How to Bake Perfectly Flat Cake Layers

How to Bake Perfectly Flat Cake Layers

How to Bake Perfectly Flat Cake Layers

I used to think that perfectly flat cake layers are only within the grasp of PRO bakers. When I started out baking, I loved baking cupcakes a whole lot more than baking layered cakes.

The simple reason behind this is that I wanted to avoid all the waste. You know how it goes… We need to trim off that ugly dome off our cake layers to make them level and then I obviously don’t throw the off-cuts away…

I hate wasting, so I eat all of it…

Shameless Aurelia.

Shameless.

As much as I enjoyed stuffing my face with cake, I couldn’t keep this up. Neither could my jeans!

Beyond the desire for perfectly level cake layers, there was another problem. The cake was moist in the center, but quite dry around the edges.

This had to be fixed. Cupcakes bake a lot quicker than large cake layers, so they aren’t in the oven for very long. Large cakes however, obviously need to spend a lot more time in the oven.

By the time the center is cooked, the outer edge has been cooked for the past 25 minutes and is now overcooked.

Level cake layers can be BAKED that way. NO need to trim or waste with this amazing baking hack! Bake level cake layers easily.

Credit is due:

I did some research and found a great  post on the issue of baking level cake! A Cozy Kitchen wrote this amazing post on baking flat cake layers. It was tremendously helpful!

I’ve refined the technique quite a bit though, because as you know I do not believe all cake recipes can be baked the same way. If you don’t know what I mean, take a look at How to Bake Perfect Cupcakes – Advanced Tips.

Please note: This post has affiliate links. This means that if you purchase some of these products I get a tiny commission – but at NO extra cost to you. I’m super proud to recommend these resources to you because they’ve completely transformed my Home Bakery Business!

 

Before we get started:

So once again there is a basic technique for baking level cake layers (as with baking Perfect Cupakes), but it needs to be adapted according to your recipe. In my experience cake recipes can be divided into 3 different categories (due to how they respond in the oven). This definitely does not include cakes like Angel Food Cake which is a whole different ballgame.

  1. Butter Based Recipes
  2. Oil Based Recipes
  3. Recipes containing fresh fruit/vegetables

Here is a picture of how I divide my oven. You will need this later.

oven for perfect cupcakes

Greasing the tin:

I always line the bottom of my tin with high quality non-stick parchment/baking paper. It makes removing the cake a total breeze! Simply place the base of your cake tin on the paper, trace a circle and cut it out.

Lining the sides of the tin with parchment paper is just too tedious for me. I love using non-stick spray! Feel free to use butter or oil if you desire.

 

Basic technique for baking flat cake layers:

Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen uses moist towel strips, fastened around the tin with safety pins. Her hypothesis is that “What’s happening here is that the moisture from towel is helping the cake bake more evenly, resulting in an even rise and a cake with a flat top.”

I think the moisture definitely plays a role, but in my opinion the damp towel keeps the sides of the tin cooler, so that the batter in direct contact with the sides of the tin doesn’t cook so fast. This gives the cake batter around the edge a bigger window of time to rise.

Of course you can also buy Wilton Bake-Even Strips online! They’re like a formal version of this wet-towel-strips-method and save you the drama of cutting up a towel (that your Mother may or may not have given you…)

  1. Measure the height of your tin.
  2. Get a clean, new-ish hand towel. Not a scrap one you used to clean the floor with.
  3. Cut off strips of towel as wide as the height of your tin and long enough to wrap around your tin. It’s totally fine if the towel is going to end up overlapping around the tin. Rather don’t cut off the edges of the towel, this helps keep the strip intact.
  4. Place the towel strips in some water and squeeze them about till they are evenly wet. Wring out the water.
  5. Grease and line your cake tin.
  6. Fasten the wet towel strips around the tin.
  7. Pour in batter, level it out and bake.

My first change was to fasten the towel strips around the tin with paperclips instead of safety pins. It was very difficult to get the towel strips tightly wrapped around the tin. It was even more challenging to make them stay in position with safety pins as these allow room for movement.

