There are few desserts that match the feeling of baking a cake for your friends and loved ones. But, we all know how tough it is to find the time to bake one. That’s why I’m sharing two of my favorite,”no time to bake cakes.” Yes, I’m giving you my blessing to start with a cake mix. Once you add all the other fresh ingredients, it is home baked for sure! Both cakes make great gifts. Buy a festive tin, place the cake inside, add a festive ribbon and you are all set!
To insure that your hard efforts are a success, follow these simple tips:
1. Before you begin preparing a recip,e set out all of the ingredients. There’s nothing worse than being half way through mixing and find that you’re missing an ingredient!
2. When measuring the dry ingredients, always level off the measuring cup unless otherwise specified.
3. Even though room temperature eggs yield the best volume, don’t leave them out for more than 30 minutes.
4. Although most cakes can be mixed by hand, electric mixers provide the most even blending. Be sure to scrape the bowl a few times while beating so all ingredients are well mixed. Although an expensive mixer such as a Kitchen Aid is a treat to use, an inexpensive hand mixer will work just find. It will cost you about $25.00 and will last for years. Check out the ones at Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target.
5. To help make the cake batter evenly spread out over the pan, place pan on counter top, hold pan with both hands and give it a shake. Sounds very simple and really works!
6. Bake cakes in a preheated oven and place in center of oven. If you’re making more than 2 layers or more than 1 cake, switch position of the pans halfway through baking.
7. To prevent the cake from falling, leave oven door shut during the first fifteen minutes of baking. I know you might want to peek, but don’t!
8. And most important, have fun baking…
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Heavenly Lemon Poppy Seed… |
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Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake |
