Cake Method

SUBMITTED BY: h7osam2

DATE: Jan. 14, 2020, 5:12 p.m.

FORMAT: Text only

SIZE: 10.5 kB

Raw Download

HITS: 2632

Report
  1. Cake Method
  2. Best Chocolate Cake Ever: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Fudgy Frosting
  3. Chocolate cake unlike any you've made before: Fudgy, tender, and moist are just some of the adjectives that describe this must-try cake recipe. See our step-by-step process!
  4. Share: Best Chocolate Cake Ever: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Fudgy Frosting
  6. Direct Link
  7. https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/bake/how-to-make-a-cake/
  8. Many of our best cake recipes start with the same method: beating butter or shortening with sugar until it's fluffy. These cakes are sometimes called creamed cakes because the fat and sugar are creamed together. We'll teach you how to make the best creamed layer cake ever. (Other cakes, like angel food and pound cake, use different methods.)
  10. Classic Vanilla Cake
  12. Step 1: Choose a Recipe
  13. The first step to baking a gorgeous, mouthwatering cake is choosing a recipe to get you started. You can keep it simple with a classic vanilla cake recipe or a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, or you can choose a slightly showier recipe, like a chocolaty devil's food cake or a luscious red velvet cake recipe. If you're not a fan of frosting, try a German chocolate cake. We also a have a few birthday cake recipes you can make for a party. The possibilities are almost endless, but avoid angel food, pound cakes, and sponge cakes because they require a different method.
  15. Step 2: Choose the Right Baking Pans
  16. Sturdy, single-wall aluminum pans, with or without nonstick coating, are great cake pans. Here are other points to keep in mind:
  18. • Dark or Shiny? We prefer shiny pans for achieving a golden appearance. If you use a dark or dull-finish pan, reduce the oven temperature by 25°F and check doneness 3 to 5 minutes early to prevent overbrowning.
  20. • Sizes and Shapes. Many recipes call for either 8x1½-inch or 9x1½-inch round pans. they are interchangeable, but cakes baked in 8-inch pans generally require 5 to 10 minutes longer in the oven. Square and round pans could also be used as long as they're the size called for in the recipe.
  22. Step 3: Allow Ingredients to Reach Room Temperature
  23. Many recipes require some ingredients, such as eggs and butter, to stand at room temperature for a specified time. This is because room-temp butter blends more easily with other ingredients and room-temp eggs result in higher cake volume. (For food safety reasons, don't leave the eggs at room temperature for more time than specified in the recipe.)
  25. Tip: Never use melted butter when softened butter is called for. It will ruin the cake texture.
  27. Greasing cake pan
  29. Step 4: Prep the Pans
  30. Nobody wants their cake to stick to the pan, so it's important to prep your pans before pouring in the batter. With the exception of angel food and chiffon cakes, most recipes call for greasing or lining the pan before baking. Depending on your recipe, here's how to do it:
  32. If your recipe calls for greasing and flouring the pan, use a paper towel or pastry brush to evenly spread shortening or butter on the bottom, corners, and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. (Or spray nonstick cooking spray.) Sprinkle a little flour into the pan; tap the pan so the flour covers all greased surfaces. Tap out any extra flour into the sink.
  34. If a recipe calls for lining the pan with waxed or parchment paper, place the pan on the paper and trace around its base with a pencil. Cut just inside the traced line; line the bottom of a lightly greased pan with the paper, smoothing any wrinkles or bubbles. Unless otherwise specified, grease and flour the lined pan, too.
  36. Tip: For chocolate cakes, use cocoa powder instead of flour to coat the pan. Cocoa powder prevents sticking and enhances the cake's flavor, and traces of it won't be obvious after the cake is turned out of the pan.
  38. Step 5: Preheat the Oven
  39. When a cake bakes too quickly it can develop tunnels and cracks, too slowly and it can be coarse. Let your oven preheat for at least 10 minutes, and use an oven thermometer to make sure it reaches the proper temperature. Remember, if you're using dark cake pans, you'll want to reduce the oven temperature called for in your recipe by 25°F.
  41. Stirring together dry ingredients
  43. Step 6: Stir Together Dry Ingredients
  44. Dry ingredients usually include flour, baking powder and/or baking soda, and salt. Rather than adding each dry ingredient individually to the batter, mix them together in a bowl beforehand. That way you know that the ingredients are equally distributed throughout the batter.
  46. Step 7: Combine the butter and sugar
  47. Beating butter
  49. Step 7: Combine the Butter and Sugar
  50. Wondering how to make a cake with light, tender texture? A crucial step is to make sure the butter (or shortening, if specified in the recipe) and the sugar are perfectly combined. Here's how:
  52. Using an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat the butter for 30 seconds. Generally, a stand mixer requires a medium speed for this step and a hand mixer requires a higher speed.
  53. Add the sugar in small amounts, about ¼ cup at a time, beating on medium. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Adding the sugar little by little incorporates more air into the mixture.
