We’ve all found ourselves in a baking predicament, at one stage or another. We roped in the talented troop from, Johannesburg bakery, The Sweet Escape to share pro cake rescue hacks.
1.Burnt chocolate?
If you decide to make some cake pops, and you leave your chocolate in the microwave for too long and it burns, don’t waste it, add a little sunflower oil and it’ll be creamy and perfect in no time.
2.Cupcakes sinking in the middle?
It’s probably an over mixing problem, try your best to not overwork the batter and this should solve the extra air escaping after the bake.
3.The cake stuck in its pan?
Don’t freak out, simply run a spatula around the sides of the cake and tap until you feel it’s loosened, then gently turn out onto a baking tray. If that still doesn’t work, heat a damp dish towel in the microwave and allow that to sit over the bottom of the cake pan for a few minutes, then gently tap cake out. Remember to allow your cake to settle for about 20 mins before trying to remove it from the pan. Also be sure to grease your pans properly to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
4. The cake keeps sinking in the middle?
Make sure you aren’t overdoing the baking powder. When measuring, always level the spoon with the back of a knife and be sure to use the batter as soon as it’s ready to prevent this.
5.Cupcake liners coming out very oily?
Try adding some dry rice to the bottom of the cupcake pan, it should help absorb some of the oiliness.
6.If you burn your ganache?
It’s pretty easy to overheat your cream and burn your ganache, just keep adding some full cream milk until comes back to the creamy, delicious ganache you’ve always wanted.
7.Cupcake liners pulling away from your cupcakes?
This is a moisture issue. Make sure your cupcakes are 100% cool before storing them in an airtight container, the moisture in the air causes the liner to pull away.
8.Cake pop balls falling into chocolate?
I have found that spooning the chocolate over the pops instead of dipping the entire ball has sorted out this problem for me.
9.Cake pop chocolate cracking?
A lot of bakers suggest keeping the pops in the fridge or freezing before dipping; I find that when my pops come back to room temperature they crack the chocolate, so what I’ve started doing is to keeping my pops at room temperature the entire time which has been working like a charm. Also always make a few extra, there will always be cake pop fatalities.
10.Cookies are spreading out too much?
Your oven temperature may be too hot, causing the butter in your cookie to melt first, always make sure your oven is pre-heated at the right temperature.
Find The Sweet Escape in Norwood, Johannesburg. For more info or to place an order, visit thesweetescape.co.za or call 082 780 6168.
Want more baking tips? Here are 10 Baking tips and tricks by Jandri van Zyl.