The first time was a disaster! The towel kept sagging down on the sides of the tin, but I did see a slight improvement in the levelness of the cake. Second time around I used paperclips and I’ve never looked back.

 

Adapting the technique:

Butter based recipes:

Butter based cake recipes respond extremely well to this technique! Be sure to squeeze and wring out your towel strips as well as you possibly can. If they are too wet, the sides of your cakes can even rise higher than the middle! Be sure to level out your batter with a spatula before baking. There is no need to spread the batter higher up the sides or anything.

  • Bake the cake on oven rack A at 180˚C
  • Gently rotate your pans halfway through baking.

 

Oil based recipes:

The wetter, the better for this category. Lightly squeeze the towel strips so that they are just past dripping point. Grease and line the tin as usual and pour in your batter.

Swirl the pan around slowly so that the batter coats about 1 cm of the tin’s edge above the batter’s normal resting level.

Shake the pan a little bit so that the main batter returns to its neutral resting level. Do this just before you place the cakes in the oven.

  • To bake the cake, preheat your oven to 170˚C.
  • Place a clean, empty roasting tray on rack A.
  • Place your cake tins on rack B.
  • Pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the oven.
  • Bake for about 10 minutes.
  • Rotate the pans and pour ½ cup water in the bottom of the oven. Continue to bake on rack B for a further 20 minutes.
  • Remove the roasting tray on rack A and move your cakes from rack B to rack A. Rotate your cakes again at this point as well.
  • Continue to bake until done.

 

Recipes containing Fresh Fruit/Vegetables:

Curiously these batters respond somewhere in between the butter and oil categories. The fresh fruit/vegetables naturally release a lot of moisture as they bake as well which helps in the level cake baking process.

Still, it does help to have a towel strips very wet (squeezed out just past dripping point) for this category as well.

Grease and line the tin as usual and fasten the wet towel strips around your tins. Pour in the cake batter. Swirl the pan around slowly so that the batter coats about 1 cm of the tin’s edge above the batter’s normal resting level.

Shake the pan a little bit so that the main batter returns to its neutral resting level. Do this just before you place the cakes in the oven.

  • To bake the cake, preheat your oven to 170˚C.
  • Place your cake tins on rack A.
  • Continue to bake on rack A until done, rotating the pans every 15 minutes.

level cake layers

Final Notes:

When baking 7 inch cakes and smaller, I’ve found that a hand towel’s absorption powers are too great. For small cakes I use DISH towel strips instead – they work perfectly! OR if you bake different sized cakes, it’s really worth it to get the Wilton Bake Even Strips Set for 6 inch, 8 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch tins.

Although this hack is the most amazing game changer in baking a level cake, you’ll still need to trim off tiny bits here and there – but it’ll be minimal. Oil based cakes especially still rise with a slight dome, but they are about 80% more level than before!

And you also won’t need to trim the sides of your cake ever again. The wet towel strips ensure the oven stays moist and keeps the edges from baking too quickly. Your level cake layers will have a beautifully moist crumb from edge to center 🙂 Yay!

This technique has changed my life! Give it a try and let me know what your results are.

Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

How to Bake Perfect Cupcakes – Advanced Tips

How to Bake Perfect Cupcakes – Advanced Tips

How to Bake Perfect Cupcakes – Advanced Tips


Perfect Cupcakes are a science! In my previous post I covered all the
basic errors that often occur when baking cupcakes.

Some of these errors include pointy cupcakes, overflowing cupcakes, shrinking cupcakes, etc. If you want to know the science behind these occurrences, click here.

I’m particularly excited for today’s post! It will be the first time I’m disclosing my top secret tips for baking EXCEPTIONALLY PERFECT cupcakes!

Error-free cupcakes are already a massive achievement, but over time I’ve discovered methods (some normal and some quite unorthodox) that have significantly improved the texture and quality of my cupcakes.

So with a cheerful and excited heart I am sharing this information with you 🙂 May there be myriads of perfect cupcakes baked across the world through these cupcake baking tips!

