Geez!!! I just have a lot to say about the same day of baked goods! I made this yellow cake with chocolate frosting for a friend's husband's birthday that happened to be on the same day as Wyatt. So, this was available for guests as well as the pina colada cupcakes. This was my first layer cake attempt. As previously mentioned, I have been taking cake decorating classes and gum paste flower classes. SOOOO helpful! This cake seemed like a breeze. I will never bake a cake in a 13 X 9 inch pan again!! Seriously, this took probably 30 minutes more and it looks a million times better. This cake is 2 9 inch cake layers, each split in half with a cake leveler. I didn't have to level the 2 original cakes due to the bake even strips I used. Here are some tricks and products I swear by. Buy them, have them for life, and never bake a 13 X 9 inch cake again!!! (No, I am not under contract with any of the manufacturers I am about to mention...just sharing what I know to help you!!!)Layer Cake Baking Tips for the Beginner
Supplies that will save your life...worth the expense for the result!!!
Tip #1- For high altitudes like Denver, never bake a cake at 350, keep your oven at 325 degrees and bake longer.
Tip#2- If you don't want to buy the bake even strips, my instructor swears by the following method to bake an even cake. (I haven't attempted this yet since I have the bake even strips)... Grease the bottom and seam of side wall of pan. Do not grease the side walls of the pan. You may flour if desired. Fill pan half full. Tilt pan until batter goes to top rim of pan, coating walls thinly. Drop pan on counter a few times to free up any bubbles and level batter. Should bake an even cake.
Tip #3- Measure by cups how much batter you put in each pan...this way your layers of the cake are exactly the same height.
Tip #4- test cake for doneness all over pan, not just center of pan.
Tip#5- if careful while icing...no crumb coat is needed. Crumbing lessens if you work with a chilled cake. Also, start with a big blob of frosting. You can scrape the frosting off as needed. Be careful not to let your spatula touch the cake, only frosting. This is easy with a cake spatula...there is something about the angle to it. The above cake does not have a crumb coat and there was not a crumb in sight.
Tip #6- When you add a layer on top of the frosting of the previous layer, drop it on, shimmy it to be in place and twist...this makes it a firm, stable stack.
Hi Lindsey, I always raise my oven temperature and also bake on Convection. The baking time is shorter and it builds the "crust" quicker to prevent sinking. It has worked very well for me so far. The cake looks amazing. I can't believe that this is your first layer cake ever. Fantastic job!
ReplyDeleteKirsten