Sometimes even experienced housewives cannot bake an excellent cake, the dough settles during baking, the cakes are dry or, on the contrary, not baked. A few tips will help you to avoid mistakes and make a delicious and beautiful cake.
Combine the ingredients correctly
Basically, making a dough for baking a cake is a series of chemical experiments, because when ingredients are mixed in a specific order, a reaction occurs that leads to specific effects. As a result of baking, pastry cakes, biscuits and so on will acquire the necessary soft and delicate texture if you first combine the moist components: cream, milk or sour cream with fat (butter or margarine) and sugar. Then add eggs to the mass and slowly add dry ingredients, achieving the desired consistency.
To make a cake based on meringue or meringue, for example, "Count Ruins", "Pavlova" and so on and get a light, airy texture, beat eggs or whites (depending on the recipe for making the cake) until the mass becomes voluminous and elastic. Please note that these ingredients must be chilled and fresh.
Always follow the cake recipe. The order and way of connecting the components is very important to get an excellent result.
Explore your oven
Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven to prevent the cakes from getting burnt or under-baked. If you bake a cake close to the top or bottom of the oven, the crust will quickly begin to burn.
Only place the dough pan in a well-preheated oven. To do this, set the required temperature and turn on the oven 15-20 minutes before baking. However, it should be noted that ceramic or glassware should not be placed in a hot oven, as it may burst. In this case, send the mold to the oven and turn on the oven. When the dough has set, cover it with parchment paper soaked in water.
Close the oven door carefully, cotton can cause air bubbles to escape from the dough, causing the crust to settle. To check the degree of doneness, lightly press on the center of the cake, if there is no dent and the surface is leveled, then it is ready. Another method that our grandmothers used was to pierce with a wooden stick. If it is dry when you take it out, then the cake base is baked, if there is dough on it, then you need to hold it in the oven for a few more minutes.
The usual baking temperature for high cakes made from biscuit or pastry dough is 175-190 degrees. To bake a puff pastry crust, set the temperature to 200-220 degrees, and for meringue and meringue, 100-130 degrees will be enough.
Choose the right size for your baking dish
Some recipes indicate the size of the baking dish. In this case, the task is much easier, it is best to use the recommended dishes. If you do not have a pan of the specified size, use a larger one, but note that this will make the crust thinner and shorten the baking time.
Fill the container only halfway, as the dough can almost double during baking. If you are using a tempered glass pan or non-stick frying pan, you should reduce the oven temperature by 25-30 degrees. If the dough burns on the bottom, place a frying pan with water on the wire shelf under the baking sheet.
Use the right flour to bake your cake
Different types of flour contain a different percentage of protein, the more, the more gluten. Specialty flour for baking has the least amount of protein, so it is best for a light, airy texture like biscuit. Bread flour is used for denser products such as shortcrust pastry.
Weigh flour
Weight, not volume, is the only accurate way to measure flour, so if you don't already have a kitchen scale, get one. There may be a lot more flour in the measuring cup than is necessary, so the dough will not be of the same consistency.
Let the baked goods stand
Do not remove the crust from the mold immediately after baking. Let it cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. After cooling down, place the plate on top, turn the mold over and tap the bottom of the container lightly or shake it slightly. It is very convenient to use for baking cake layers in a special shape with removable sides. In this case, it is enough to remove the walls and gently slide the cake onto a flat plate or dish. To prevent the dough from sticking to the bottom of the mold, cover it with parchment paper before baking.
Spread the cream evenly
Grease the cake with cream only after the cake has completely cooled down. Place a spoonful of cream in the center of the cake and spread it over the entire surface, put the next layer and grease it again with cream.
When all the layers are collected, apply the cream to the sides of the cake and spread it evenly with the blunt side of a knife. Then cover the top side and smooth out the cream also with a knife. Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes, then remove and cover with a thin layer of frosting, or decorate the surface with creme patterns and lettering, fresh or canned berries, pieces of fruit, and so on.