Please also share your thoughts below, if something is not making sense.

 

All Cupcakes are NOT Created Equal

There are obviously many posts on “How to Bake Perfect Cupcakes”. I will definitely share those tips as well. Some tips do apply to all cupcakes and are good methods to implement across the board.

I have found, however, that all cupcakes cannot be approached in the same way.

Butter based recipes respond completely differently to oil based recipes. If you want to bake perfect cupcakes, it is important to take note of this.

how to bake perfect cupcakes 1

Through nearly 4 years of full time home baking, I’ve come to understand that cupcake recipes can be divided into 3 separate categories.

  • Butter based Recipes

  • Oil Based Recipes

  • Recipes containing fresh fruit/vegetables

These 3 recipe categories respond vastly differently to the environment in an oven. They cannot all simply be baked in “the center of the oven”.

 

My Baking Equipment

Although I am a full time baker, I do not do the industrial oven thing. I bake from home in my own itty-bitty kitchen because I LOVE being at home!

Most people are shocked when they see the size of my oven and kitchen, but I am really just so happy and content baking here 🙂

I tried working in an industrial kitchen… ONCE. We went through a lot of effort to move everything into the new kitchen. Everything was all set up and ready to go.

The huge convection oven was there waiting for me in the corner of the large kitchen… The idea of baking 6 pans of brownies all in one go was overwhelmingly exciting!

3 hours later I was in tears. My cupcakes were pointy. My brownies had no shiny crust. I had come to hate that convection oven in just 20 minutes! Singlehandedly, I loaded the car (I’m very little and weak), drove back home and started all over again with my orders for the next day.

I don’t have a fancy mixer. I have an old Kenwood standing mixer I got from my dear mother-in-law. The model is from the 80’s I think, but it works brilliantly!

  • My oven is just a standard electric Defy Oven with a 4-plate stove on top (you will see a picture of it later).
  • The previous flat we lived in had a standard built in electric oven.
  • At one point we were living with my cousins, their oven was also just a standard electric oven.
  • As a student I baked at my boyfriend’s house in their standard built in electric oven.

These methods for perfect cupcakes worked in all 4 of these ovens!

Gas ovens are a bit tricky though. You will find that you might not be able to apply some of these methods. Take what you can use and comment below if there’s a particular struggle you experience with cupcake baking.

RELATED: 14 Tools You Need to Start a Home Bakery

 

Methods that Apply to All

I’ve read through most articles online that cover the topic at hand. There are quite a few tips that appear on all of them.

Here’s a summary for Cupcake Baking Tips that do apply to all recipes (I’ve included my own as well). These tips do make a difference in the quality of your cupcakes.

1. Bring ingredients to Room Temperature:

This is a very important tip. Ingredients just combine better if they are all the same temperature.

Butter can take quite long to come to room temperature – especially in winter! I usually end up putting the butter in the microwave on the “defrost” setting for 15 seconds at a time if it is still not soft enough to cream.

Eggs should never be stored in the fridge in my opinion. Keep them away from direct sunlight, in a cool area. Buy smaller amounts of eggs at a time at more regular intervals. This ensures that your eggs will always be fresh and not need to be stored in the fridge.

If you do insist on keeping your eggs in the fridge, take them out the night before you plan to bake. This gives them ample time to come to room temperature.

Shortcut: put your eggs in a bowl of warm water for half an hour to bring them up to room temperature faster!

 

2. Use top quality ingredients:

What you put in, you will get out. Use free range eggs, real butter and good quality vanilla extract.

Image by nutritionsecrets.com

 

3. Don’t over-mix:

Some recipes require you to beat the batter for 2 minutes, others only until the ingredients are just combined. Just be sure to follow the instructions given in your recipe. Over-mixing directly damages the rise and texture of your cupcakes.

 

4. Oven Temperature:

Preheat your oven till the exact temperature before putting the cupcakes in the oven. Gas ovens tend to slip up on accuracy – hang an extra thermometer in your oven to be sure.

