Baking Tips | The Cake Blog

Acidity In Cake

Summer Stone — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:34:05 +0000

Acidity In Cake – how acidic ingredients like lemon, chocolate and buttermilk affect a cake recipe. A new baking science experiment by our contributor, Summer Stone-Polzel. Acidic ingredients play an important role in cake baking. They add and enhance flavors as well as contribute to leavening and tenderization of cakes. Batter acidity can come from a wide […]

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Baked To Perfection

Summer Stone — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 13:53:15 +0000

Baked to Perfection - how baking time affects cake moisture and structure. A new baking science experiment by our contributor, Summer Stone-Polzel. Do not over bake! This warning is often found in the instruction section of a cake recipe. But being the skeptic that I am when it comes to conventional baking wisdom, I wanted to know if you could really damage a cake by letting it spend a few extra minutes in the oven. I decided to put this admonishment to the test practically and scientifically to determine how narrow the window of baking perfection was.

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Egg Free Baking

Summer Stone — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:00:34 +0000

Egg-Free Baking - what egg alternative is the best substitute for cake recipes? A new baking science experiment by our contributor, Summer Stone-Polzel. People choose to make egg-free baked goods for a number of reasons varying from allergic reactivity to dietary necessity to moral conscientiousness. Whatever the reason, many people opt to bake eggless for themselves and others. There are a number of options for egg substitution that are available but which one works best if at all? Here I will cover the best ways to make a cake that is egg-free and delicious.

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Does Ingredient Temperature Matter?

Summer Stone — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 11:47:40 +0000

Our contributor, Summer Stone-Polzel of Cake Paper Party, is back today with a new baking science experiment.... Most cake recipes prompt the baker to begin with room temperature ingredients. While I generally comply with most of my ingredients, I admit I can often be caught tossing a cold egg or chilly milk into my batter. Typically in a hurry, I would think, “What difference does it really make?” I finally decided to challenge my rebellion and see what happens when you start with cold, room temperature or warm ingredients.

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Which Flour Is Best?

Summer Stone — Wed, 04 May 2016 10:50:35 +0000

Our contributor, Summer Stone Polzel of Cake Paper Party, is back today with a new baking science experiment.... Flour is one of the most important ingredients in a cake recipe. It not only is the structural workhorse of a cake but provides important flavor and textural elements. Choosing the best flour for a cake recipe can be tricky. There are many options on the market and depending on where you are in the world, certain flours may or may not be available. Here I will try to clarify some of the differences between various types of wheat flours and show you how they translate to baked cakes.

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Sugar’s Impact on Cake

Summer Stone — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:45:41 +0000

Sugar plays an important role in any cake recipe. Without the inclusion of sugar, a cake would be bland and uninspired in relation to flavor, but did you know that your cake would also be pale in color, squatty and dense? Sugar’s effects on cake are quite diverse. To really get a feel for the importance of sugar in a recipe, I baked cakes with anywhere from no sugar at all to one and a half times the standard sugar weight (2:3 sugar to flour). How does changing sugar volume affect your cake? Read ahead and you may be as surprised as I was by the results.

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Chocolate vs. Cocoa

Summer Stone — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 16:05:41 +0000

Our contributor, Summer Stone of Cake Paper Party, is back today with a new baking science experiment... Creating an ideal chocolate cake is a tall order. You must balance the texture and structure of a cake while maintaining a distinct chocolatey profile. For some time, I have been in search of a cake that boasts undeniable chocolate flavor, the kind of cake where you can close your eyes and tell, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it is chocolate cake you are eating. To determine whether chocolate, cocoa or a combination creates the best flavor profile in a cake, I baked three separate cakes.

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