Questions tagged [cake]

Questions about preparing or baking cakes, defined as chemically or mechanically (using eggs) leavened flour batter.

Cakes are made from batter and contain either chemical or mechanical leavening to cause them to rise and be light and airy. (A very few cakes, such as coffee cakes, are yeast raised.)

Cakes are typically baked in an oven and most often are sweet.

Note that while items like muffins and banana breads are similar to cakes, the tag is more appropriate.

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Cake with an impenetrable crust?

I recently baked the golden vanilla cake from King Arthur FLour's website. It baked nicely, and looked really nice. However, when I was at my cake decorating class, I had to level and torte that cake, and for the life of me, I could not get my cake…
user3058
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Tripling a baking recipe

I have a cupcake recipe that I've doubled successfully in the past. I'd like to triple it for an upcoming party but I seem to recall reading that some ingredients don't work as well if tripled. Is that true? If so, what are they? Is there any…
user5657
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Why is syrup added to a cake before frosting?

Why is syrup added to the inside of a cake before frosting? Maybe the cream sticks better with each layer of cake?
Michael Ben David
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Why is gluten-free baking possible?

Maybe a silly question, but I've been trying to learn a lot of baking fundamentals and trying to understand specifically what makes a cake. Most explanations I've read are something along the lines of: flour for structure fat to interfere with…
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salamande(?): name of bread

Last weekend, I had a delicious bread, whose name was Sal-ra-man-d. Since English is not my native language, its name was written in non-english. It sounds like french. But I don't know its exact name. It is somewhat like a pound cake, with some…
user190964
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Can I repair a cake tin which has started to leak?

I have a cake tin (the sprung false bottom type) which, although the bottom seems to fit quite well, has started to leak when I pour cake mixture into it. Is there anything I can do to rescue the tin and stop it from leaking, or should I just bin it…
Sam Holder
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How do I add butter to a sponge cake?

I made a Genoise following James Peterson's recipe in Baking, but without the optional butter. I used an electric hand mixer. The cake came out fine, as in the picture. The second time I decided to add the butter and the whole thing deflated. …
Hbar
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What went wrong with this bundt cake?

I've tried making Baked's Ultra Lemony Lemon Bundt Cake four times (recipe here: http://bakedsundaymornings.com/2015/04/27/in-the-oven-ultralemony-lemon-bundt-cake-with-almond-glaze/). Four times because the first time it came out pretty well - a…
DaveBurns
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Why did my Chiffon Cake collapse?

Recipe used: 75g flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 80g sugar + 15g sugar (for the meringue) 2 eggs (60g each) 35g oil 60g water Instructions: Place all ingredients except egg whites and 15g sugar in a bowl. Beat egg whites until soft peaks. Slowly add…
Hannah Song
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Can I add unsweetened cocoa to a store-bought white cake mix to make chocolate cake mix?

I know that buying a chocolate cake mix would be the easiest, but there is a white cake mix whose flavor I like...
AttilaNYC
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Making simple light cake with yeast

Normally, baking powder is preferred to yeast for making cake. I wanted to make simple light cake with yeast (using bread machine), but I face a problem that is not addressed in recipes (at least, I was unable to find). Bread dough is much harder…
Googlebot
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What could cause a sudden loss of sour flavor?

Background During the weekend, my mother made a plum cake and put slices of plum on top. She gave me a piece to try and it was sweet and good for ~1.5 seconds before my face puckered from how sour it was. I can usually take sour thing (I like to eat…
Synetech
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What does meringue powder do in butter cream icing?

I've recently been taking a Wilton cake decorating class. Part of the curriculum includes making our own buttercream icing. Many of Wilton's recipes for buttercream and like icings call for the addition of meringue powder. Other icing recipes that…
rheone
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Converting stand mixing time to hand mixing

For each minute of using a stand mixer on high, approximately how long (or how much effort, quantified) should a mixture be mixed (whisked/beaten) by hand to achieve similar results? Baking recipes are frequently encountered which only supply…
bakingwithadæmon
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How to make cakes/scones that won't go off, for display purposes

This is a bit of a strange question, but I thought someone here might be able to help. I am trying to make some cupcakes, scones or similar to display on a home-made cake stand in a shop window. I think the cake stand really needs to have something…
robintw
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