Page 312 - YC Cooking School

Scrape down the bowl while mixing

By doing this, you’ll make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated and that the
perfect ratio is maintained.

Sieving helps to aerate the cake, keeping it light
It also helps to distribute the baking powder evenly, so that you don’t end up with some

sections of the cake rising higher than other sections.

Add eggs one at a time
This reduces the risk of the mixture splitting or curdling.

Check for the correct consistency
Ordinarily, when making a sponge cake, you’d add a little milk right at the end to get your
batter to a slightly runnier consistency, so that it drops off the spoon easily. But for petits
fours, a firm base is what you’re after, so adding milk isn’t necessary.

Use a square baking tin
This makes cutting the cake into little squares a lot easier. Half the work will have been done
for you and there will be fewer offcuts.

Use an oven thermometer
Gauge oven temperature by keeping a thermometer inside your oven. Ovens can be
temperamental and can under-read or over-read, so this will give you the confidence that
your oven is sufficiently preheated.

Testing for doneness
Your cake is done if a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Another
quick check is to push gently against the cake. If it springs back up, like a sponge, it’s ready
to come out the oven.

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