 

5. Consistent accuracy in filling cupcakes:

If you want to bake perfect cupcakes, you can’t just eye-ball when distributing the batter. Some insist that using an ice cream scoop full of batter in each liner will give you perfect cupcakes. This still leaves some room for error in my opinion.

It might be overkill, but weigh the batter you put in each case till your eyes can tell the difference. If it’s a more liquid batter, you can use a measuring cup as well.

Do yourself a favour and invest in a digital scale! They are affordable and so convenient! I have a small A5 size scale.

You can place your entire cupcake pan on top of the scale, “zero” it, and weigh each amount of batter that goes directly into each liner.

Images by bhg.com and rachelteodoro.com Images by bhg.com and rachelteodoro.com[/caption]

Here’s what I do:

  • I make sure to remember the weight of my mixing bowl (or write it down).
  • Then I weigh the mixing bowl with the batter.
  • Subtract the weight of the bowl plus an extra 5 g for the batter that sticks to the bowl and spoons.
  • Divide that amount by the amount of cupcakes your recipe makes.
  • Place the lined cupcake tin on the scale and weigh the batter out cup for cup.
  • Bit of a mission, but it gives me perfect cupcakes, so it’s actually a small sacrifice!

 

6. Proper greasing:

Even though I use cupcake liners, I also grease the top rim of each cupcake hole in the tin. This makes it easier to loosen the edges of the cupcake that did come into contact with the pan.

 

7. Don’t over-bake:

Don’t go shower and wash your hair while you are baking cupcakes! Give a peek through the glass every now and then to check on them. Once you can see there is no more shiny batter in the centre of each cupcake, wait for another minute and then test them.

You do want the testing pin to be clean, but do be careful not to leave the cupcakes in there for too long.

 

8. Turn or Burn?:

I do turn my cupcakes halfway through baking. Always. The odds of them deflating through doing this are really small. Obviously you shouldn’t do this with a soufflé! With cupcakes I think it is essential for an even bake.

All domestic ovens I have baked in tend to be hotter in the back left corner for some reason, so I insist on turning the cupcakes.

Rotate your cupcake pan with care. If you handle the pans gently, they will be just fine. Don’t bang it down on the counter; treat the pan like a sleeping infant.

 

9. Accurate measuring and weighing:

Weigh anything that is not liquid! This is my motto. I weigh my baking powder and baking soda while sifting the dry ingredients together.

Seriously 1 little gram does make a difference! Think about how dangerous measuring is. Some folks scoop out a compacted teaspoon of baking powder, while others pour it out of a refill pack. There is just too much room for error.

Write down on each recipe the exact weight of baking powder you use so that you will know for the next time you make that recipe and get consistent results. Also stick to one brand! All of them differ, even if it is just slightly.

I always WEIGH the amount of egg I use. Crack it in a cup, whisk it lightly with a fork and then weigh the exact amount of grams you put in.

If the cupcakes come out perfect, make a note on your recipe of the weight of egg you used, so that you’ll know how much to use when you make the recipe again.

If you feel the cake needed a bit more egg, make a note of that too. Weighing the amount of egg I use has made all the difference in my baking.

 

10. Fill, but don’t spill:

This may seem obvious, but I’m mentioning it anyway. Be patient when filling your cupcake liners with batter.

Rather scoop smaller amounts at a time (right into the center of each liner) to avoid spilling. Batter can easily end up between the liner and the tin. This will result in messy edges on your cupcakes! It can even let your cupcakes rise lopsided.

dont spill perfect cupcakes

Advanced Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes:

As mentioned before, I have come to see that cupcake recipes can be divided into 3 separate categories.

1. Butter based Recipes

2. Oil based Recipes

3. Recipes containing fresh fruit/vegetables

These 3 recipe categories respond vastly differently to the environment in an oven. I will discuss each category separately.

Most importantly: I do not agree that all cupcakes should be baked in the center of your oven. In fact, I do not think ANY cupcakes besides Vanilla Cupcakes should be baked in the center of your oven.

