September 9, 2004

I have been baking for a fairly long time but have managed to mess up a cake 40 per cent of that time. (Hey nobody’s perfect!) But the rest of the 70 per cent came out really well. Moral of story: try, try and try again until you succeed! If you still don’t get the cake right, do what I do: wrap it up in plastic and bury it deep in the dustbin.

The slightest mistakes in measurements or temperature can alter the way your cake comes out. Here are a few of the tips regarding baking, with hope that at least some, if not all, of the unfortunate bakers out there can benefit from them.

1. First of all, bake without stress.

2. Keep a standard batter-beating time of no more than three minutes. Overbeating causes the cake to deflate while baking.

3. Always sift the dry ingredients three times. This aerates the flour well and so improves the cake texture.

4. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of honey to your cake batter to improve taste. Honey helps to remove the smell of eggs in the cake.

5. Choose your cake pan carefully. Make sure that your batter fills at least 3/4 of your baking tin. Otherwise, your cake will not rise properly. Don’t overfill either.

6. Always line and grease your pan with normal paper greased with oil or butter paper. Turn on the oven to pre-heat before measuring out and beating the ingredients. (This is one thing I hadn’t followed during the times my cakes went bad)

7. In a sponge cake, never mix in the dry ingredients while using a steel spoon. Always use a wooden spoon and mix with a light hand. Otherwise, the cake will have no reason to be called a ‘sponge’ cake.

8. Try to put the batter in the oven as soon as it is ready because the baking powder starts its work as soon as it is added to the batter.

9. In non-sponge cakes (i.e. cakes which do not involve the stiffening of egg-whites), the usual sequence (but not regular) of ingredient-addition is oil and sugar + eggs and vanilla essence + dry ingredients + milk or water or juice or cream, etc., + any other solid ingredients (like dates, chocolate chips, fruits, dry fruits, etc.).

10. It is more preferable to use eggs that are at room temperature.

11. Remove air bubbles from the batter by banging the pan on the counter or table lightly once or twice. But not more than that. Excessive banging does not allow the cake to rise properly.

12. Never add all of the milk or water or any other required liquid in the batter all at once. Add a little at a time until the batter is slightly thin in consistency. Make sure that your batter does not become runny.

13. Never open the oven door before at least half of the baking time has passed.

14. If the top of the cake is becoming too brown and is not yet done, cover it with an aluminum foil.

15. Three ways in which to make sure the cake is done: * The cake starts leaving the sides of the pan. * A toothpick or skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. * When the cake’s centre is pressed gently with a finger, it doesn’t form a depression but comes back up.

16. When checking the cake for its readiness, never insert the skewer more than twice.

17. A list of measurements that can be useful for you is given below:

* DRY MEASURES:

125g = 4 oz. = 1/4 lb. = 1/2 cup and so on.

* OVEN TEMPERATURES:

Very slow: 120 degrees C = 250 degrees F = 1 gas mark

Slow: 150 degrees C = 300 degrees F = 2

Moderately slow = 160 degrees C = 325 degrees F = 3

Moderate: 180 degrees C = 350 degrees F = 4

Moderately Hot = 190 degrees C = 375 degrees F = 5

Hot = 200 degrees C = 400 degrees F = 6 Very Hot = 230 degrees C = 450 degrees F = 718. Last, but not the least, make sure that you have an oven that is in proper working order!