Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
WHY? If baked on a rack that's too high, the cake will overbrown. Too low? No browning at all.
2. CUT PARCHMENT
Trace the outline of the cake pan on parchment paper. Then cut out parchment circles to line the pans.
WHY? To ensure the baked cakes release easily from the pans.
3. GREASE AND FLOUR
Grease the pans. Line with parchment circles. Grease the parchment and flour the pans, shaking out extra flour.
WHY? To doubly ensure that the cakes will not stick.
4. COMBINE LIQUIDS
Combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a measuring cup.
WHY? Combined, the wet ingredients are easier to incorporate. Plus, it's easy to see how much liquid you’ve added in step 7.
5. WHISK DRY INGREDIENTS
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
WHY? For layer cakes, whisking aerates as effectively as sifting.
6. BEAT IN BUTTER
With the mixer on low speed, add the softened butter, one piece at a time, until only pea-size pieces remain.
WHY? This "reverse creaming" ensures a cake with a tender but tight crumb.
7. ADD LIQUID IN 2 PARTS
Pour in half of the milk-egg mixture and beat until fluffy. Then add the remaining milk mixture.
WHY? The liquid will be absorbed more efficiently, for a lighter cake with no streaks of flour.
8. SCRAPE INTO PANS
Divide the batter evenly between the greased, lined, and floured pans.
WHY? The layers will bake evenly and be of equal height.
9. TAP ON COUNTER
Gently tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter.
WHY? Tapping releases air bubbles that may have formed during mixing; they could cause tunnels in the cake.
10. BAKE AND ROTATE
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
WHY? Switching the pans ensures that the layers bake evenly despite any hot spots in the oven.
11. COOL IN PANS
Leave the hot cakes in the pans for 10 minutes.
WHY? The cakes need a few minutes to cool and firm slightly, sot they won't break apart when you remove them from the pans.
12. TURN CAKE OUT
Flip the cakes out of their pans onto a wire rack. Flip onto a second wire rack so that the cake layers are right side up.
WHY? The rack lets air circulate underneath, so the cakes won't steam and get soggy as they cool.
CAKE DISASTERS
Here are four ways that a good cake can turn bad—and how to prevent them.
HOT CAKE
It might be tempting to start frosting soon after the cake has come out of the oven. But even a slightly warm cake can cause the frosting to melt and slide off. It pays to wait until the cake is completely cooled.
COLD FROSTING
Most frostings can be made ahead and refrigerated until they are ready to use. But if they're not left to soften at room temperature, the frosting will be stiff and difficult to spread, and their application may gouge a chunk out of a tender cake.
DOMED CAKE
Cake layers can dome in the oven, making them hard to stack. If you don't trim the dome, you'll need extra frosting to fill the space between the layers- meaning you won't have enough for the top and sides. Even if you make extra frosting, the finished cake will be overly rich.
RECKLESS SLICING
Even a beautifully frosted cake can turn ugly after the first slice. That's because the slicing knife drags frosting and crumbs as it cuts. For a prettier presentation, clean the knife after each cut by dipping it into hot water, then drying it off between slices.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét