Golden Rules to bake a
Perfect Cake (from its Ingredients to its Baking)
All About Cake Science -Let’s know it
before making any cake recipe
Going to bake Cake at Home :-)
before making any kind of Cake…plz have a look on the following information and
use it for sure.
Any Cake is best baked if preparation was with some
logics and calculations. Every Baker’s knows that Baking of a cake is “SCIENCE”
and Decoration of Cake is an “ART”.
Let’s have a look on Science behind Cake:
In general u call any cake by knowing flavor used in
the cake..for example..Chocolate cake, vanilla cake, strawberry cake, carrot
cake..etc etc. But science says that there are
Two basic Types of cake:
1-Butter Cake (oil cake)
This is called so because, such type of cake is
prepared using some kind of fats (oil or butter) or by using shortening. In
such type of cakes air is incorporated by creaming fat used in the recipe. Like
creaming butter and sugar together. In such cakes baking powder is used to
leaven them and make them rise while baking. Then the dry & wet ingredients
are added alternately. This results in light and airy cake but not so much
light as we get in our sponge cake.(For more details, read the ‘NOTE’ Section
below).
2- Sponge Cake (Foam Cake)
In this type of cake generally no fats are used and
so no need of baking powder (to leaven them) is required in such type of
cakes. In such type of cake eggs or egg
white is used to create volume in the cake by whipping eggs. Aeration of those
eggs helps the cake to expand while baking the cake and hence cake rises well (without
use of baking powder). Such type of cakes are more light and have spongy texture
hence called sponge cake.(For more details, do’s &don’ts with sponge cake read
the ‘NOTE’ Section below).
Difference between Butter cake and
Sponge Cake:
Butter Cake
has more Flavor & Moisture. Not much light cake (Want to know why..Read
NOTE section)
Sponge Cake
are more light airy with sponge texture. (Want to know why..Read NOTE section)
There are always three points to keep in mind as a ‘key
factor’ for successful baking:
1- Exact measurements of all INGREDIENTS.
2- Whipping the Eggs or Egg white until done thick.
3- Not mixing the batter too much.
Even though now you know about types of cakes. If
you don’t know all the calculations about Ingredients used in your cake recipes
then your cake is not going to be good baked :-(
Also, those who bake good cakes they have three
formulas in their mind before going for any cake recipe.
Have a
look..
FORMULA
1: Sugar= Flour
Amount(weight) of sugar you are going to use for
cake recipe should be always either equal to or lil bit less than amount of
flour(any) used in that recipe.
By weight calculations (NOT volume) we get to know that 1 cup of
sugar needs 1 ½ cups of flour (remember before baking)
FORMULA
2:
Eggs=fat
Or say
Eggs= butter
The egg weight should be always same or lil bit more
as that of fat using (if using).
But you will say that it’s hard to balance this..Our
calculations says that..1+3 egg yolks use will balance 3 ¾ ounces of butter.
FORMULA
3: Eggs + Liquid=Sugar
In short, amount (weight) of sugar using in the cake
recipe should be equal to liquid including eggs. For example if you are using 5
ounce of sugar in your recipe and using 3 ounce of eggs then you will adjust
liquid by adding some extra liquid(may
be warm milk or buttermilk etc)
If you have gone through these rules then follow Few
NOTES given below (don’t skip it) for perfect cake recipe..I can’t write
all these tips which is given below (..too long) in my any cake recipe so here
I am writing as a separate post..Everything I am writing is to help my all
those friends going to bake any cake recipe :-)
Friends, It is my long time experience with baking
that today I am sharing with you all..Hope this will be helpful to you..Here I am
giving all possible things (if any point not written, I will update it latter)
you can learn and do before going to bake any type of cake..
Here you go….
NOTE:
INGREDIENTS
1-Before making sponge cake, make
sure that all ingredients (including egg, butter etc) are at fresh and at room temperature.
2-For eggless
cakes Replace 2 eggs (to play role of leavener) with- 1 teaspoon
Baking powder + 1 teaspoon water + 1teaspoon vinegar.
Tips:
By measurements 1 tablespoon is
equivalent to 3 teaspoons (1tb sp=3tsp) & 1 Cup=16 tablespoons (tb sp).
3-Any type of flour is named based on its protein
contents
There are basically 3 types of flour:
i)
All
purpose flour: It is named as all purpose flour
because it is mostly used in all types of baking products.
ii)
Cake
flour: It is made using all purpose flour and corn
flour..In most of cake recipe, cake flour is used because it gives more
delicate texture.
iii)
Self
rising flour: As the name says it have self rising property
because baking powder and salt are mixed with it. This type of flour have very
less shelf life due to baking powder(B.P lost its strength after sometime) in
this flour. Hence all the baked cake using self rising flour have very stay in comparison
to other cakes using other flours.