  54. Beat the mixture on medium speed until it is combined and has a light, fluffy texture. (This will probably take 3 to 5 minutes. Don't cheat on your timing.) Scrape the bowl occasionally while beating. Tiny bubbles will be created as the butter and sugar are combined, which will give your cake that dreamy, light, fluffy texture.
  56. Step 8: Add Eggs One at a Time
  57. Break one egg into a custard cup. (This way if you get shell fragments, you can easily fish them out of the cup rather than try to get them out of the batter.) Add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat well. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  59. Alternately adding flour and liquid to cake batter
  61. Step 9: Alternate Adding Dry and Wet Ingredients
  62. Alternate between adding some of the flour mixture and some of the milk (or other liquid specified in the recipe) to the butter-egg-sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Begin and end with the flour mixture. (This is because when liquid is mixed into flour, gluten begins to form. Too much gluten makes for a tough cake, so be sure to start and finish with flour, and not overmix once you add liquid.)
  64. Tip: Be careful not to overmix at this stage or else you might get elongated, irregular holes in the finished cake.
  66. Spreading cake batter in pan.
  68. Step 10: Pour Batter Into Pans and Bake
  69. Divide the batter evenly between the baking pans. Use an offset metal spatula to spread the batter in an even layer. Be sure to spread it to the pan edge. Bake your cake according to your recipe's directions.
  71. Checking cake for doneness
  73. Step 11: Check Cake for Doneness
  74. How do you avoid a dry cake? Avoid overbaking it. Start checking the cake for doneness after the recipe's stated minimum baking time. For creamed cakes, insert a wooden toothpick near the center of the cake. If the pick comes out clean, the cake is done.
  76. Removing pan from cake
  78. Step 12: Cool the Cake
  79. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes maximum. To remove from the pans, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides. Place a wire rack over the top of the cake and flip the pan. Lift the pan off the cake, being careful not to tear the edges of the cake. If you used waxed or parchment paper, gently peel the paper off the cake.
  81. Allow the cake to cool completely (about 1 hour). This is a key step to letting the cake firm up, making it less likely to break apart as you frost it. (And it keeps the frosting from melting as soon as you spread it!)
  83. Assemble the layers
  85. Step 13: Assemble the Cake
  86. To avoid crumbs in your frosting, brush the cake layers with a pastry brush before assembling. Spread about ½ cup of frosting over the first layer, then carefully top with the next layer. Repeat until the cake is assembled.
  89. Step 14: Add the First Coat of Frosting
  90. Add a crumb coat by spreading a very thin layer of frosting over the sides and top of the cake. This initial coat doesn't need to look perfect; it's another way to keep the crumbs out of the frosting. Let the cake stand for 30 minutes so the frosting sets up.
  92. Final Frosting Layer
  94. Before you can start cake decorating, you have to generously spread the base frosting along all sides of your cake. We used the Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting recipe in this photo.
  95. Step 15: Frost and Decorate
  96. Using an offset spatula or table knife, generously spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, swirling as you go. Once the cake is completely covered, go back and add more swirls as desired. Serve the cake within 2 hours or refrigerate to store.
  100. By BH&G Food Editors
  101. Popular in How to Bake
  102. How to Make Cheese Danish PastriesHow to Make Cheese Danish Pastries
  103. Pin
  104. How to Make Cheese Danish Pastries
  105. How to Make PretzelsHow to Make Pretzels
  106. Pin
  107. How to Make Pretzels
  108. How to Make Cake PopsHow to Make Cake Pops
  109. Pin
  110. How to Make Cake Pops
  111. How to Make Sourdough BreadHow to Make Sourdough Bread
  112. Pin
  113. How to Make Sourdough Bread
  114. How to Slightly Beat EggsHow to Slightly Beat Eggs
  115. Pin
  116. How to Slightly Beat Eggs
  117. How to Make Chocolate Cake
  118. Pin
  119. How to Make Chocolate Cake
  120. How to Make a Cake Roll
  121. Pin
  122. How to Make a Cake Roll
  123. How to Frost an Ombré Cake
  124. Pin
  125. How to Frost an Ombré Cake
  126. How to Make Sponge Cake
  127. Pin
  128. How to Make Sponge Cake
  129. How to Beat Egg Whites to Soft Peaks
  130. Pin
  131. How to Beat Egg Whites to Soft Peaks
  132. How to Beat Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks
  133. Pin
  134. How to Beat Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks
  135. How to Make Chiffon Cake
  136. Pin
  137. How to Make Chiffon Cake
  138. How to Make Sugar Cookies
  139. Pin
  140. How to Make Sugar Cookies
  141. How to Make Yeast Bread
  142. Pin
  143. How to Make Yeast Bread
  144. Our Best Baking Tips for Cakes
  145. Pin
  146. Our Best Baking Tips for Cakes
  147. How to Make Cakes Soft and Springy
  148. Pin
  149. How to Make Cakes Soft and Springy
  150. How to Make Fondant
  151. Pin
  152. How to Make Fondant
  153. How to Make a Celebration Cake
  154. Pin
  155. How to Make a Celebration Cake
  156. How to Bake a Pie Like a Pro
  157. Pin
  158. How to Bake a Pie Like a Pro
  159. How to Substitute Olive Oil in Cakes and Quick Breads
  160. Pin
  161. How to Substitute Olive Oil in Cakes and Quick Breads
  162. All Topics in How to Bake
  163. COOKING BASICS COOKING WITH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES COOKING CHARTS HOW TO BAKE COOKING WITH MEAT & POULTRY COOKING TECHNIQUES FOOD STORAGE & SAFETY PRESERVING & CANNING
comments powered by Disqus