The Baking Answer Book (31 page)

Q
What is the best way to remove a cake from a water bath?

A
Carefully slide a very wide straight metal spatula between the water bath pan and the cake pan. With your other hand, delicately steady the pan on the spatula, holding it by its top edge using a folded dish towel thick enough to insulate your fingers from the heat but thin enough so you can feel if it is getting dangerously close to your cake.

Q
Why did the top of my cheesecake crack and how can I avoid this next time?

A
If the top of your cake cracked while the cake was still in the oven, you most likely overbaked it past 160°F (71°C). To prevent this from happening again, use an instant-read thermometer and pull the cake out of the oven as soon as
the center reaches 150°F (66°C). The cake’s temperature will continue to climb after baking.

Sometimes a cheesecake will crack after it is removed from the oven. As the cake shrinks slightly during cooling, the sides of the cake stick to the pan, creating tension on the surface of the cake and causing it to crack. To prevent this, run a sharp paring knife between the cake and the pan sides as soon as you pull the cake from the oven so it can shrink without pulling.

Q
How does temperature affect cake baking? Do different types of cakes bake at different temperatures?

A
Different types of cakes are baked at different temperatures, to achieve different effects. On the low end of the temperature scale are meringue layers, which are not so much baked as dehydrated in the oven at a temperature between 250 and 275°F (120–140°C). The idea is to dry the meringue mixture slowly, so it crisps all the way through without browning.

Flourless chocolate cakes and cheesecakes are often (although not always) baked at lower temperatures to avoid curdling. New York cheesecake (see
page 220
) begins in a 500°F (260°C) oven, but as it continues to bake, the oven temperature is reduced to 200°F (95°C) so the cake never reaches the temperature at which the custard will curdle.

Thick and dense cakes like pound cakes, tall Bundt cakes, and cakes made with lots of moist fruit are generally baked at a relatively low temperature of 325°F (160°C) to allow their
centers to bake through without the risk of surface burning. Layer cakes, both génoise and butter, can be baked at 350°F (180°C) because their centers won’t take as long to set up and dry out.

Small items like cupcakes and thin cakes like roulades can be baked at the relatively high temperature of 375°F (190°C). The higher temperature will promote a golden crust, whereas at lower temperatures the interior will cook through before browning on top has occurred.

Q
Why did my cake rise high in the oven and then sink in the center as it cooled?

A
There are several reasons why this may have happened. If you overmixed your batter, you may have whipped too much air into it. In the oven, these large air bubbles expand to a size that cannot be supported by the structure of the cake, causing the collapse as the cake cools. Or you may have used too much chemical leavener, which leads to the same sequence of events — too many expanding air bubbles for the cake’s gluten structure to support. Mismeasuring other ingredients may also account for this unfortunate effect. If you skimped on the liquid, the starches in the cake may not be hydrated enough to properly gelatinize, causing the cake to fall. Or if you added too much butter or shortening it may have coated the flour to a degree that inhibited gluten development, resulting in a weak structure unable sustain the cake’s rise.

Flourless Chocolate Cake for Beginners

There are many variations on flourless chocolate cake. Some will instruct you to separate the eggs and fold whipped egg whites into the batter. Some call for several different types of chocolate. For beginners, or lazy bakers, here is the simplest flourless chocolate cake recipe I know, consisting of just four ingredients including salt. The trick (as with all flourless chocolate cake and cheesecake recipes) is to bake the cake in a water bath and pull it from the oven before it is completely set. If you follow these instructions, you are sure to be pleased with the moist and creamy result.

SERVES 12

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place a large roasting pan in the oven and pour in ½ inch of hot tap water.

2.
Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Place the pan on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and mold the foil to the sides of the pan, but not over the top, to prevent any water from seeping in. (See illustration on
page 219
.)

3.
Add 1 inch of water to the bottom of a double boiler or a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat. Finely chop the chocolate.

4.
Combine the chocolate and butter in the top of the double boiler, or in a stainless steel bowl big enough to sit on top of the pan, and set it on top of the simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the double boiler or bowl. Heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and glossy. Set aside to cool until barely warm.

5.
Whisk the eggs and salt in a large bowl to break up the yolks. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until well combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

6.
Carefully place the springform pan into the roasting pan of hot water and bake until the cake is set around the edges but still loose in the center, about 30 minutes. Carefully lift the springform pan from the water and let cool on a wire rack. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.

7.
Remove the springform pan sides, invert the cake onto a sheet of wax paper or parchment, peel off the parchment paper, and re-invert the cake onto a serving platter, peeling away and discarding the wax paper. Slice and serve.

Q
Why do my cake layers rise unevenly in the oven? I am placing the two cake pans on the center rack and rotating them halfway through baking.

