Yesterday was my husband’s birthday, so I baked a cake. Every year I bake a cake for him. It just seems like the right thing to do. This year, he requested carrot cake (which, in husband-speak, is really just a request for cream cheese frosting). Seemed like a simple request to me…
I cannot tell you how many cakes I have baked over the years… A lot. At this point, I’ve probably made hundreds of cakes. Yet, there are still plenty of times when a cake gets the best of me. Baking certainly has a way of keeping me humble and honest. I’m guessing you can relate.
Yesterday was one of those days where the cake put me in my place. In the end, the carrot cake didn’t turn out to be nearly as simple as I had planned. Of course, I only had myself to blame. The recipe was good (perhaps I’ll even share it in a few days), but I got too confident. That’s just asking for trouble.
So, today, I am mixing things up a bit. Instead of a list of tips for how to bake the perfect cake, I am going to share a few of the cardinal cake sins that are likely to ruin your cake (and your afternoon). Sure, you may get away with the cardinal cake sins a few times… I certainly have! But, you are tempting fate. Eventually (and, most likely it will happen when you have company coming over… or when you are baking your husband’s birthday cake), you will get burned. It’s inevitable. And it doesn’t work for me. I’ve got the scrambled birthday cake to prove it.
Thou shalt always line thy cake pans with parchment.
I admit… I hate to cut out circles of parchment paper to stick in the bottom of my cake pans. It is annoying. And, when it comes to cutting corners and trying to get away with just greasing the pan, I am a repeat offender. Sometimes it works, but often times, it doesn’t. Cakes love to stick to the pan, and while lots of sites will give you a set of tricks to un-stick a cake from the pan, it’s better if the cake never sticks in the first place. Plus, those tricks rarely work for me. Yes, I’ve tried them all. Multiple times.
Instead, you are likely to end up with scrambled cake. Yes, it may taste good, but it won’t look nearly as pretty as the cake would have looked if it had come out of the pan neatly. This is the cardinal cake sin I committed with my husband’s birthday cake. Believe me, things would have gone so much more smoothly had I taken 3 minutes to cut out rounds of parchment for my cake pans. Consider yourself warned.
Cakes shall not be baked with cold butter and eggs.
There’s a reason that cake recipes tell you to have your butter and eggs and room temperature before you start mixing up your cake batter. It may seem like it’s just a suggestion, but it’s not. Sure, there are “cold creaming” methods that recommend cutting cold butter into small chunks so that it can be used right away. And, for cookies, you’ll most likely get away with it. But, I don’t recommend it for cakes.
What’s the big deal? At the very least, your cake will probably not rise and bake evenly. You won’t get that perfect tender and moist crumb. At worst, your cake (or cupcakes) may have have craters or spread and bake out over the pans and explode in your oven. It has happened to me. I have had to throw away cupcake pans that were no longer salvageable. And, no one likes scraping burnt cake off of the bottom of the oven. The simple solution? Pull the butter and eggs out of the fridge first. Then, whisk together your dry ingredients, line your cake pans with parchment, and preheat the oven. By the time you’re done, you’ll have met the 30 minute requirement for room temperature eggs and butter.
Thou shalt level every layer of a cake.
Here’s another one that I love to skip. Who wants to waste that dome shaped top of a cake by cutting it off? The scraps are perfect for snacking, but that’s not always so good for the waistline (especially when said scraps are smeared with buttercream). So, it seems logical to just try to smush down the cake layers and fill in the uneven parts with extra frosting, right?
Wrong! Like the other cardinal cake sins, you may get away with it once or twice. But, just when you are about to serve that lovely coconut cake with marshmallow frosting, the top layer of your cake will go sailing into the lap of one of your guests. And, no amount of toothpicks (or even straws or dowels) will fix an insecure cake. Don’t believe me? Just watch cake competitions on TV… The competitor who tries to hammer together an unstable cake is likely to watch it topple over later on. Makes for good TV, but isn’t so fun when it’s your cake splattered on the kitchen floor.
Need help leveling your cake? Check out this great video from Zoe Bakes.
GREAT list Jen. I hate cutting out those circles of parchment too. Sigh.
Oh Jen, I feel your pain. Sometimes the things that we know should be a snap trip us up the most. Hope that you’ll be able to look back and laugh at this one day.
Oh girl… I feel your pain!! And I could not agree more with those simple (yet oh so simple to NOT do) rules!
Be blessed-
Amanda
Great post! I used to skip the bringing ingredients to room temperature bit until several years ago when I learned there was a REASON for it! ;)
I think we’ve all committed these cardinals sins. Mostly mine is a sin of omission, I do not line my baking pans with parchment paper. I’ve always done what my mom always did, grease and flour the pan. I often got away with it as long as I let the cake cool long enough before removing from the pan and loosened the sides as soon as it came out of the oven. Didn’t work with the last cake I baked so I’m now a convert to the parchment lining. Those who manufacturer parchment paper should start selling pre-cut parchment circles for the standard size cake pans. I just might bake more cakes if they did LOL.
