Lessons from Cake Class

1. Oven temperatures can fluctuate over a span of 50 degrees in the process of baking.  So if you set your oven to 350 degrees, it will be cooking your cake from anywhere between 300-400 degrees.  This is what makes your cake dome on the top (which is bad).

In order to bake your cake at the desired temperature:

1.       Let your oven preheat an extra 15 minutes before you put your cake in.  When you open the door the heat level will drop drastically, letting it heat up the extra 15 minutes will keep the temperature up.

2.       Place a pizza stone or unglazed terracotta tiles on the bottom rack of the oven.  The stone (and tiles) will absorb the heat when the oven is in a warming cycle and release the heat when it is on a cooling cycle.  This will make your cake bake more evenly.

3.       Wilton Bake Even strips. I haven’t tried them yet myself, but my classmates swear by them; the tops of their cakes were almost perfect so I am sure they work.  Basically they are strips of heat resistant fabric that you soak in water and pin around the base of your cakes. The moisture prevents cracking and prevents doming.

2. How to make a cake mix taste homemade
1. Instead of using vegetable oil as the instructions call for, use one stick melted butter.  Yes, it is indulgent; but it is cake! Cake is supposed to be indulgent!
2. Instead of using water, substitute any clear juice. Don’t worry, it won’t taste anything like the juice you put in.  It just comes out as a background flavor that no one will be able to place.  I used Capri-Sun, all of their flavors are clear and one pouch is exactly one cup.
3. When making chocolate cake instead of using water (or juice) use coffee.  I hate the taste of coffee, but in the cake it just makes it taste more chocolate-ey!
3. Fillings for your cake
1. I LOVE caramel!!! This is the easiest caramel sauce to make, and it is super thick.  Oh yeah, and it is only one ingredient- sweetened condensed milk.  Take the wrapper off the can of milk and submerge it in water in your Crockpot. Cook it on high for 8 hours then cool it in the fridge for several hours.  When you open the can it will be ooey gooey caramel.  Delicious.
2.  Chocolate Ganache. I haven’t tried this recipe, but I am told it is fool-proof.  Take one carton heavy cream and heat it on the stove to almost boiling.  Add 12 oz dark chocolate chips.  Stir.  When it has completely melted, chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  It also makes a great ice cream topping…so I am told!
4. Frosting your cake is super easy…if you have the right tools
1. Get a cake turntable. Seriously.
2. The huge icing tip is a huge timesaver.  I will never ice a cake without it now.  I am spoiled. Tip 789
3. Use and offset spatula, the straight ones make you put your fingers in the cake.

By the way, never lift the spatula off the cake. Always swipe it off the side of the cake.  This way you won’t pull crumbs to the top of the icing.

4. Use one tablespoon of meringue powder in your butter cream.  If you let the cake harden in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, you will be able to put that smooth finish on your cake.  Take some parchment paper and set it on the top of the cake
4.  Making professional looking cupcakes is way easier than I thought.
1. There is a special tip for filling your cupcakes.  You can use more frosting, or a specialty filling. Tip Bismark 230
2. As long as you have the right tips, your cupcakes will look EXACTLY like the ones in cake shop windows. Tips 1M, 22, 12
5. Taking a cake decorating class was way better than learning it on my own.  I can’t tell you how much I learned and how excited I am to take a fondant class.  I highly recommend it. 

Note: Please be kind when critiquing my cake.  It was my first time piping lettering and I know it is terribly off center and not parallel. I am sure it annoys me way more than it annoys you, because it KILLS me. J