8 Tips for that Perfect Cake

With three easy recipes posted so far, I am sure you enjoyed making them. My attempt always have been to make things simple so that one enjoys the whole process. My husband often jokes that people have to see you cook and bake and they will wonder you are lying as there is no stress when you are in kitchen.

It is a myth that more time you spend in kitchen the food turns out good. I like other working moms do not believe the same, and trust me I don’t spend much time in the kitchen!

I have always had people ask me how my perfect cakes are made. This makes me wonder what do I do differently that people feel my cakes are yummy (I love praising myself unlike a Virgo). As I think of a reply, I can imagine my son and husband smiling at each other and wondering what I am going to say. There is a TA theory in HR where we say that most of the time parents in us take over and try to do fault finding. We start to concentrate on what went wrong, rather than looking for positive reasons. I just let the Happy “me” take over the bad and things automatically come out well. It is about the positivity around you that you create and you are responsible for it and no one else.

Enough of gyan! As promised, now let me list some basic tips which help cakes to come out perfect

1. All things to be at room temperature
2. Burnt bottom of the cake – means the pan is too thin or you are too close to the rod down.
3. Fallen center of the cake – means too much baking powder, too hot an oven or you have not let the cake breathe( 🙂 or opened the door too often to keep checking)
4. Badly cracked top – means too hot an oven, cake placed near the top or baking powder is not evenly distributed)
5. Heavy texture of plain cakes – means we have been generous with our measurements of flour, sugar, baking powder. Or we have not pre heated the oven.
6. Fruit sunk in the bottom – means the mixture was too flowy or we have not cut or dusted the fruits properly.
7. If in sponge cake beating is not done properly then you get close and heavy texture
8. Never take the cake out of the oven under a fan

Oh God, I can go on and on the list but let me not scare you. There is no rocket science in baking. With trial and error we all become perfect.  It is not about how it turned out but the whole process of doing it and who is relishing the cake. My son who is a darling will always praise the food you give him and relish each piece even if he does not like. His belief is that you should never discourage someone who take so much pain for you. There are days which may not be good.

Most important rule to follow is to have everything at room temperature and pre-heated oven. Rest all will follow its course.

Happy baking and enjoy the child in you!! (No pic this time! As I couldn’t burn my own cakes 🙂 )