Step one is to divide your oven cavity into 3 equal parts using 2 oven racks, like this.

oven for perfect cupcakes

Let’s number the upper oven rack as Oven Rack A and the lower one as Oven Rack B. This is the basis of everything I do. You will understand why a bit later. This arrangement is THE FRAME WITHIN WHICH ALL MY METHODS ARE APPLIED.

1. Butter Based Recipes:

I do prefer the creaming method, but I find that standing mixers incorporate a bit too much air. Light cupcakes are fantastic, but if they are too light, they are very difficult to handle and little edges often end up breaking off.

For this reason I prefer to use a hand-held electric whisk. When baking large cakes, a standing mixer is perfect for mixing a butter based batter.

Mixing Batter & Filling Cases:

Add dry ingredients to bowl as instructed. Beat on low speed for 10 seconds to get most of the ingredients combined. Stop the hand mixer.

Take care to scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the butter gets incorporated into the batter. Resume beating on medium speed for a further max 10-12 seconds.

Remember, little lumps are not evil! They will disappear during baking. Your batter does not have to be smooth!

Obviously there shouldn’t be large lumps of flour. Squash a few of the lumps out with a spoon to check if they are solid dry flour or a harmless bit of batter that just appears lumpy.

After dividing the batter into the lined tin (aluminum preferably!), it is important to smooth out the batter before baking.

Smooth out the surface of the batter in each hole with a teaspoon. Push the batter up slightly against the edges of the wrapper. I find this helps the cupcakes get an even start in their rising process once in the oven.

perfect cupcakes smooth

Baking:

  • Butter based Cupcakes bake best on Oven Rack A (or in the center of your oven) at 180˚C.
  • The cupcakes deeper in the oven will rise faster than those in front. About 8 minutes in, you will need to rotate the cupcakes 180 degrees. Do not take the cupcakes out of the oven to do this. Gently rotate the pan in the oven.
  • Once you can see there is no more shiny batter in the center of each cupcake, wait for another minute and then test them. You do want the testing pin to be clean. Butter based cupcakes tend to sink if they are under-baked.
  • When they are done baking, there might be slight variations in size. To fix this is super easy, but it has to be done immediately when the cupcakes exit the oven. You only have a 1 minute window to do this before the cupcakes start firming up. Wipe a butter knife on some butter so it has a very light coating of butter to prevent the cupcake from sticking to the knife. Gently push in edges of the cupcakes that are not perfect according to your liking. Tada! Perfect Cupcakes!

perfect cupcakes post bake

  • Allow them to cool for about 7 minutes in the tin before transferring them to a rack to cool further.

2. Oil based recipes:

This is where it gets weird. When I started baking more seriously in 2012, I still baked 2 trays of cupcakes at the same time. This saves time and electricity of course!

When it came to the Red Velvet Cupcakes, the cupcakes from Oven Rack A turned out vastly different from Oven Rack B.

The cupcakes from Rack B were so beautifully smooth on top and had a very slight dome – perfect cupcakes! The cupcakes on rack A were a bit cracked, did not rise as well as the cupcakes on rack B, and were a little too pointy.

I realized that this phenomenon couldn’t have anything to do with the batter as the same batter was used for both cupcake trays. The secret HAD to be in the baking.

Baking:

Over time I developed this technique:

Even though your recipe may say “Bake in the center of your oven at 180˚C”, don’t do it. Try this baking method for your oil-based recipes like Red Velvet and Chocolate.

