Unfortunately, it was a disastrous fail. Aug 2012. If, however, the cake has cooled down enough to be warm to the touch or you've sliced into it only to find a liquid center, replace the slice, place it back into the original cake pan, cover it with foil, and place in a low oven (about 300 degrees F or 150 degrees C) until it is baked through. Sometimes it turns out just fine, but other times, it is very dense and even RUBBERY. This will absorb the oil and help the cases stay around the cakes. The correctly-mixed cupcake was light and airy and, well, the ultimate vanilla cupcake. I appreciate all the advice – will put it all to good use! (Can’t speak to using oil in a yellow cake, haven’t done it.) One of my fellow King Arthur Flour test bakers, Frank Tegethoff, recently called me into the test kitchen for show & tell. 7 Rules For Baking The Perfect Cake And How To Fix Any Mistakes. Some of the cakes turned out more light and some turned out more dense. You have to be sure it is 1 tsp of baking powder per cup of flour used in the recipe (or if using baking soda – you need only 1/4 tsp soda per cup of flour. Stuck to the Pan. Also interesting was that by the time we took the photo (the next morning), the over-mixed cupcake had sunk and lost its dome while the properly mixed cupcake still looked perfect. I have a question for you, Linda, since I have never made the Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake recipe myself: You mentioned that the hot water reacts with the baking soda to “Dutch” the cocoa. Test baking soda by adding vinegar and baking powder by adding water. Common Problem Possible Solution; Crumbly texture. Cake flour is a low protein flour that’s milled into a superfine consistency. We've been baking cheesecakesand teaching classesfor many years. Jo’s solution: Try the teatowel trick again – the damp fabric swaddling the tin will encourage even heat distribution. Dense crumb Reduce amount of fat, use additional liquid, use additional baking powder, use additional egg Gummy center Lower oven temperature and extend baking time; swap out some of liquid for sour cream Edges of cake are Cake is underbaked Honey and Co’s Sarit Packer has a fix: wrap the cake in tin foil, and put it in the oven, getting it back up to 160 degrees, gradually. I’m not really knowledgeable with some of the science of baking but maybe trying a different fat in your recipe? You can choose to make one out of simple syrup and flavor it with tea, milk, fruit, or liquor. advice Try adding a cup of Yoplait Vanilla yogurt and a small box of vanilla instant pudding…. Moist Vanilla Cake Recipe. The low heat will gently cook it through without drying it out too much. A cake that bakes too slowly takes longer to set and may fall, causing a dense texture. All Rights Reserved. of baking powder OR 1/4 tsp. Add binder, such as xanthan gum. If you check a … Burning a cake is an unpleasant experience that almost every baker has done before. Try to resist checking on your cake; opening the oven door lets out more heat than you might think and the cool air greatly affects how well the cake bakes. But the one on the left shows streaks – areas of dense, sodden cake. Maria @ RooneyGirl BakeShop A burnt cake will usually taste dry and have an irksome taste that others can notice pretty well just by Stand the cake tin on a baking tray and stay in the kitchen whilst baking for safety reasons. Raspberry red velvet cakeChocolate layer cake with passion fruit icing, How to make a sponge cake videoHow to make decorate a cake10 tips for cake making successHow to cream butter and sugarHow to decorate cakesChocolate cake recipesClassic cake recipesCupcake recipesFruity cake recipesAll our top cake recipesVisit our cakes & baking hub, Are you prone to cake catastrophes? Add small amount of rice vinegar. If you wonder how to fix dry cake or how to moisten a dry cake (or soften a hard cake), most importantly, you can use cake strips for even baking of cakes which will ensure even baking of the cakes (for the cakes you are making in the future) and also prevent the edges from drying out. Most boxed cake mixes call for a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable. You can follow our complete tutorial here! Process butter more thoroughly during mixing. Let the cake cook for more time if batter clings to the toothpick. Next time, try using melted butter in place of the oil in a 1-to-1 substitution. I have developed my own recipes and I use canola oil almost exclusively in all my cakes (no butter, no shortening) because it yields a moister cake. (You can also use cooking spray or dust the pan with flour.) Or it might be because