Whether it is a birthday cake or a special occasion screaming the need of a scrumptious cake, nothing quite fits the bill like a home-made cake. Yeah, I heard you, easier said than done. Either the dough does not rise properly or it is the lack of key ingredients right when you have started baking. Not to mention the pressure to bake gorgeous and yummy cakes every time.

Getting Exact Measurement:

You can not be choosy with the measurement. If it is one cup flour for a small cake, make sure you abide to the given measurement. Since flour can compress in a bag so, it is better to always scrape the extra off the edges of a measuring cup. Be very careful of the measurement terms. If it is in ounces and the measuring cup you have, go by the pint, well, trade it off or convert the terms for precise measurement. Consider getting a cheat sheet beforehand that comprise the converted baking units for you.

The Rise of the Dough:

You cannot rush things like baking. Wait for the dough to rise properly and whip the batter properly for a silky texture. Place the baking pan on a heating pad to ferment the dough properly and uniformly.

Control the Portion:

If you are on a dieting spree or don not want your family to get those love handles, swap oil with the same amount of unsweetened apple sauce when you make breads, cupcakes, muffins or cakes. Applesauce is a neutral agent that works like oil but does not have any impact on flavor or baking time. However, please note that applesauce doesn’t go well with brownies as it makes them dry and crumbly whereas cookies turn to be fluffy and not crispy. But for the rest of your baking experience, it turns out to be guilt-free pleasure.

If you aren’t sure about the use of applesauce as a substitute of oil, try little amount of it first.

Getting Out of the Bubble Trap:

Air bubbles are so persistent that they show up even if you have followed the recipes instructions to ArenaCakes. It could be because of over beating the mixture or due to the use of rising agents. The air bubbles are the result of carbon dioxide in the cake and mostly, the result of an unsuccessful leavening action. You can avoid this by understanding the reactions of baking soda and baking powder.

If you are using baking powder, give the batter mix some time before you bake it. As baking powder is a double acting agent, the first reaction needs to happen when it sits idle and if the mix goes directly into oven, this results in air bubbles.

Baking soda is a one-time leavening agent and it has to happen at the time of baking. So, there should be no downtime and the baking soda leavened cake should go directly into oven.

Miscellaneous:

Granulated sugar can be blended well to form powder if you are using confectioner’s sugar for baking.

Put lemons in boiling water before extracting their juice.

Baked a little too much? Remove the burnt part of your cake, toast or muffins by peeling it off with a vegetable peeler. This is a brilliant way to preserve your cake if the burnt smell hasn’t spoiled the rest of cake yet.

Photi Credit:Soumya working at MayaFlowers.com Lucknow

If you don not have any frosting left, use a decorative lace and sprinkle powdered sugar. Let it set and then lift the lace with excess sugar. The design will look as awesome as frosting.

Credit: Jeni working at MayaFlowers Chennai

Put green bananas in microwave and heat them in a preset 300 degree oven until they are soft.

If the upper layer of cake has become dry, put it over the lid of a steamer and the cake will turn out to be just fine and moist.