She was the best cook at making chocolate cakes. She knew the basic steps by heart so much she never left out any ingredients. If you hope to make a delicious chocolate cake to impress everyone at special event, you should prepare your pan, combine the ingredients together, and monitor the baking process. The first step is important; make sure you have all the ingredients. You do not want to be running to the grocery store during preparation. The final product can flop if a key ingredient is left out. Start by prepare your cake pan. Be sure to have the correct size or shape of the pan. Bundt cakes require Bundt pans, while others can be baked in a variety sizes. You can also refer to a cake pan size table. Make sure you put grease in the pan, you want to avoid sticking. Use about a half of tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil shortening on a paper towel and rub the inside of the pan. Sprinkle about a tablespoon or two of flour on top. Flour the pan on the sides to help the cake adhere to the sides as the cake bakes.
The flour will ensure that the top is flatter, which is important for layered cakes. Shake and dump out any excess flour and set the pan to the side. After preparing the pan the next step is have all ingredients at room temperature. The key ingredients such as flour, sugar, vegetable oil, and water are typically stored at room temperature, while others such as butter, milk, needs to be cold. Double check the recipe concerning eggs, while many box cakes request cold, other recipes such as cheesecakes require eggs to be at room temperature. This is to avoid any curdling and affecting the cake texture. Measure ingredients as accurately as possible and add them in the specified.
Begin combing dry ingredients such as flour, baking powder, and coca, etc. then add wet ingredients such as eggs, oil, and milk. Be sure to take special prerequisites such as sifting, whisking, or beating, and packing before batter with a stand or hand mixer. While mixing stop occasionally to fold in flour or other ingredients with a spatula or spoon to ensure that everything is mixed thoroughly. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Fill the pan two-thirds of the way full as the cake will rise during baking. Gently tap the cake pan on the counter top to release any large air bubbles in the batter.
Now place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven. Do not allow the pan to touch the oven wall. Close the oven door and immediately set a timer to the specified baking time. Finally bake the cake for thirty-five minutes for a range of thirty-four to thirty-six minutes or fifty-three minutes for a range of fifty-five minutes. Using the median will ensure that the cake would not under or over cook. Resist the urge to open the oven door during baking, as the heat will escape and may cause the cake unevenly. If the cake is uneven then turn the oven light on and view through the oven window. Check the cake for doneness. Gently insert a toothpick or wooden skewer in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a few a crumbs on the toothpick, the cake is done.
If not place it back on the oven for another three to four minutes. Keep testing for the same amount of time until you get the correct result. Place the pan on wire rack to cool for fifteen minutes. Run a butter knife around the pan edges to loosen the sides place the wire rack over the top of the pan, invert in, and tap it lightly the cake. Let it cool completely before decorating since the heat will melt the frosting and the icing. The last step is to put the frosting and decorate the cake. Nothing warms the soul like a thick rich slice of freshly baked cake. Even if you had problems baking in the past, there is no need intimidated by the process. Baking the perfect cake can be fun and simple just like my grandma use to do when I was a little girl.