  • Preheat your oven to 170˚C.
  • Place a clean and empty roasting tray on rack A.
  • Place your cupcakes on rack B.
  • Pour about 1/2 cup water (boiling or not, doesn’t matter) in the bottom of the oven. Truthfully, I cannot even remember how I ended up doing this in the first place, but it really helps the cupcakes rise so much better and keeps them super moist! (DON’T TRY THIS with BUTTER BASED RECIPES. The cupcakes end up overflowing and come out too soft and fragile.)
  • Turn halfway through baking.
  • They are usually done baking when there is no shininess left in the center of the cupcakes – which you can see through the glass door.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool in tins for about 7 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack.
  • Once again, if there is an edge that didn’t come out perfectly round, don’t panic! You can push it in slightly, while the cupcakes are still hot and slightly malleable, with a butter-wiped-knife. Tada! Perfect Cupcakes!
  • Another handy tip (applies to Fresh Fruit/Vegetable Recipes as well): Just before you pop your cupcakes in the oven, drag the batter right up the sides of the liner all the way around. This not only gives your liner an even appearance on the outside, but also helps your cupcakes to rise evenly. Don’t do this too early or the batter on the sides will dry out and actually cause your cupcakes to rise poorly.

up sides perfect cupcakes

3. Recipes containing fresh fruit/vegetables:

This includes recipes like Carrot Cake, Zucchini Chocolate Cake and German Apple Cake. You probably know that these recipes end up releasing a lot more moisture during baking. The fresh fruit/vegetables release liquid as they bake.

Mixing Batter & Filling Cases:

The biggest tip for making perfect cupcakes from these batters is in the dividing of the batter between your cupcake cases – for 2 reasons:

1.       These recipes contain lots of bits. Carrot Cake, for example, can contain grated carrot, raisins, nuts and crushed pineapple! If you fill your cupcakes fully from cupcake 1 down to cupcake 12, the last cupcake often ends up with 1 nut, 1 raisin and a whole lot of batter. The rise is also drastically affected. The last cupcake will rise beautifully, or even too much, while poor cupcake number 1 is an under risen lump of carrot and raisins.

2.       Sugar and salt draw out liquid from fresh fruit & vegetables. The longer your batter stands, the more liquid it will become. If you fill your cupcakes fully from cupcake 1 down to cupcake 12, the last cupcake will get batter with a higher liquid content compared to cupcake 1.

To solve these problems, fill all your cupcakes halfway first, from cupcake 1 to cupcake 12. Make sure each one gets a helping of all the bits in the batter.

At this point it is important to give your batter a fold or two, just to distribute the additional fruit/vegetable liquid that has been released.

Then distribute the batter again, going from cupcake 12 to cupcake 1. This method gives me the most consistently perfect cupcakes.

Another handy tip: Just before you pop your cupcakes in the oven, drag the batter right up the sides of the liner all the way around. This not only gives your liner an even appearance on the outside, but also helps your cupcakes to rise evenly.

Don’t do this too early or the batter on the sides will dry out and actually cause your cupcakes to rise poorly. *See image above for this tip.

Baking:

  • I find Oven Rack A at 180˚C to be best for baking these recipes. No rocket science in the baking here.
  • Turn halfway through baking.
  • They are usually done baking when they have an even colour on top. If the center of the cupcake is lighter in colour, they are probably not done yet.
  • When done, remove from the oven and leave to cool in tins for about 7 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack.
  • Once again, if there is an edge that didn’t come out perfectly round, don’t panic! You can push it in slightly, while the cupcakes are still hot and slightly malleable, with a butter-wiped-knife.

cupcakes | perfect cupcakes | bake cupcakes tips | baking tips and tricks |

A shout out to all these lovely posts on how to bake perfect cupcakes! These were the most helpful and accurate ones 🙂

“Cupcakes 101: 10 Tips to bake the perfect cupcake” (This is my favourite one),  “5 Steps to Perfect Cupcakes”, “10 Tips for making Perfect Cupcakes”, “How to Make Perfect Cupcakes”, “Top tips for Baking Better Cupcakes”, “10 Tips for Baking a Perfect Cupcake”

Gosh, this post was quite intense!! I need a drink… dark hot chocolate… Made with cream… With a cinnamon doughnut on the side… yes please!

I really hope you find this helpful. These tips have transformed the quality of my cupcakes forever. I trust they’ll do the same for you!

 

Want Perfect Cupcake Recipes?

Today’s your lucky day because I’m giving you my Home Bakery’s 3 most popular, perfected Cupcake Recipes for FREE! I’ve spent 7 years perfecting these recipes and have baked and sold literally THOUSANDS of these cupcakes.

