Wednesday, April 8, 2015

3 Common Missteps When Preparing Cake

By Jennifer Marie Anderson


Those who are skilled in the pastry arts will be able to prepare some of the best cakes imaginable. Not only are they layered high, in certain cases, they are moist and sweet enough to where anyone can get into them. Without question, skill like this is obtained through experience, in addition to the best education imaginable. However, for those who are new to this particular endeavor, there is a level of caution worth taking up.

There may be a number of reasons why a particular cake isn't quite up to par with what was expected. Some of the most common reasons include a dry texture or a lack of moisture; either of these can make a cake taste bad. Aspects like these can come to the surface due to poor culinary practices, which means that missteps should be noted. As long as you adhere to this 3-point list, there will be no denying the fact that your cake will be that much better.

One of the mistakes to make note of is a failure to mix ingredients. This is especially true for butter, since it is a far more solid ingredient than, say, flour or eggs. If you under-mix, chances are that you will be left with solid clumps that will not bode well during the actual baking process. On the other hand, over-mixing can result in more of a liquefied substance. You have to find the right medium and make sure that you do not go over or under.

As the cake starts to bake, make sure that the oven door is kept shut at all times. There is a certain temperature that said oven entails, meaning that exposure to different temperatures can affect the way in which the cake is baked. It wouldn't be out of the question to assume that the cake in question would fall. With this in mind, make sure that the oven door is kept sealed, lest you run the risk of coming away with a less satisfactory cake.

You should also make sure that your cake is given enough time to cool down. Many novice chefs make the mistake of cutting into their cake too soon, which can result in a stickier product or one that is flatter than it should be. Simply put, without giving your product time to acclimate itself to a different temperature, less appealing results will rise. Give your cake the time it needs to cool and your patience will soon pay off.




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