Top 10 Baking Hacks to Make Your Cakes Fluffier and More Delicious
The perfect cake requires a combination of science and art. It cannot be easy to make a delicious, fluffy cake, whether you are a novice or an experienced baker. There are several hacks you can use to improve your baking skills. Whether it’s a classic Red Velvet cake or a Victoria Sponge – these tips will help your baked goods! Here are 10 of the best baking hacks that will ensure your cakes turn out delicious and fluffy every time.
1. Use Room Temperature Ingredients
It is important to ensure that all ingredients are at the right temperature before baking a cake. Cold butter, eggs and milk will cause the batter to curdle, resulting in dense cakes. Let your ingredients sit for 30 minutes or more before mixing them to get a smoother and more consistent batter. This will result in a fluffy cake.
2. Cream Butter and sugar thoroughly
Creaming is crucial for adding air to your cake batter. The butter and sugar should be beaten together for 3-5 minutes to make the mixture light and fluffy. This step creates air pockets that expand when the cake is baked, giving it a light and fluffy texture.
3. Do not overmix the batter
Overmixing your ingredients can result in a dense and tough cake. Mix the flour only until it is combined. Overmixing can activate the gluten in the flour, making the cake chewy instead of tender.
4. You can sift your dry ingredients
It is easy to aerate dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and other dry ingredients before adding them to the batter by sifting. This will ensure that lumps are broken down and ingredients are distributed evenly, leading to a lighter cake.
5. Add Baking Powder
If your recipe already includes baking powder, adding a pinch more can help your cake rise even higher. Be careful not to overdo the baking powder. Too much can cause your cake to rise rapidly and then collapse, resulting in a dense or sunk cake.
6. Add an Extra Egg White
Egg whites can be used to add volume and lightness to cakes. If you are using whole eggs in your cake recipe, add an extra egg to your batter. The egg whites should be beaten until soft peaks are formed and then folded into the batter right before baking. This will add fluffiness to the cake without changing its flavour.
7. Swap milk for buttermilk or sour cream
Buttermilk and soured cream add acidity to the batter. This reacts with baking powder or soda to produce carbon dioxide, giving the cake a more tender crumb and helping it rise higher. To enhance the taste and texture of your cake, substitute equal amounts of buttermilk or soured cream for regular milk.
8. Overbaking
A common mistake is to overbake a cake, which can lead to a tough, dry cake. Start checking the cake’s doneness several minutes before it is suggested in the recipe. If the toothpick comes out with moist crumbs or is clean, then the cake has been baked. It is important to remember that the cake will continue to cook even after it has been removed from the oven. Taking it out early can help keep its moisture.
9. Use a Cake Stripe or Damp Towel
Before baking, wrap the outside of the pan in a cake strip. This trick stops the edges of the cake from cooking faster than its centre. The result is a level, flat cake with a uniformly fluffy texture.
10. Let the batter rest before baking
Resting the cake batter for 10-15 minutes prior to baking allows the gluten to relax, creating a more tender cake. This resting period also allows the baking powder to begin working and ensures a good rise when baked.
Conclusion
These baking hacks will help you create cakes that are not just delicious but also beautiful. Don’t forget that baking is just as much about the technique as it is about the ingredients. So don’t hurry. Paying attention to the small details will transform your cake from good to extraordinary and delight everyone who tastes it. Start by baking simple cakes like a Lemon Cake or a Chocolate Cake before tackling a more challenging cake such as our Pistachio & Raspberry Cake. Happy baking!