room temperature, which is 18 degrees Celsius for you.

 3. Use proper measurements: This tip may sound very obvious, but a lot of us do not measure properly, thus leading to imbalanced recipes that naturally don’t turn out right. Flour happens to be a very mis-measured ingredient. I recommend that you use the leveled spoon to measure flour. After you have spooned the correct level of flour in the measuring cap, use a knife to level off the top.

 4. Use cake flour: Experienced cake bakers always use cake flour for their cakes. Cake flour happens to be low protein flour that has a delicate consistency. Its soft and tender texture lends itself very well to a cake baked with love. However, some types of cake recipes cannot use fine cake flour and need the regular flour. Read the recipe carefully to know which type of flour to use.

 5. Avoid over-mixing and under-mixing: If your cake recipe calls for mixing the batter with an electric mixer, or using a whisk, ensure that you are mixing the ingredients together just until the ingredients are mixed well. If you go heavy on the mixing, it will result in a tough textured cake which has an overabundance of gluten and lesser amounts of air, which is vital for baking.

 6. Use parchment paper: Initially you have to ensure that you have cake pans of the highest quality. Never compromise on the quality of cake-pans because it is essential to the success of the cake. A pro tip is to use parchment paper to coat the bottom and sides of the cake pan, ensuring that the cake does not stick to the pan.

 7. Don’t open oven too many times: During baking, let the cake bake in peace. Do not open the door of the oven ten-fifteen times to check on the cake. Opening the door of the oven allows cool air to get into the oven and the cake’s fluffiness will suffer. Follow the baking tips given in the recipe and sate your curiosity and concern till after the cake is baked.

 8. The bounce back test: Use a toothpick to determine if the cake is done properly. Stick the toothpick into the center of the cake and if it goes in and comes out clean, you have a well-cooked cake on your hands that you can enjoy with your family or friends.

 9. Allow cake to cool: Once again I think it is a no-brainer, but you might be in a rush to bake the cake. Don’t be. If you assemble or decorate a cake before it has cooled, you are asking for trouble. This is because in a cooling cake, the flavor has not found time to settle and the frosting on the cake will also melt. A good tip is to let your cake cool in the cake pan itself, if you are really in a hurry, place the cake and the pan in the refrigerator, no harm done.

 10. Right temperature for storing: Most cakes taste the best when they are at room temperature. If you have a frosted cake, use the refrigerator to store it.

Brandied Fruitcake Recipe

Once the Yuletide season is around the corner, different kinds of goodies become available such as fruitcake. Presently,there are several types of fruitcake being sold in the market that offers many flavors. You can buy a light fruitcake or a dark fruitcake. If you crave for a fruitcake that’s filled with pecans, raisins, prunes, dates and cherries buy a dark fruitcake. In case you want a full-bodied fruitcake thats moist and deliciously intoxicating, make your own brandied fruitcake. Go ahead and create your own brandied fruitcake courtesy of Cooks.com.