Top 10 Tips for Cake Bake Success

Respect the sponge! 🤟 🍰

Baking is a delicious and tricky mix of science and art. And if there’s anywhere we want to avoid a hit-and-miss approach, cakes are it!

So, we thought we’d share 10 super quick tips with you lovely bakers so everyone can enjoy perfect results in the kitchen! Including the perfect baking tools to use along the way!👌

1. Don’t go off-piste with ingredients! ⛷️

It’s good to be creative, but if you don’t stick to the recipe, you’ll end up going rogue! Take flour for example. Plain flour + baking powder does not = self-raising flour 😬 And unless you like a gamble, always reach for measuring spoons rather than that favourite cereal spoon! 🥄 Also, stick to either imperial or metric measures cos picking and mixing is gonna make things complicated!

2. Room temperature is best

Butter and eggs are best used at room temperature for most cake recipes. If you take your butter from the fridge last minute it won’t cream well, and cold eggs come with a ‘curdling’ warning! Best to allow them to just relax for a while before you crack on. 🧈

3. Pump up the volume!

Want light and fluffy results? Maximise the air in your cake by creaming your butter and sugar mixture until it lightens in texture and colour. Sifting flour and other dry ingredients helps add even more air. Grab yourself a balloon whisk – it’s a FAB tool for folding mixture and avoiding the dreaded flour lumps while not overworking it. But don’t whisk vigorously as you’ll knock the air out! 🥊

4. The great oven debate

All ovens are different, with their own pros and cons, but here’s a good rule of thumb.

Gas 🔥ovens heat up quickly reaching high temperatures for faster baking. The heat rises, so the middle or top shelf is the happy place for your cake. And because gas releases moisture inside the oven, it tends to turn out moist and fluffy cakes too.

A conventional electric ⚡oven needs preheating but gives a more steady, even heat which is dry and helps with crust formation and browning. Cakes do well on the mid rack where they can bask in the even heat from both above and below. 

5. Temperature check 🌡️

A quick and easy way to be sure of getting the perfect baking temperature for your recipe is to use a handy in-oven thermometer.  Your cakes will thank you for it! 🙌

6. Belt up for a better bake!

Psst 🤫 A secret weapon for baking perfectly level and lusciously moist cakes without any cracks, is the Level Baking Belt that wraps around the outside of your cake tin. Quick to assemble and guaranteeing a flat top, they work by insulating the tin and reflecting heat from the sides so your cake rises evenly from the base upwards – clever, right?!

7. Size matters 📏

When it comes to the size of the cake tin, keep to the recipe! If it’s too big, the sides shield the mixture from the heat and slow down the baking leaving your cake drier and paler. If it’s too small, the mixture will spill over the sides leaving you with a collapsed sponge from inadequate support! 🥴Line it well too – use baking parchment or softened butter dusted with flour for non-stick dreaminess.

8. No touching, please!

Make sure there’s enough space around each cake tin in the oven so the heat can do its thing and your cakes can get their bake on! 😎 Use different racks and let the air flow.

9. Tick tock 🕒

Recipe timings should be accurate, but ovens can have their own little quirks! So check the cake just before the end of cooking time. It should feel the same if pressed around the edges or the middle. Or you can stick a skewer in the centre which should come out dry. If your cake isn’t quite done but looks brown, you can cover it with a bit of dampened greaseproof paper for the rest of its cooking time.

10. Less peeking! 🙈

Once your cake is in the oven, resist the temptation to open the oven door! Letting cold air into the oven means your cake is more likely to sag, so wait until it’s properly set near the end of cooking time before peeking inside and saying hello.

Baking should be fun and rewarding so follow these tips and you’ll be making heavenly cakes every time – make no mistake! 😉