Baking Tips

Always read the recipe carefully, weigh ingredients using accurate measures and scales and follow the order of the recipe making sure nothing is missed out - ticking off ingredients and instructions as you complete them.

Here are some questions and answers which I hope will help.


Q:

Why do cakes sink?

A:

Oven door opened too soon or under baking.

Mary baking

Q:

Why do cakes crack when baking?

A:

Oven too hot or cake placed too high in oven; the crust is formed too soon, the cake continues to rise, therefore the crust cracks.

Q:

How do you tell if a cake is cooked?

A:

Sponge cake – springy to the touch, shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin. Pale golden brown in colour.

Fruit cake – fine skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean and the cake should look the expected colour, light brown for a light fruit cake, darker brown for a traditional rich fruit cake.

Q:

Why do some baked cakes have a speckly top?

A:

Granulated sugar used instead of caster sugar.  Mixture not mixed sufficiently, sugar therefore not dissolved.

Q:

Why do my cakes always seem too dry?

A:

Too much baking powder. In oven for too long or not packed as soon as cool.

Q:

Why do meringues weep on baking?

A:

Sugar added too quickly or too much sugar added at once.

Q:

Why do meringues stick to the paper?

A:

Oven too hot, whites not whisked sufficiently, oiled greaseproof paper used.

Q:

How do you avoid getting a cake rack mark on top of cakes?

A:

Cover the cake rack with a clean tea towel or cloth before inverting the cake on to the rack.

Q:

Why does fruit sink to the bottom of the cake?

A:

Cake mixture too slack, fruit too large and/or syrupy e.g glace cherries (see next question).

A nice cake

Q:

Why do cherries sink to the bottom?

A:

They contain a lot of moisture and syrup.  Need to quarter, wash and dry thoroughly before adding to the cake mixture.  Addition of ground almonds to the cake mixture helps suspend the cherries as well.

Q:

Why do cakes not rise?

A:

No or insufficient raising agent, mixture too stiff, mixture overbeaten or air knocked out, or insufficient whisking (whisked sponge). Too cool an oven.

Q:

Why does gelatine go lumpy when added to mixture?

A:

Gelatine not dissolved properly. Hot gelatine added to a very cold mixture.

Q:

Why do frozen cakes always seem to be dry?

A:

Inadequate wrapping or packing.  Not frozen as soon as cool.

Q:

Why do biscuits go soggy on storing?

A:

Not cold before storing in tin. Stored in same tin as cake – the biscuits absorb the mixture from the cake. Stored in a moist enviroment. If biscuits contain glace cherries, apricots etc, the moisture from these seeps into the biscuit.

Mary with a lovely cake

Q:

Icing running off top of cake?

A:

Too much liquid – much better to have icing too thick, then it can be let down with more liquid very carefully and slowly.

Q:

Icing too thick?

A:

Let down with a little water. Warm through, e.g chocolate fudge icing.

Q:

Crumbs in the icing?

A:

Brush the cake with warmed apricot jam first to seal.