Essential Baking Tips: Common Cake Mistakes and How to Avoid Them



Any woman who enters the kitchen can bake, but sometimes failure in baking can be frustrating. There is no feeling of sinking like the feeling of a failed cake. When it comes to baking, practice eventually leads to perfection. There are some common mistakes in baking, which happen just like in life. Below are some tips to help you avoid some of the most common disasters and ensure better baking.

Dubai – Lina Al-Hourani

Why does my cake always sink (and never rise)?

Perhaps your leavening agent has expired. If the cake contains a leavening agent, such as baking powder, it should be incorporated quickly into the batter and the cake should go into the oven immediately. Baking powder is activated the moment it comes into contact with liquid, so the longer it sits in the cake pan before baking, the more likely it is to lose its "leavening power."

Alternatively, the issue might be that you didn’t start baking the cake at a high enough temperature. Cakes made with flour and a leavening agent need a higher initial temperature when they enter the oven to "lift" the crumb. Make sure to preheat the oven so the cake starts cooking immediately upon entering, benefiting from the power of the baking powder.

Whatever the recipe, preheat the oven to 10°C higher than recommended. Once you open the door, the oven will lose heat, and the cake will take longer to rise. This will exhaust the leavening agent mentioned earlier, making the cake lose its "will to rise." Once the cake is inside, close the door and lower the temperature to the one specified in the recipe.

If the cake contains no flour or you're using gluten-free flour, there is typically a dip in the center because it lacks the protein to hold the center of the cake. This is part of the cake's nature and should be accepted.

Why does my cake batter curdle?

This usually happens when you use the creaming method, where the butter is mixed with sugar and eggs. The batter may curdle due to one of the following reasons:

  1. The butter wasn’t soft enough. When we say "soft," we mean the texture of cream, not just at room temperature. There are two reasons you need soft butter: to allow the sugar to mix properly with the butter and create a smooth base, and to make it easier for the eggs to blend into the butter. Cold butter will cause difficulty when incorporating the eggs.

  2. The eggs were not at room temperature. Eggs do not like being cold when mixed with butter. Take them out of the fridge the night before to let them come to room temperature.

  3. You tried adding a whole egg to the butter. Lightly whisk the eggs with a fork to break them up. This will help them combine better with the butter.

Why is my cake so dense and dry?

We believe many cake recipes contain a large amount of flour. Try reducing the amount of flour and adding some nut flour to bring moisture and reduce gluten (which is what ultimately makes the cake dry).

The cake batter may have curdled during preparation, and a curdled batter needs to cook longer because its structure is broken. This usually results in a dry cake.

The cake might not have enough fat. Depending on the type of cake you're making, increase the amount of fat—whether oil, milk, or butter—in the recipe. Start with a modest increase—about 10%. This will loosen the cake and add moisture, which then translates into steam.

Why doesn’t my cake look spongy?

A light and airy sponge cake is made by aerating the eggs and gently folding in the dry ingredients to preserve the air you've created.

This can be tricky, as there are many steps to follow before mixing the sponge cake batter thoroughly, which may gradually deflate the mixture. The secret is to create a strong base first.

Some sponge cakes require separating the eggs, beating the yolks and whites separately with sugar, then combining them. In this case, meringue (egg whites) is essential to create a strong base. Add the sugar slowly, a little at a time, for the best results.

The preferred method for making a light sponge cake is using the Genoise method. Heat the whole eggs and sugar over hot (not boiling) water slightly before whipping them until they cool. This creates a strong and stable base that allows the flour to be folded in completely while preserving the air by the time the sponge cake enters the oven.

Using cake flour or Japanese oat flour, both of which have lower protein content than all-purpose flour, will also improve your sponge cake.

How can I prevent my cakes from sticking to the pan?

The best way to line a cake pan is by using parchment paper, carefully cut to fit the base with a long "collar" around the sides. Lightly spray the oil to stick the parchment to the pan (which comes in many shapes!) This prevents the lining from shifting and keeps it snug against the pan’s curves.

If you have a cake pan that can’t be lined with paper, grease it with butter and dust it with flour. You can also try using coarse sugar instead of flour, which will give the edges of the cake a nicer shine.

The most important thing is to use soft butter for greasing, not melted butter. If you melt the butter, the fats will separate, and when you spread it on the pan, the fat distribution will be uneven, leading to the cake sticking in certain spots.

If you're greasing a decorative cake pan, grease it with soft butter, dust it with flour or sugar, and then lightly spray it with oil. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer until ready to pour the batter (do this while preheating the oven so the pan has time to chill). This prevents heat from turning the flour and butter into glue.

Another tip for homemade cakes: Wait 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pan onto a wire cooling rack. This is enough time for the cake to firm up, but not so long that any caramel spots around the cake's exterior cause it to stick.

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