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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Protein networks in vegan cakes

I have read that one important role of eggs in cakes is to add proteins that denature with heat and then link together giving the cake structure. Given that proteins are so varied and abundant in nature, I was wondering whether there are vegan…
Ari Herman
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Is it better to use soft or hard ladyfingers when making tiramisu?

I didn't realize they came in two varieties.
moomoo
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How to change a vanilla cake recipe to make a chocolate cake?

I've seen this question about how to alter a chocolate cake recipe to make a plain cake, my question is the other way around, how to alter a vanilla cake recipe to make a chocolate cake? I read in a website that replacing 1/2 cup of flour with cocoa…
Gigili
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"Cloth" that's edible (or even better, yummy)?

For the birthday of a keen sailor I want to make a a yacht-shaped cake, ideally with a sail rigged (not least because with my rather limited cake-creating skills it will reduce the risk that it gets mistaken for a radio mast, unusual stick insect,…
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How does substituting yogurt into a cake change the texture and why can it be used?

I've read about using yogurt in cake recipes to make them healthier. I was wondering how and why does replacing the fat by yogurt work, in particular whether the cake becomes rubbery and how to avoid this.
lhg
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Pre-frosting cake with jelly

I am making a chocolate cake for my son's birthday. Used a boxed cake mix (with a few substitutions) for the cake itself. Going to use chocolate frosting. Had the idea to put a light coat of strawberry jelly on the top and let is soak in before…
Kevin
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Making a literal thousand-layer cake?

The other night some friends and I ordered a thousand layer cake for dessert in a restaurant. Sadly, the cake had only ten layers, just 1% of what we ordered. We started talking about whether, with only commonly-available ingredients and kitchen…
templatetypedef
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I want to make a mug cake, can I use hot chocolate mix instead of cocoa?

Unfortunately, I do not have any cocoa powder left. If I use Cadbury's hot chocolate mix, would it give me the same effect?
bug
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How can I get my chocolate cake to taste less like a brownie?

I've been testing out cake recipes, and I'm having a bit of difficulty creating a chocolate cake that doesn't taste like a brownie. What I want is a light, moist chocolate cake (doesn't everyone?), but the cake currently has the same texture and…
cinnamonscribe
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What considerations should be taken into account when adding any fruit to any cake?

I have a pineapple-orange cake recipe that is very good, but is from a relative - I didn't develop it. I am curious how to adjust a typical cake recipe or even a box cake mix so that I can add fruit (pineapple, peaches, cherries, apples, oranges,…
Chad
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How to decorate a cake so that the icing is smooth?

I am a self taught baker love to make birthday cakes now I have been asked to make a wedding cake for september. Could you please help me to get the sides of my cakes nice and smooth before icing. Do I start of with a big cake and cut smaller ?
Tracey
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Baking a cake in a larger/smaller pan

Is there a guide or rule of thumb about scaling a cake. If the recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan and I use a 10-inch square pan, how will it behave in the oven? I expect the baking time will be longer but should I change the temperature for…
JoeT
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Removing that eggy smell from cakes

I've been baking for not that long now and I usually peruse the web and the hundreds of books I have at home before I attempt a recipe. However there is one thing I am just not able to get down right. Whenever a cake or something involving eggs is…
pneumatics
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Non-beet alternatives to standard red food dye

I'd like to make a red colored cake for my red-head daughter's first birthday, and I would like a non-beet alternative way to dye it red. I've made red velvet cake before and the bug-based food coloring I used tasted and smelled awful. Plus I hear…
GdD
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what happens when you whisk sugar with oil?

So far I have tired four different carrot cakes recipes, everything ended up too oily (The oil drips from the cake when pressed). I was wondering and found all of these recipes calls for "whisking sugar with oil until the sugar dissolves" as the…
Kira Roark
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