Paula – Yes, I would buy pre-cut parchment circles… Lots of them. You should pitch that idea to Reynolds!
I buy pre-cut parchment circles at my local bakery supply store. They come in various sizes. They are a great time saver, so I stock up every time I go to the shop.
Oh my goodness, I had a similar problem a week ago! Only mine wasn’t scrambled cake, but a smoke-filled house! Always put a pan under a springform cheesecake pan! ;) Smoky way to learn that lesson!
Love love love this post. Thanks for the honesty. We’ve all been there.
Love this post!!! And what is that gorgeous cake you have on this post? What is the link to that recipe? Gorgeous!!!
Teanna – The photo of the cake at the bottom is from my Peanut Butter Frosting recipe. The inside of the cake was just chocolate… Most likely the chocolate cake in this post.
Great post Jen!!! I am so guilty of #1- I laze out on that every time…and regret it every time. Does not help that parchment paper has been on my grocery list for 4 months but I keep forgetting to buy it (um, that’s probably because I don’t actually have an official grocery list). Have to bake a cake today for my son’s bday and I will be sure not to commit any of these sins this time!!!!
Winnie – I should send you some of my parchment paper. I think I buy it almost every time I go to the store. Thing is, I overestimate how often I actually use it (because I’m so often guilty of being too lazy to bother), so I have a stockpile in my pantry!
I was just making a cake yesterday and skipped the parchment paper. Argh! I paid for it later. That extra step is so worth the time it takes!
Oh wow – this is my first experience with “Doesn’t Work for Me Wednesday” and these are GREAT tips! Read them to my daughter. And that cake image about sent me over the edge. Gorgeous. I love this post!
Count me in as one of the many people (gosh, there are a lot of us) who detest making parchment paper circles. Thomas Keller and Alton Brown both have tricks for folding the parchment so you get a perfect circle… but obviously I haven’t bothered to memorize them so I just spray the pans and hope for the best!
Casey – Yes, I have tried the “perfect circle” methods, but mine still don’t really look all that nice. Usually, I just trace the bottom of the pan and then cut a bit inside the lines.
Awesome post, and I totally agree with everything you said, as I’ve committed those sins before myself. ;-) Better to not tempt fate! I also agree with Paula – pre-cut parchment circles would be amazing!!
Also, do you have a recipe for that cake in the second photo? Because it looks divine, and I must. have. it.
Tracy – I’m afraid to tell you that it’s a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing… I know you’ll have to skip the peanut butter icing, but you could certainly make this chocolate cake and add your favorite frosting.
great list! i have royally messed up enough cakes in the past to always line my pans with parchment! my cake supply store actually sells them in pre-cut circles, so i don’t have an excuse not to line ’em!
you might try checking a cake supply store near you, or searching online for them! they are AMAZING, and such a time saver! plus i feel good that i didn’t waste a whole piece of parchment paper just to make a measly circle or two :D
I suggest you head over to KAF and order some pre-cut parchment circles to line your pans. I finally broke down and got these and it’s definitely worth it for the convenience.
These are all great tips and reminders – I too hate to cut out those circles. Awesome post! I just love the picture of your chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting – it’s gorgeous!
I hope you will get how this post made me smile a mile wide. Because being a mile high means I could add to this list a LOT. Our thinner air means baked goods rise too fast and so leavening has to be reworked; our dry environment requires some extra moisture and since most recipes never detail those specs for us, it’s a constant guessing game and sometimes…I’m wrong!
I’ve said it before and repeated myself last week with a cake that needed some adjustments, this stuff happens and I think a sign of a great cook is in how you adapt. And you my dear are a great adapter!
For me…I wish I had taken a photo of the bottom layer of this cake. Once I split the cake, the top layer with the depression was really a donut so I made it the bottom layer and if you look closely I think it’s evident the layer I put on top is starting to sink into that depression.
http://www.creative-culinary.com/almond-cake-with-jam-bon-appetit-feb-2011
I let folks know when this stuff happens and so appreciate that you did too. I can most often still offer a decent if not perfect end result but the added benefit is a lot of laughter!
Guilty of two of the three from time to time. I’m a pro at pulling butter and eggs out every morning to have them ready for baking, whether I know what I’m making or not.
Ok…ok..I hear you..lol..I for one has a habit of not allowing my ingredients, particularly eggs and butter to come to room temperature, and I have noticed that my cake batter splits when I dont adhere to this cardinal rule..I promise myself that I will allow the butter and eggs to come to room temperature. thanks so much for stressing this ppoint because it is very important. Well, I normally use butter and flour when preparing my cake pans..Now, Im switching over from black pans to silver aluminum pans…