4 Reasons why baking
a cake doesn’t have
to be a headache
By: Arissa Vargas
Have you ever tried to bake a cake last minute for someone’s birthday or for an
event? Did that make you become stressed out and frustrated with time? Or maybe you
just don’t know how to decorate a cake for that special someone or event? Baking a cake
can take several hours and depending on the decorations and details you add, it can take
even longer. I have put together 4 easy tips that will help you make a beautiful cake to
present to that special someone or event (unless you decide you just want us to do it for
you).
1. Before anything else,
perfecting the basics is the most
important step…
When baking your cake, according to realsimple.com it is best to use your wet
ingredients, such as your eggs and butter at room temperature. If you are in a rush you
can microwave the butter in five-second intervals to soften the butter and you can put
your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes prior to
using them. Having your wet ingredients at room
temperature rather than right out of the refrigerator allows
the mixture to blend properly.
When measuring your dry ingredients such as, your
flour and sugar, it is best to spoon your flour and sugar into a
dry measuring cup. According to realsimple.com it is best if
you don’t scoop your flour or sugar directly from its bag
with a measuring cup. This will leave you compacted sugar
or flour and can mess up the recipe. Measuring your dry
ingredients directly from the bag can cause you to have more
than necessary. This is why it is recommended that you pour the dry ingredients into a
bowl and then measure the amount required.
When it comes to buttering your pan before adding the cake mix, a lot of people
use cooking spray, which is fine. For other people who choose to use a stick of butter to
butter the pan it is recommended to use a pastry brush as a way of distributing the butter
evenly around the pan. According to realsimple.com swipe the brush over already
softened butter then spread the butter onto the pan. This
technique also helps to spread butter over parchment
paper, which can be helpful for placing cookies or cake
before placing them on a pan and into the oven.
Next, when you put the cake inside the oven it is
best to position the pan as close to the center as
possible. According to realsimple.com if you are using
more than one baking pan you should set both pans in
the oven where they do not touch. Try placing the two
pans side-by-side in the middle rack of the oven. If you
can’t fit them in your oven this way you can place them
on different racks just slightly offset so that there is still air circulating.
2.Frosting doesn’t just taste
good it looks good...
Are you looking for a simple way to decorate your cake without added
ingredients? Perhaps you want to make your cake look a little nicer than just adding
frosting, which is the most flavorful part. According to tasteofhome.com there are a few
One way is by using a spoon. By pressing the flat side of
a spoon into the frosting and pulling straight up you will form
what is called a peak. You can continue to do this all around the
tops and sides of the cake. Another design you can create by
using a spoon is called waves. Use the back of a spoon again and
make small twisting motions in one direction. Then move the
spoon over and make the twisting motion in a different direction.
You can continue this motion until the whole cake is covered.
Another way to add a design to your cake is by using
either a fork or a knife. When using the fork, run the teeth
through the frosting in a wavy motion. You can do this to cover
the entire cake making a zigzag look. Creating the design of
stripes can be done with a regular knife. Start on the top edge and run the side of the knife
to the center of the cake, continue this motion until the top is completely covered. To
cover the sides of the cake do the same motion starting from the bottom and working
your way up. Continue this motion until the whole cake is covered in either stripes or
waves.
Besides the techniques with a table utensil you could also try using a pastry bag.
A pastry bag allows you to expand your decorations to your cake while still using just
frosting. You can find pastry bags and the different style decorating tips in most grocery
stores but definitely in craft stores. After you add the decorating tip to the bottom of the
pastry bag, it is helpful to use a spoon to fill the bag with icing. Then you can begin to
decorate or write on your cake. You will need to have different pastry bags for different
frosting colors, unless you want blended colors.
An alternative if you do not have a pastry bag is to use a zip block bag. Before I
started buying the correct baking supplies I would fill a zip block bag with frosting, zip
the top closed and then take scissors and cut off the corner of the bag. I would cut it as
big or small as I wanted and this gave me a similar technique as the pastry bag. I was able
to write phrases on the cake nicely. The only difference was
that I couldn’t make different decorations, such as a flower,
because the decorating tips are harder to use with a zip block
bag. Overall it served as an effective cheaper alternative.
3. A couple little tricks to
prevent more of a headache….
Have you ever had your cake come out of the oven and the top has risen more
than the sides so it appears to have a crown like shape to it? It can be difficult to decorate
a cake like this (uneven). One way to fix this problem is to immediately push down
gently on the cake with a plate as soon as you take it out of the oven. This will allow your
cake to cool with a flat top and make it easier for you to add frosting to it. Also
decorating a flat cake also gives the cake a nicer presentation compared to a cake with
uneven sides and a bigger top then bottom.
Applying nuts, coconut or sprinkles to the sides of your cake can be a little messy
but are a tasty touch. The best way to add these decorations is to frost the cake first, then
carefully hold the cake over a pan and pat the decorations gently with your hand to the
sides of the cake. By adding these crunchy treats to your cake in this technique saves you
a headache of nuts, coconut or sprinkles all over your floor or table.
4. Nobody said you had to
complete a cake in one night,
there’s always tomorrow…
If you don’t have time to make a cake from start to finish in one sitting you can
preserve your cake and then return to it later to add the frosting or decorations. One way
is to store your cake unfrosted. According to craftsy.com let your cake cool until it is at
room temperature then wrap the cake completely in plastic, do not include the plate it is
on. With the cake wrapped this way you can keep it stored for a few days as long as it is
in a dry, cool room temperature environment. If the environmental conditions are either
hot or humid then you can have the cake stored for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
If you choose to frost your cake you can still
preserve your cake before your event by simply
covering the cake with either a keeper or overturned
bowl. According to craftsy.com as long as you have
completely covered your cake with frosting or
fondant you can keep your cake stored this way for 34 days. The frosting or fondant help seal the moisture
in the cake so that it can still taste fresh when you go
to serve it. As with
unfrosted cakes if
your environment is
too hot or humid,
refrigerate your
cake. To avoid the colors used in your fondant from
bleeding make sure to make the transition in the
temperature slow. First take it out of the refrigerator
and then bring it into an air-conditioned room so that
the cake does not experience what is known as a
“temperature shock”. A temperature shock is when the
cake goes from one environment to a different one and
begins condensation, which will make the colors in the fondant bleed.
If you are looking for a long-term way to store your cake, by freezing it you can
have it stored for about a month before decorating it. As long as the cake is wrapped
tightly with plastic you can bake your cake at your convenience. This is also true for
frosted cakes. As long as your cake is wrapped and se cured you can leave it in the
freezer for about a month. With frosted cakes make sure to give your cake time to defrost
before serving.
If you are frosting your cake with cream
cheese or whipped cream icing then, according to
craftsy.com do not leave your cake covered in
room temperature. Instead cover the cake and
place it in the refrigerator, which will be good for
up to 3 days. When whipped cream frosting is
frozen the texture tends to change and is therefore
not recommended.