Cake Baking 101

Every baker has faced some failures at some point of their journey. Especially if you are a beginner you might have faced a lot of failures. A sunk cake or a hard one, or even an underdone cake all can made you cry. Don’t worry we’ve got your back. We bring to you an ultimate cake baking basics. The stronger the basics, the better the cake.

RULE 1- KNOWING YOUR INGREDIENTS

Cake baking involves a lot of science and precision. That’s why knowing your ingredients and measuring them precisely will ultimately give you the perfect slice of cake.

*Always use fresh bought ingredients.

If you already have them, then don’t use without checking it's expiry.

*Use ingredients in room temperature.

*Invest in good-quality ingredients.

*Never skip an ingredient without knowing it's function in the cake.

For ex: if you skip baking powder then your cake won’t rise and you will end up with a dense cake.

RULE 2- BAKING ESSENTIALS

Apart from the ingredients you need some essentials like pots and pans which will make your baking easier and joyful.

*Cake tins

*Butter paper

*Spatula

*Piping bags and tips

*Offset spatula

*Hand whisk {you can even use a stand mixer if you have one}

*Mixing bowls

*Thin mesh sieve

*Gel food colours

*Baking powder and soda

*Vanilla extract

*Sprinkles {Rainbow or choco or even silver dragees}

*Cake stand

*Cake boards

*Agar-Agar powder

RULE 3- KNOW THE BASICS

If you want to start baking, look for simple and easy cakes. Look for basic chocolate cake or vanilla cake, it just depends on your taste.

Here you go, these are some game-changing and mind-blowing hacks applicable to all cakes.

These will not just save your time, but will also make your cakes look and taste amazing.

*Always sieve your dry ingredients.

*Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, and then fold the dry into the wet.

*Always mix the batter in cut and fold method.

*Don’t get over enthusiastic and overmix the batter.

*Fold only till all the flour pockets have disappeared. Overmixing leads to a dense cake.

*Style your cakes with sprinkles.

*Elevate your fresh fruit cakes with a fruit glaze.

For ex: If you’re making orange cake, pour some orange glaze on it. To make that just mix together ½ cup orange juice, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp cornflour. Cook that for 2 mins until it thickens. Cool down and pour it on your cake.

*Use buttercream on your cakes.

*WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T HAVE AN OTG OR CONVECTION OVEN?

That’s simple, Heat some salt in a kadhai/ wok for 10 mins. Place a stand on it, and place the cake tin on it. Cover and cook until toothpick comes out clean.