It is important to check that a cake is cooked, as no one likes a soft and raw cake or - on the contrary - dry and hard like marble.
Steps
Step 1. Follow the recipe carefully
If you stick to the guidelines and use the recommended temperatures and cooking times, you are more likely to have the cake ready when it should be. In reality, every oven is different (those with conventional cooking have different times) and often changes and substitutions are made in the ingredients that vary the essence of the recipe, also altering the cooking times. Therefore, it is useful to know how to test the cake to understand when it is ready.
Step 2. Keep the "substitution rules" in mind when taking your test:
- If you have replaced dry ingredients with moist ones (by adding fruit, honey, etc.), cooking times are longer.
- If you have doubled or tripled the ingredients, the cake will need to cook more at the "lower" temperature.
Step 3. Be patient
One of the most common mistakes in making a cake is opening the oven too early, causing it to sag, because the temperature drops before it has managed to rise completely.
Step 4. Using the knobs, remove the cake from the oven
Step 5. Try one of these two methods to test it:
- The utensil: take a fork, a cocktail skewer or a regular one or a toothpick. Tuck it into the center of the cake.
- The hand: take the hand and spread it out. Turning the palm gently press down on the cake. If the surface is firm and not affected by pressure or contrasts, the cake is ready. If it fails, it has to cook again. This method is difficult and should only be used if you are a skilled cook: the cake could sag if you exceed the pressure, moreover it must be done quickly since the cake is hot!
Step 6. Check the surface of the utensil you stuck in the dough
To understand if the cake is ready or not:
- If it comes out with some batter or crumbs attached, it needs to cook again.
- If it's dry, it's ready.
Step 7. If it's not fully cooked, quickly return it to the oven
Otherwise, let it cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan and then transfer it to a wire rack to finish with the glaze. If you just can't wait, eat a hot piece of it with butter… it's something delicious.
Advice
- The normal core temperature of a ready-made cake is between 90 and 100 ° C.
- If you have an old oven you need to know it well. After baking some cakes you should be aware of any flaws, including where it is best to place the cake to get the best baking (especially if there is a wrong temperature distribution).
- The more cakes you prepare, the more you will learn to know when they are ready just by looking at them. Most cakes shrink a little on the sides, and pale colored ones will take on a golden hue. Learn from experience.
- Don't skewer your cake, and pay particular attention to the more delicate ones like sponge cake.
Warnings
- Do not use a knife to test it as you could cause the dough to deflate and then end up with a sagging cake.
- Ovens and what they contain can be very hot. Be careful when you put your hands in it, do not touch the edges or the grid with your hands or fingers.
- A cake that goes limp and doesn't look very pretty isn't a big loss. Use it for a pudding or trifle.
