Baking Tips
1. Preheat oven and make sure your oven does not run hot or cold. If it does run hot or cold adjust temperature correctly. For example my oven runs a little cold to I always increase the temp by 25 degrees to compensate. - your oven not heating correctly is the number one reason most cakes fail. - If your cake does not come out correctly see PROBELM AND CAUSE chart below.
2. Always coat your pan with some form of cake release unless your recipe states not to.
3. Follow the instructions exactly
4. Measure all ingredients exactly - use a scale if necessary - do not guess.
5. Measure all Liquids at eye level
6. Avoid packing your flour down when measuring it. Sifting all of your dry ingredients is the best option.
7. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperate - eggs, milk, butter ect. before using.
8. Mix in eggs one at a time and make sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next egg.
9. Cream all wet ingredients for several minutes unless stated other wise on your recipe
10. Once you add in your flour do not beat (mix) flour long - just enough to incorporate the flour - unless recipe states otherwise.
9. Preheat oven and make sure your oven does not run hot or cold. If it does run hot or cold adjust temperature correctly. For example my oven runs a little cold to I always increase the temp by 25 degrees to compensate.
10. For best results use large eggs
11. Bake immediately after mixing
12. Bake in the center of oven and leave at least one inch of space around each pan on all sides.
13. Stagger pans if using more than one rack - do not place one pan directly over another on the rack above.
14. Midway through rotate pans - if baking with multiple pans.
15. Do not open oven unless you have to - cake could fall if you open oven too soon.
16. Use baking strips and your cake will come out almost completely even
17. Test cake with tooth pick in center - tooth pick should come out clean
18. Set cake to cool - 10 minues for standard size upto 15 minutes for 14 inch.
Remove cake by gently turning upside down onto cake cooling rack -
first cover rack with wax or parchment paper so cake will not stick to rack.
Next gently lay way paper cover rack on top of cake - then gently flip rack and cake over. If you coated the pan correctly it your cake should just fall out.
If you have a problem removing from pan you can warm up the cake at 250 degrees for just a few minutes and gently run a knife along inside of pan to seperate cake from pan.
If you cake is uneven this will most likly cause your cake to split. To help your cakes bake more evenly use baking strips.
Once cake is on cooling rack - let cake completly cool - feel free to put it in the fridge or freezer if you are in a hurry. DO NOT MESS WITH CAKE IF IT IS EVEN A LITTLE WARM AND DO NOT TRY TO ICE IT IF IT IS WARM
19. Make sure you level your cake – this will help you avoid cracking and cake separation.
2. Always coat your pan with some form of cake release unless your recipe states not to.
3. Follow the instructions exactly
4. Measure all ingredients exactly - use a scale if necessary - do not guess.
5. Measure all Liquids at eye level
6. Avoid packing your flour down when measuring it. Sifting all of your dry ingredients is the best option.
7. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperate - eggs, milk, butter ect. before using.
8. Mix in eggs one at a time and make sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next egg.
9. Cream all wet ingredients for several minutes unless stated other wise on your recipe
10. Once you add in your flour do not beat (mix) flour long - just enough to incorporate the flour - unless recipe states otherwise.
9. Preheat oven and make sure your oven does not run hot or cold. If it does run hot or cold adjust temperature correctly. For example my oven runs a little cold to I always increase the temp by 25 degrees to compensate.
10. For best results use large eggs
11. Bake immediately after mixing
12. Bake in the center of oven and leave at least one inch of space around each pan on all sides.
13. Stagger pans if using more than one rack - do not place one pan directly over another on the rack above.
14. Midway through rotate pans - if baking with multiple pans.
15. Do not open oven unless you have to - cake could fall if you open oven too soon.
16. Use baking strips and your cake will come out almost completely even
17. Test cake with tooth pick in center - tooth pick should come out clean
18. Set cake to cool - 10 minues for standard size upto 15 minutes for 14 inch.
Remove cake by gently turning upside down onto cake cooling rack -
first cover rack with wax or parchment paper so cake will not stick to rack.
Next gently lay way paper cover rack on top of cake - then gently flip rack and cake over. If you coated the pan correctly it your cake should just fall out.
If you have a problem removing from pan you can warm up the cake at 250 degrees for just a few minutes and gently run a knife along inside of pan to seperate cake from pan.
If you cake is uneven this will most likly cause your cake to split. To help your cakes bake more evenly use baking strips.
Once cake is on cooling rack - let cake completly cool - feel free to put it in the fridge or freezer if you are in a hurry. DO NOT MESS WITH CAKE IF IT IS EVEN A LITTLE WARM AND DO NOT TRY TO ICE IT IF IT IS WARM
19. Make sure you level your cake – this will help you avoid cracking and cake separation.
Cakes Problems:
Cause: Top crust of cake is hard
–Baking temperature too high
–Baking time too long
Cake is higher on one side
–Baking pan or oven racks are uneven
–Uneven baking temperature
–Cake batter not spread evenly
–Cake pan too close to one side of oven
Cake has a soggy bottom
–Too much liquid
–Batter undermixed
–Cake underbaked
Cake has a collapsed center
–Baking temperature too low
–Underbaked
–Too much sugar or liquid
–Pan is too small for cake
–Outdated leavening
Cake is tough
–Batter overmixed
–Too much flour or eggs
–Too little sugar or shortening
Cake is heavy and dense
–Batter overmixed
–Too much liquid, shortening, or egg
–Too little flour
–Honey used instead of sugar
Cake has tunnels
–Batter overmixed
–Too many eggs
–Oven too hot
Cookies Cookies spread
–Cookie sheet was greased when it did not need to be
–Cookie dough was placed on warm cookie sheet
–Baking temperature too low
Cookie bottoms are brown, but tops are undercooked
–Cookie sheet is not made of shiny metal
–Cookie sheet too low in oven – should be on middle rack
–Too much sugar in dough
Cookie tops are brown, but bottoms are undercooked
–Cookie sheet too high in oven
–More than one pan was in the oven preventing cookies from baking evenly
–Baking temperature too high
Cookies are hard and dry
–Overbaked
–Not enough liquid
–Oven not preheated
–Too much flour
Cause: Top crust of cake is hard
–Baking temperature too high
–Baking time too long
Cake is higher on one side
–Baking pan or oven racks are uneven
–Uneven baking temperature
–Cake batter not spread evenly
–Cake pan too close to one side of oven
Cake has a soggy bottom
–Too much liquid
–Batter undermixed
–Cake underbaked
Cake has a collapsed center
–Baking temperature too low
–Underbaked
–Too much sugar or liquid
–Pan is too small for cake
–Outdated leavening
Cake is tough
–Batter overmixed
–Too much flour or eggs
–Too little sugar or shortening
Cake is heavy and dense
–Batter overmixed
–Too much liquid, shortening, or egg
–Too little flour
–Honey used instead of sugar
Cake has tunnels
–Batter overmixed
–Too many eggs
–Oven too hot
Cookies Cookies spread
–Cookie sheet was greased when it did not need to be
–Cookie dough was placed on warm cookie sheet
–Baking temperature too low
Cookie bottoms are brown, but tops are undercooked
–Cookie sheet is not made of shiny metal
–Cookie sheet too low in oven – should be on middle rack
–Too much sugar in dough
Cookie tops are brown, but bottoms are undercooked
–Cookie sheet too high in oven
–More than one pan was in the oven preventing cookies from baking evenly
–Baking temperature too high
Cookies are hard and dry
–Overbaked
–Not enough liquid
–Oven not preheated
–Too much flour