My Little Recipes: Cooking is Magic

How to bake the perfect cake!

Everypony knows that baking is fun. But when you pull a cake out of the oven expecting it to be moist and chewy, it’s always a huge disappointment when it’s flaky and dry. Here are some tips for ya’ll to employ to make your cakes super delicious and always moist!

When preparing the batter for the oven, tap the sides of the pan to release any air bubbles that may be in the batter. This’ll make sure the cake is dense evenly throughout and it makes each bite much more savory! Before putting the pan in the oven, wrap a strip of wet cloth (I just use an old towel that I cut into a long strip) and pin it around the pan. Not only will it keep the sides from cooking faster than the middle, it’ll also keep the cake from forming a dome!

For cupcakes, I’ve heard that preheating the oven to about 50 degrees higher than you need to cook them and then lowering the temperature to it’s required temp as soon as you put them in will give them a perfect, beautiful dome shape.

Now, for the hard part… Knowing when the cake is actually done! There are a lot of ways to do this, but the most precise list I’ve found is right here:

When the Sides Pull Away - The cake is usually done when you see the sides of the cake just start to pull away from the pan. The outer edges will look dry and you’ll see a gap forming between the edge of the cake and the side of the pan.
When the Cake is Pillowy - The middle of the cake should feel springy and pillowy if you gently press your finger against it. One of our baking instructors used to say that the cake was done when it was so pillowy that you could fall asleep on it!
When a Cake Tester Comes Out Clean - Any thin skewer can be used as a cake tester, but many bakers just use a simple toothpick. If you insert it into the center of the cake, it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter. A few small crumbs are ok!
Take the Internal Temperature - If you’re in any doubt, you can always take the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. The cake is done when the temperature in the middle is about 210°.

I’ve also heard about people using a “smell test,” where they just wait for the smell of the cake to reach them. A lot of people swear by this, though I personally employ the “pull away” technique and it usually comes out just fine.

Another tip worth mentioning is putting the cake in the freezer. After letting your cake (or cupcakes!) cool down to room temperature, DO NOT FROST IT. Wrap it while still in the pan with some aluminum foil and put it in the freezer until a few hours before you’ll eat it. Frost it up and as it thaws, it’ll become incredibly moist. A friend of mine did this for a birthday cake at a party of mine once and it was incredible!

If ya’ll have any more tips, tricks, or anything else you’d like to share, remember to send it in either the suggestion box OR email professorcuddles at gmail dot com!