A
It is important not only to switch the pans during baking, but to pay attention to how close they are to each other and to the walls of the oven. Pans that are placed too close together will rise toward each other. Pans that are placed too close to an oven wall will rise significantly higher on the side furthest from the wall. So take into account these spatial relations as you rotate, making sure that you leave at least 3 inches between the two pans and between the pans and the walls, and that when you switch the cakes, turn them 180 degrees as well as reversing their positions.

Q
Why do my cake layers rise into dome shapes? Every time I bake I wind up slicing off the domed portion before I can frost the layers.

A
Some rising in the center is unavoidable, because the batter near the edges of the pan will bake through and set more quickly than the batter in the middle, which will continue to rise until set. To minimize the difference in height between the edges and the center, you can take a few precautions. Check the temperature of your oven. Is it running hot? Turn the oven down 25°F (4°C). A more moderate temperature will allow the batter near the edges to rise longer before setting. Try wrapping your pan with an aluminized
cake strip (see Resources), which will keep the sides of the pan cool, allowing for a more even rise.

Q
Is the toothpick test the best way to tell if a cake is done?

A
It depends on what kind of cake you are baking, and how you use the toothpick. For cakes with a crumb (including pound cakes, chiffon cakes, and layer cakes), the toothpick test is reliable. First, gently touch the center of the cake with a fingertip. If it doesn’t feel quite solid underneath the crust, keep baking it. If it feels firm, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out with batter on it, keep baking. If it comes out with a few crumbs, it’s ready and you should pull it out of the oven. If it comes out perfectly clean, hope that you haven’t overbaked it to a state of dryness.

Cakes that are creamy in the center rather than crumby (this includes cheesecakes and flourless chocolate cakes) should be tested with an instant-read thermometer or by following the visual clues provided in the recipe. An internal temperature of 150 to 160°F (66–71°C) for a cheesecake or flourless chocolate cake will ensure that the cake is baked all the way through while staying creamy in the center. In this temperature range, the cakes will still look a little jiggly in the center, but remember that the cake will continue to bake as it cools outside of the oven, and the center will firm up during this time.

Q
When I cut into my cake it had tunnels and large air bubbles baked into it. How can I get a more even crumb next time?

A
You may have overmixed your batter, beating too much air into it. Tapping the pan gently on the countertop a few times before baking will help the larger bubbles to migrate to the surface and pop before the cake can set in the oven.

Or you may have used a flour with too high a protein content. If this is the case, the air bubbles in batter with a lot of gluten will expand to a larger size than they would in batter made with a lower-protein flour. Next time, use a lower-protein flour.

Finally, an oven temperature that was too high may have caused your tunnels and bubbles. Check your oven with an oven thermometer and think about decreasing the setting by 25°F (4°C) before you bake again.

Q
How can I adapt a cake recipe to make cupcakes instead?

A
Most butter cake batters can be baked in cupcake liners. The tricky part is figuring out how many cupcakes your cake recipe will make. In general, a recipe calling for 2¼ cups of flour will make about two dozen cupcakes. But when portioning out the batter, fill each cupcake liner no more than three-quarters full so the batter won’t rise over the top edge and just keep going. If you like your cupcakes with a
flat top (better for frosting), bake them at a temperature no higher than 350°F (180°C). Higher temperatures will result in a volcanolike eruption in the center, resulting in a domed cupcake. Remember to adjust the baking time: Cupcakes take between 16 and 20 minutes to bake through.

Q
How can I split my cake into layers easily?

A
Place your cake on a cutting board or other flat work surface. If it has baked up with a slight dome on top, use a sharp serrated knife to slice away the domed portion for a flat surface. When doing this, it helps to crouch down so you are looking at the cake at eye level as you saw away at it with a knife. After you have done this, use your serrated knife to mark all around the side of the cake at the center point, rotating the cake on the cutting board as you mark. Finally, begin to cut through the cake, horizontally, along the markings, moving the knife through the center as you rotate the cake on the counter, until you have two layers.

Q
Which is better, a canvas pastry bag or disposable plastic?

A
I have to admit that I prefer disposable bags. Even now, I shudder at the memory of rinsing away greasy buttercream from the inside of the canvas bag I was responsible for cleaning in cooking school. I buy plastic bags by the hundreds (see Resources), and toss them when I’m finished. Another advantage: If I want to use different colors of frosting, I can keep several disposable bags filled at once.

If the idea of throwing away disposable plastic bags bothers you, buy one of the new style of canvas bags lined in plastic (see Resources). These are much easier to clean than the traditional type but are just as durable.

Q
Which decorating tips do I really need to decorate a cake?

A
If you are planning on going into the cake decorating business, then go for a deluxe set (Wilton sells one with 26 tips plus a coupler) that will allow you to pipe flowers, leaves, vines, pearls, shells, and other decorations in every size. But if you are just getting started, fewer than 12 tips will allow you to pipe many beautiful decorations. Remember, butter cream and whipped ganache can be piped through small tips for fine decorating, but whipped cream should be piped through large (at least ¼ inch in diameter) tips, as forcing it through smaller tips will deflate it.