Saturday, March 21, 2009

Interesting Cake Baking Hints

By Paul Leger

Following the instructions on a recipe is very important when it comes to baking a cake. Since the cake assumes its final shape while it is in the oven, you need to make the same amount of attention as you would while making it. Make sure you turn the oven to the recommended temperature before you start making the cake mixture so that the right temperature will be reached by the time you need it.

Using the oven temperature suggested by the recipe is very important. This is because a cake will only bake correctly if there is just enough heat to help it rise and cook inside without burning it. Place your cake in the proper shelf position is even more important because the raising agents will produce gas which the heat will expand and caramelize the surface sugar which result in a soft brown crust.

If you set the temperature too high, the cake will begin to cook and assume its final shape before it has risen. The actual cooking starts from the sides and gradually moves towards the centre. If this occurs too quickly, you will get a cake with a cracked peak in the centre and any fruit contained in the cake will sink. The outside of the cake will be ready but the inside is still raw so by the time the inside is cooked, the outside will be burnt.

Lower temperature is not a good idea too because your cake will have rising problem. Raising agents may work under lower temperature but without the proper amount of heat, your cake will not rise and ultimately, it will collapse and sink in the centre. As a result, you will have a sunken cake with hard sugary crust.

The lesson to take back today is to use hotter temperature when baking smaller cake. Since the hottest area of an oven is the top shelves, you should place smaller cakes there. On the other hand, larger cakes are best placed in the middle or lower shelves because they require less heat and longer cooking time. If you want to have better success at baking cakes, make sure you place them in the proper shelves based on the size of the cakes.

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