The Cake Baking Mistake That Will Leave You With An Uneven Top
Baking can be a delicate science. Unlike making a sauce — where you can be free to add a pinch of this and a splash of that — when you are baking certain desserts, your failures and successes can all come down to the slightest measurements. Especially when you are attempting to create the perfect cake, you need to pay close attention to every minor detail. The precise mixture of flour, baking soda, sugar, and butter all whipped and added in a certain order can make or break the cake. The use of measuring cups and teaspoons and correcting to exact temperatures at just the right time will not seem so unlike a chemist wielding chemical reactions in a lab, as detailed by Dr. Andy Connelly via The Guardian.
Even if you have the most astute attention to detail there are still a few missteps you can easily make that can dramatically affect the results of your dessert. Making baking mistakes such as not preheating your oven, or not properly blending your ingredients, can lead to a culinary disaster. If you are a staunch perfectionist and strive for that perfectly level cake, there's nothing more frustrating than being stuck with uneven layers. However, fixing this issue could be a lot easier than you think.
Here is the mistake that's causing lopsided cakes
If you're at your wit's end and can't stand the sight of another uneven cake top popping out of the oven — take a deep breath — because we have your problems solved. It turns out that if your mix is too chilly then it results in an uneven surface, according to the Institute of Bakery & Culinary Arts. To combat this bumpy disaster before it starts, it's recommended that you leave your cake mix for half an hour so that it can reach room temperature before baking it in the oven. This should ensure that your cakes come out looking nice and flat, which is important if you're hoping to make a tiered-level design.
Another way you can produce pan after pan of even cake layers is to wrap your pan with a strip of damp cloth, as per Preppy Kitchen. The moisture from the strip will stop the top of the cake from forming a dome shape and instead keep it nice and level. Take the dampened cloth and fold it in aluminum foil before wrapping it around the edges of your baking pan. Since this slightly slows down the cooking process, you might need to extend your baking time as needed.
As a last-case strategy, you can also expertly shave off a domed top with a knife to even out the outer layer. Don't worry: It's not cheating; and, thanks to the miracle mistake-hiding powers of icing, who would know?