Page 23 - YC Cooking School

The Art of Baking

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Ten tips for making great cakes

1. Read the recipe from top to bottom
We’re repeating ourselves here, but with good reason. Make sure you’ve read
the recipe from top to bottom before starting out.
2. Bake on the middle shelf
Unless otherwise specified, always bake your cakes on the middle shelf of your
oven. Get your oven ready by pre-heating it to the required temperature.

3. Use room temperature ingredients
Room temperature ingredients make a world of difference. They become ‘more
relaxed’ once the chill from the fridge has worn off. For example, softer butter
means that when you are creaming it together with sugar, it will whip easily and
incorporate more air. Room temperature eggs also make a big difference, if you
add cold eggs to creamed butter and sugar, it can cause the mixture to curdle.
To bring eggs to room temperature quickly and easily, place them in a bowl of
slightly warm water for a few minutes before using.
4. Know what to look for when creaming butter and sugar
When creaming butter and sugar together, the end result should be light,

creamy and fluffy. This usually takes about five minutes.
5. Add eggs one at a time
Add eggs one at a time to your cake mixture so that they can be fully
incorporated in between each addition. If the mixture does start to curdle when
you're beating in the eggs, add in a tablespoon of flour and then continue, it
should bring everything back together.

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