4-Role of Baking Powder in the cake Recipe:
Baking powder is leaving agent (enlarging the bubbles created by aeration
process either creaming the butter &sugar or foaming eggs) made of by using
baking soda only. Baking soda is mixed with lil bit of acid and
some corn
starch which results in Baking powder.
5-Role of sugar (in any baked product) in the
cake Recipe: Sugar provides sweetness and brown texture to the cake.
6-Role of sour cream in cake recipe: It is
acidic in nature so it activates the leavening agents used in the cake recipe.
7- Role of Butter in the cake Recipe: Butter
is used for many purposes in the cake. Creaming butter is to aerate the cake. Using
butter in the cake results in moist & tender cake. You can replace butter
with shortening.
8- Role of condense milk in the cake recipe:
It turns a golden color and takes on a caramel like flavor when heated.
9- Role of
Milk in the cake Recipe:If more moisture is required for any cake then use
full fat milk(fat give more moisture) and if already using butter like fat in
the recipe then use low fat milk..so that amount of fat using in the recipe is
balanced.
10-Always make sure that leaving agents like baking
soda and baking powder are fresh used otherwise they will not work in cake
rise.
11-Role of Buttermilk in the cake Recipe: Butter
milk act like key for any cake
Recipe..Because of it creates acid and acid is ingredient for success in any
cake. Acid helps Baking powder as well as Baking soda to actively work in your
cake recipe. You can make buttermilk in your home by just adding 1 teaspoon of
Lemon juice or vinegar with 1 cup of any type of milk…plz let this mixture rest
for few mins (appox 5) before using it in any cake recipe.
12- Using oil is much better than using butter, 7-8
Cups of oil =1 cup of butter.
13-Role of vinegar and lemon in cake recipe:
As acid is key to success for any cake recipe and lemon and vinegar both creates
acid(to help baking powder and baking soda to act as leaving agent)so they are preferred
in cake recipes. You can either use soda water, yogurt, buttermilk,sour cream etc.
14-Don’t add too much sugar, adding more sugar can
cause dark crust and less sugar will cause too light crust.
15- Role of Baking Soda in the cake recipe:
Baking soda is a chemical leavener which produces carbon dioxide when it comes
in contact with any acid ingredient such as buttermilk or lemon or vinegar.
16- If in any cake recipe you are not using any acid
ingredients like buttermilk or lemon, then you can use Baking powder(as it
contain acidic agent) along with using baking soda in the cake recipe.
Tips: If you use both baking powder and any acid
ingredient (lemon or vinegar or thick yogurt) in the cake recipe then your cake
will be well baked and have good rise.
17-Don’t use very very soft butter or liquidy
butter, it will result to lose the air bubbles.
18- Role of eggs:
- In
cakes eggs leavening and moisture.
- In
cookies egg plays binding
19-Use fresh eggs in your cake recipe because fresh eggs
are more acidic than old eggs.
PREPARING CAKE BATTER
20-Sometime Cakes are prepared by using all in one
method. I.e put all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet ingredients in
another then mix one by one alternatively. In such case rising agents are only
Baking soda and Baking powder. Such cakes are not much light and airy.
21-Always beat eggs or egg white to stiff peak i.e
peak should not move and stay in their shape.
22-Always first add more amounts of dry ingredients
then add wet ingredients and so on.
23-Tips:
Adding pinch of salt will give nice flavor to the baked cake.
24-If you are not creaming fat used in your cake
recipe then fat will not aerate.
25- Before beating eggs or egg whites in a bowl make
sure that there is no oily contain in the bowl and bowl is well cleaned because
if there will be any oily content then it will spoil the egg foam created after
beating.
26- If cake batter is too tight then baked cake will
be too hard.
27-While creaming butter (fat) with sugar, sugar
also adds more air pockets. Hence Baking powder and baking soda helps them to
expand while baking.
28-A soft dropping consistency of cake batter (in
many type of cake recipes) is must for good moist cake.
29- Once all the wet and dry ingredients are added
then don’t over mix it.
30-Add warm milk(not hot) to adjust the cake consistency to
get soft dropping consistency.
31-Use 0 and 1 speed(low speed) of electric
beater.
32-Adding too much Flour will cause cracked top on
the baked cake.
33-Many time’s added solid chunks such as tutti
frutti or any dry fruits sink at the bottom of the cake in a baked cake; it is
because your batter was too runny and not capable to hold those solid things.
What you can do is mix 1-2 teaspoon(depend on quantity of solid chunks) of dry
flour(all-purpose flour or any of flour
that you are using in your recipe). Then add the mixture into the prepared
batter.
34-What type of butter is required in cake recipe?:
As unsalted butter has less water content than of salted butter so when
unsalted butter will be creamed with beater then it will more form stable
structure rather than salted butter, so prefer to use unsalted butter to maintain airy pockets
by creaming it.
