Page 26 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

8 C H O C O L A T E C A K E M I X 1 0 1

check the measurement at eye level. until it has those grand tunnels going
Spoon dry ingredients like chocolate through. Use a hand mixer so you are less
chips, raisins, or nuts into dry measuring likely to overbeat, and save the big turbo
cups and level off the top with the flat side mixer for scratch cakes and breads. Just
of a dinner knife. Brown sugar should be be sure to stir once or twice along the bot-
packed lightly into a dry measuring cup tom of the bowl with a rubber spatula,
and leveled off with a knife. For butter because cake mix can cling to the bottom.
and margarine, use the tablespoon indica-
5. TEST FOR DONENESS
tors on the wrapper.
• The dump method: Unless a • The spring test: If you bake enough
recipe specifies folding in whipped egg cakes, you will be able to look at a cake
whites, chips, or nuts at the end of the and smell a cake and know that it is done.
recipe, you can pretty much Until this epiphany, there are plenty of
dump all the ingre- other cues for determining doneness. The
dients in the bowl at most reliable is the spring test: When you
one time and turn on think the cake might be done, open the
the mixer. The ingredi- oven door and lightly press the top of the
ents can be right out of the refrigerator cake with your finger. The cake should
unless stated “at room temperature”— spring back. If your finger leaves an in -
important when working with cream den tation, it’s not done.
cheese because it tends to lump when • Other signs: Other cues of done-
combined with cold ingredients. Turn the ness might be the cake pulling away from
mixer on low speed to moisten the ingredi- the sides of the pan; this is helpful in the
ents; the recipe will tell you how long to larger cakes like Bundts and tubes. If in
blend—from 30 seconds to 1 minute. doubt with these big cakes, gently stick a
Then, in the case of most layer, pound, toothpick or wooden skewer into the cen-
and sheet cakes, mix for 2 minutes at ter of the cake. It should come out clean.
medium speed. Angel food cakes need just (The toothpick test isn’t the right one for
1 minute of mixing. Brownies need only 1 layers because the hole it creates is just
minute at low, or they can be stirred by enough to deflate the layer if the cake is
hand. not yet done.) Brownies are tough to call.
• Don’t overbeat: One of the great- Always check at the first time indicated,
est injustices you can do your chocolate and if in doubt, pull them out sooner
cake mix cakes is to overbeat the batter rather than later. Angel foods are done