20/09/2023
Many may wonder why your cake is dense, didn’t rise, shrunk in middle, greasy, crumbly, or even have cracked at the top. Here are some tips before you bake!
1. The BUTTER is the CENTER of the recipe, the heart I would say. For the heart to function, the temperature needs to be just right. Not too soft/melty and not too hard/cold. A tip: Keep the butter out of the fridge for ten minutes and try poking it with a finger. If it sinks a lil bit, not too much, then it’s just right.
2. Room temperature is the KEY. The main KEY to unlock your beautifully raised cake. Keep your eggs, milk etc at room temperature before starting baking, unless your recipe calls for cold ingredients.
3. ALWAYS Read the Recipe before starting baking. Make sure you thoroughly read each sentence and tips from the recipes you get from online/books. You may actually catch many important tips along the way.
4. Get your INGREDIENTS PREPPED. Yes. Be it weighing dry ingredients to measuring liquid ones, do it before you start.
5. SIEVE SIEVE SIEVE your FLOUR. It really helps to get rid of those stubborn lumps formed during mixing, as well as gives a very smooth texture to your cake.
6. Learn how to MEASURE. This may sound like no-brainer, but this is where most of us make mistakes. 1 teaspoon vs 1 tablespoon makes a lot of difference to your cake.
7. WEIGH your ingredient. Right Weight Gives Great Bite. You will get your delicious cake, in every blissful bite when you weigh it right. Don’t assume, or what we call ‘agak-agak’. Use a kitchen scale, it’s priceless.
8. Keep your Oven door Closed. Do not open your oven 25 times as the cake bakes. This causes the cool outside air to enter into the oven causing drastic changes in the temperature inside. You may lose that perfectly raised cake here!
Hope this helps! Baking is a blissful experience when you do it right. Even non-bakers can get it right, if you just follow the recipe, but keep in mind all the rules to aid you! HAPPY BAKING & HAPPY EATING!