35- Always mix the ingredients on low speed so that
air pocket created will not destroy (by hand whisk or by beater)
36-How to soften the butter before its use in a cake
recipe: Don’t soft butter in a microwave as it will destroy the emulsion, which
will affect creaming of butter, hence always take out butter from the freeze
and just cut into few pieces and put for some time at room temperature.
37-Folding is done just to mix two things together
without loss of airy bubbles. If you don’t take care of it then you will result
in hard cake.
38-Always beat butter till light and
fluffy (with hand mixer it will take 6-7 mins).
39-Now make sure that you always choose any good
cake recipe. Is it easy to understand if u has gone through this article :-)
40-If a batter is too runny then it will take too
long time to bake and also not cooked properly.
41-Be accurate with weight and ingredients used in
cake recipe
I)
If you add more amount of baking powder
then your cake will not rise more.
II)
Yes, you can always sift all dry
ingredients as many times (3 times is good) to create more and more air
pockets.
42- Always while adding dry ingredients into wet
ingredients, first add large amount of dry ingredients because once the liquid
is added then avoid over mixing in order to limit gluten formation.
43-Always beat egg white up to its
ribbon stage for sponge cake.
44-If you will not incorporate air either by creaming
butter and sugar or by sifting the dry flour then you will result a heavy cake.
Also make sure that after adding all ingredients together in a bowl, don’t mix
them together, just cut and fold them. Use a steel spoon (preferred or use
silicon spatula)for folding it.
45-Eggs whip best when they are either at room
temperature or when lil hot.
46- If you will mix all the ingredients together
then air pockets will be gone and will result in heavy cake.
BAKING OF CAKE
47-Once the cake batter is prepared in a cake tin, put
it immediately in a microwave because the rising agents will start working when
added with wet ingredients (while folding they start their work so put it
immediately).
48- Put the cake always on the correct self in a
convection mode. Always go to middle rack (for equal baking).
49-Make sure not to over bake the cake in microwave
it is one of the reason of getting dry cake.
50-Always grease, flour and line your cake tin
before pouring cake batter into it, otherwise after cake is done it will be
very hard to take out the prepared cake
(as cake can stick at bottom & at sides) with knife
51-Don’t over fill your cake tin with cake batter
otherwise while baking time cake will rise and come out of the tin and fall all
around in oven.
52-Always smooth the top of batter (using spatula) in
a cake tin before baking it and make sure to tap the tin for at-least 3 to 4
times so that if any air left will be gone.
53-Several major reasons of cake sink in middle are over
mixing in cake batter, oven is too hot or too cold, and batter is too thick. Or
door of open before 20 mins of baking. Also sometimes you didn’t get flat top
in your baked cake, it is due to less moisture in your cake.To
maintain that moisture, take some(5-6) pieces of ice-cubes and put them in
another tin(any-prefer to use baking tin) now put that tin(for 1-2 mins) into the oven just before going
to put your cake batter tin inside the oven to bake. By doing so ice cubes will
maintain the moisture and so cake will cook evenly with flat top.
54- Best oven temperature to bake cake is 325 degrees
Fahrenheit (325°F = 162.778°C).
55- Most of the time it is said to bake your cake in
Convection mode of your microwave and not to go at micro mode of the microwave,
it is because technically convection mode is made for baking purpose but micro mode(for cooking) is not
designed for baking purpose and not good for baking purpose (high temp, cook
fast, cake will be uncooked from inside).It will only help to cook your cake
but not give it a brown crust. If you don’t need brown crust(like sometimes in case
of chocolate cakes) then go to micro mode, but best way to bake cake is using
convection mode.
56- For convection mode it is best to use any type
of cake tin not so thin not so thick i.e like you can go for aluminum tin or
steel tin or any nonstick cake tin because they will bake your cake evenly from
all sides. But if you will use glass utensils (they are very thick layered,
especially from bottom side) then your cake will not backed from bottom side.
57-If using cooker to bake your cake
then, before baking it make sure to preheat cooker and add salt in it(so that
cake is evenly cooked and not burn from bottom heat of cooker).
58-Don’t open the door of microwave
before 20 min of baking, otherwise due to temperature change (attack) cake will
shrink in middle.
59-Let the cake bake at least upto
25 mins, then open the door and check it with toothpick and if needed then
again bake it till golden & well raise cake.
60-Always let the cake rest in the
tin for 10 mins and then cut the sides with knife and put the flat side down on
wire rack until completely cooled down.
Ooo..I am just tired today writing here all these
possible things..but very very happy too to share my experience..but now its ur
turn dear friends..all I want is just tell me how was my article. Was it
helpful to you?..plz let me know :-)
THANKYOU..Happee Baking!!
