The Ultimate Guide to Baking Cakes

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INTRODUCTION TO BAKING CAKES

There are so many factors that go into learning about and baking cakes. First, there are several types of cakes, cake flavours, cake fillings, filling flavours, baking techniques, cake decorating techniques, cake cutting, cake storage – the list goes on and on!

Then, you have different cake designs, many flavours, and a variety of fillings. Where do we even start?! You would think you need to find the ultimate guide to baking cakes! Don’t worry, I got you 🙂

As a beginner, it can definitely be overwhelming! Are you thinking of decorating your first cake? Check out our post about the best cake-decorating tools to get started!

TYPES OF CAKE

Now that you have the tools, what cake flavour should you make?! We can go with a classic, like vanilla or chocolate. Or something new that you’d like to try. But then there are different types of cakes, like pound cakes, cheesecakes, sheet cakes, bundt cakes, and sponge cakes.

There are many recipes out there to feed that sweet craving. Pound cakes and sponge cakes are the most popular recipes you’ll find when looking for a cake recipe. But wait, what’s the difference between a sponge cake and a pound cake?

One of the main differences between a sponge cake and a pound cake is the ratio of fat content. Pound cakes (or butter cakes) normally have a high-fat ratio, normally using the creaming method of unsalted butter or shortening.

While sponge cakes have a lower fat content, and usually include the whipping of eggs. For example, to make a chiffon cake, whipped egg whites are folded into the flour-liquid mixture as the last step of mixing the cake batter.

Most of our cake recipes are pound cakes; you can find our cake recipes here.

BAKING TIPS

Once you choose a cake type, flavor, and recipe to make, it’s important to be precise with your ingredients and with mixing the cake batter. A best practice is to measure out all of your ingredients prior to making the batter. Make sure you’re using the correct ingredients (don’t mix up sugar with salt, or baking soda with baking powder).

Normally, a recipe will instruct you to sift the dry ingredients together. This step helps aerate the ingredients and distributes them evenly within the cake batter.

Also, certain flours (like cake and pastry flour) are naturally “lumpy”, so sifting this kind of wheat flour creates a better cake texture. Don’t have a sifter? Slowly whisk the dry ingredients instead.

And if you choose to substitute something, I would google it first to ensure it works. Baking is a science, I always say I’m a scientist 🙂

Another best practice? Don’t overmix the cake batter. This can cause the cake to collapse in the oven and become dense. Always mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Okay, one more best practice: bake the cake layers separately. I have several cake pan sizes that are 2” high. For example, if I’m baking a 6” layer cake, I divide the batter into three 6×2” cake pans. This way, you don’t have to try to equally cut the cake horizontally, and the cake is baked more evenly and gets you one step closer to the perfect cake!

Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world if the cakes don’t bake flat and evenly. Cut off that excess mountain of cake and make cake pops! Just add some buttercream (less than you think), combine well, and roll it into balls. Dip into some melted chocolate and indulge in these mini treats 🙂

But wait, so many recipes tell you to “prepare” your cake pans – but how?! This part is easy! Line the cake pans with parchment paper and dust with flour or grease the pans with some non-stick cooking spray. You can buy precut parchment paper sheets, or cut them to size from a roll of parchment paper.

FIGURING OUT BAKING TIME FOR CAKES

Once the cakes are in the oven, baking time depends on a lot of factors. No oven is the same, and no cake batter is the same. Some recipes create a thinner cake batter consistency, while others are thicker. This results in different bake times and sometimes even different oven temperatures.

For example, my red velvet cake recipe results in a very thin batter. So I bake this at a lower oven temperature and for longer than I do my vanilla pound cake recipe. This temperature and time change help avoid the edges of the cake layers from burning or browning too quickly.

HOW TO CREATE A MOIST CAKE

There are a few tricks out there for creating a moist cake. There are some ingredients that can be added to cake recipes, like vegetable oil, sour cream, or mayonnaise. One well-known addition is a small box of pudding mix! Don’t ask me how or why, but it works! Again, SCIENCE!

But I wouldn’t just add ingredients freely, as it can affect the outcome of the cake. As baking cakes can be temperamental, it may be best to test out your addition first before serving it to anyone.

For my vanilla cake recipe, I had a few customers ask me to make it more moist. So, I experimented with adding sour cream and I haven’t received the same feedback ever since!

If the cake is already baked, you can make a simple syrup with sugar and water, then brush it onto the cake layers. I usually make 1:1.25 parts sugar to boiling water for my simple syrup. Then, I add it to a squeeze bottle and drizzle the simple syrup onto each cake layer.

CREATING NEW CAKE FLAVOURS

In my opinion, the best thing about cake is you can pair it with different fillings (like buttercream frosting or maybe a berry compote OR a smooth caramel filling!). And then you can create different flavours of buttercream and compote! AND maybe combine both fillings in a cake!!! Ok, I’m getting carried away).

Once the cakes are baked and cooled, it’s time to assemble! Take a look at our full tutorial on how to assemble a layer cake.

You can also add nuts and fruits to cakes – like the classic strawberry shortcake! I enjoy making a chocolate hazelnut-flavoured cake. For this cake flavour, I use my chocolate cake recipe and mix Nutella into vanilla buttercream. Then, I add roasted hazelnuts in between the cake layers. Try it, it’s delicious!

Check out our chocolate cake and buttercream recipes (add Nutella instead of chocolate ganache to the buttercream frosting).

HOW TO DECORATE A CAKE

After you’ve frosted the cake, how should you decorate it? You have sprinkles, rosettes, chocolate drips, fondant figures, gum paste flowers, buttercream flowers, and so much more! The possibilities are endless, and you can use your imagination to create something so beautiful. OR you can find some ideas and inspiration on trusty Pinterest 🙂

As a cake decorator and business owner, I find tons of cake design ideas on Pinterest (and so do my clients!). Usually, when I have a vision in mind to create what the client is looking for, I search Pinterest for cake design ideas that I can share that are similar to my vision. This is a really great tool for visual people!

Every year, there are new cake trends that become so popular. So, it’s a great opportunity to enhance your cake-decorating skills and try something new! And there’s always “YouTube University” if you’re unsure how to recreate a specific cake design.

HOW TO STORE A CAKE

Now that you’ve baked, frosted, and decorated a cake, how do you store it? If you’re serving the cake the same day, it’s perfectly fine to keep the cake at room temperature (away from any source of heat). Cakes are best served (easier to cut) and eaten at room temperature. If possible, cover the cake with a cake dome or overturned bowl to protect it from dust, hair, and any other particles floating in the air.

If you’re serving the cake within the next few days, it’s best to keep it in the fridge in the meantime. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the more time the cake needs to come to room temperature.

A good way to think of it – the cake has buttercream frosting, which is made with butter, of course. A block of butter fresh out of the fridge is almost as hard as a rock, so the cake will come out of the fridge that way as well.

If the cake has been in the fridge for a few days, it’ll seem almost frozen. Hence, it’ll take several hours to “thaw”. Give your cakes enough time to come to room temperature and they will be easier to cut and more enjoyable to eat 🙂

If you’re a fellow entrepreneur and cake business owner, be sure to share this information with your clients – they’ll appreciate it, trust me!

As we’ve learned from this post alone, there’s a lot that goes into baking and decorating cakes. It’s a lengthy process that requires patience and precision to achieve the best outcome. We always say “it’s what’s on the inside that counts!”, and that’s true for cakes too – but a beautiful exterior is a great bonus!

Happy cake baking!

Mich