you’ve under-baked your cakes because your oven is running slowly. How to Make a Box Cake Denser Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly coat the bottom of the cake pan with oil. As part of our new series of troubleshooting articles, we called upon some of our famous baking friends to solve your common kitchen disasters. Too much flour in a cake will also cause it to be dense. You can also spend a little more time beating in your eggs; a couple of minutes each on a stand mixer adds a ton of air and helps incorporate the ingredients. How to fix a sunken cake without wasting any part of the cake and cover it seamlessly in white chocolate ganache. I can make small batch stuff like brownies and muffins with no problem. The cake tin was too small or … http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10860/easy-vanilla-cake. As a general rule, there should be 1 tsp. The flavor is great, but I can’t quite get the texture right. how-to good luck. There are several ways to modify a boxed cake mix to make it more dense. I found the article I mentioned! Fixing a Cake that Didn't Rise Cook an unrisen cake that's still doughy a bit longer. I’ve made this recipe 100s of times since I was 8 years old, so it’s a very well tested recipe, and I’ve never had this happen to me. says: I, too, have experienced the exact same problem with my favorite cake recipe. Combine cake mix and instant pudding mix in a large bowl. Yesterday, my wife baked a cake. I hear a lot of great things about sweetapolitas vanilla cake recipe though, maybe give that one a try? You can try any of the following: adding a 1 oz. Flour is loaded with heavy gluten that can weigh a cake down. Someone posted it on fb again :Phttp://www.thecakeblog.com/2012/05/is-butter-better.html. Test your leavener to make sure it’s still active. of baking soda for every 1 C. of flour in the recipe. Use coffee for a deep, dark chocolate cake, or ginger ale in light and bright yellow cake. The crumb isn’t tender or soft, and the texture is dense with an oddly gummy center. Jo’s solution: I use a cake release spray instead. Cold ingredients will prevent the batter from properly aerating during the mixing stage. Clic Birthday Cake King Arthur Flour . Easy Vanilla Cake Dinner Then Dessert. There are several ways to modify a boxed cake mix to make it more dense. Jo’s solution: It sounds like you’re using too much raising agent. My cakes are too dense Hi, Bakers, I’m looking for a good vanilla cake recipe from scratch – I’ve tried several, but for some reason, the texture of my cakes always seem too dense. Whether you're baking up a storm for the holidays or just whipping up a quick batch for snacking, cookies should be easy. This is one of the most common beginner mistakes in gluten… The Ultimate Cupcake Handle Heat. A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought). If your cake ended up pretty much dry and crumbly, cake pops are a good idea to save and fix up your cake. recipe A simple way to solve this is to buy an oven thermometer. Beat the sugar/butter very well, on medium/high speed, for like 5 minutes, until it's light in color and very fluffy. I use sour cream and milk in my cake recipes, definitely yields a moister cake I think. Fortunately, the cake can be repurposed for other dessert recipes. Dry, difficult dough . From sunken sponge to curdled cake mix, we have the answers to every flour-based problem. Combine with dairy to get the added fat by using 3/4 cup liquid and 1/4 cup sour cream or buttermilk. Common Baking Mistakes You Can Avoid (and How to Correct Them) A lot of science goes into baking which means mistakes are easy to make if you're not careful. Allow the balls to chill until firm and then stick cake pop sicks into each pop. Then I put them on a cookie sheet on 300 degrees F and cook them until they are nice and dry, it takes about 30 minutes. As part of our new series of troubleshooting articles, we called upon some of our famous baking friends to solve your common kitchen disasters. In other words, you probably opened the oven door too many times. package of pudding (any flavor that complements the cake’s flavor profile), adding 1-2 egg yolks (along – but the end result is still a cake that is too dense and flourey (probably not a word)! You whip the heck out of simple syrup and flavor it with tea,,... Be dense of ) a broken cake instead at your acid/base ratios using too or! Cake are lighter than pound and sponge cakes food cake light and bright yellow cake heat distribution served. I can make this delicious one layered yellow cake course it tastes better shortening! 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