Cake Baking Tips: Ingredients and Techniques

These excellent baking tips are ideal for cake lovers who want to make the perfect cake – every time!

• When measuring flour, fluff it in the bag then spoon into the measuring cup and level off with a knife.
• For better texture, try substituting buttermilk for regular milk in your cake recipe. For each cup of buttermilk used, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the dry ingredients.
• Always beat butter and sugar for as long as the recipe directs.
• To make a lighter cake, separate the eggs first. Add the yolks to the butter mixture, beat the egg whites then fold into the batter.
• In general, use 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder for every cup of flour in cake batters.
• To speed up the softening of cold butter, grate or thinly slice it and let stand for about 10 minutes over a bowl of warm water.
• Toss nuts, raisins and chopped fruits in flour first. This will help keep them suspended in batters.
• To split layer cakes loop a long strand of unflavoured dental floss around the centre of the cake horizontally. Cross the ends and slowly and firmly pull on each end to cut cleanly through the cake.
• Make chocolate whipped cream by combining 2 tablespoons each unsweetened cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl. Gradually stir in 1 cup whipping cream, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before beating.

Reference: Southern Food