  1. Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes Recipejoin the free Resource Library for Home Bakers to get the recipe.
  2. Ultimate Carrot Cupcakes Recipeclick here get the recipe on my blog.
  3. Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes Recipeclick here get the recipe on my blog.


Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

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Struggling to find time for yourself and your family in your home bakery business? These AMAZING time management tips from a 6+ years full-time home baker are exactly what you need! Learn how to use what you've got to get your baking done faster. Learn how to prioritize and plan effectively so you are in charge of your schedule, make a great profit, and don't burn out in the process! #homebaking #homebakery #athomebakery #cakebusiness #cupcakebusiness
How do you price home baking? What if you charge too little for your home baking and don't make enough income? What if your home baking's prices are too high and no customers want to buy from you? In this post you'll learn how to do your baked goods pricing the RIGHT way, so you can make more profit and even turn home baking into your career! #homebakery #bakerypricing #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness

Do you dream of starting a home bakery, but then thoughts of self-doubt like these start flooding your mind… “People aren’t going to think my baking is worth it. All the other bakers are better than me. I’m not good enough.” Truth is pretty much ALL home bakers get these thoughts! You’re not alone! In this post you’ll learn how to beat self doubt so you can be free to pursue your baking business goals. Click through to get the tips now… #homebaking #selfdoubt #homebakery #bakingbusiness #baking

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

My Ultimate Salted Caramel Recipe

My Ultimate Salted Caramel Recipe

Salted Caramel – the Early Days…

The first time I made Salted Caramel, I was nothing short of terrified! Okay fine, I was terrified the first 3 times actually.

I pictured piping hot sugar landing on my hand and the pot then flying across the kitchen, smashing the window and landing on top of an unfortunate soul’s car.

In reality this NEVER happened and I can assure you that making Salted Caramel is really not hard at all!

It’s not a big deal and there’s nothing to be afraid of 🙂

Plus, the flavour and texture is just to die for! Totally worth the effort. It also keeps for a very long time, so it’s easy to whip out and drizzle over ice cream, cakes and your finger.

If you are a first timer, however, do make sure your attention is fully committed to what you are doing.

Put about 20 minutes aside to focus on nothing other than making your Salted Caramel.

> Tie your hair up, wear an apron and have a bowl of cold water on standby – just in case.

 

Salted Caramel Techniques:

Swirl, don’t stir!

My sister and I had such a crush on James Martin in high school! He is a celebrity chef that was all over BBC Food shows like Ready Steady Cook and Sweet Baby James.

He always did the most incredible things with sugar and caramel as he had Pastry Chef training as well.

After about 2 months of just staring at him on cooking shows, the information he shared started penetrating through my googling eyes, into my brain! Haha!

Ultimate-Salted-Caramel-JM

“Never, ever stir a caramel” he used to say in almost every episode he featured on. “It will clump together and become an unusable mess. Just swirl it around.”

Some folks do stir the sugar and water to help the sugar dissolve. You are welcome to do this, but swirling it is really quite sufficient, even in the beginning stages.

Using boiling water is the best way to help the sugar to dissolve faster.

 

Thermometer – yes or no?

Most Salted Caramel recipes insist on using a sugar thermometer.

According to other recipes the sugar will be the perfect colour at 150°C – this did not work at all. My sugar syrup was still only slightly coloured at this point.

I do own a thermometer that I use regularly for Italian meringue and other candies. However, it is not necessary to use a sugar thermometer for Salted Caramel.

> Go by colour, not temperature. You can take it too far and burn it, but just follow the method carefully and you will be fine.

 

Ultimate Salted Caramel Recipe

Salted Caramel is a revelation! It's delicious drizzled over ice cream, cakes and your fingers. The first time I made Salted Caramel, I was nothing short of terrified! But I can assure you that making Salted Caramel is really not hard at all. Plus, the flavour and texture is just to die for! Totally worth the effort. #saltedcaramel #caramelrecipe #caramelrecipe

My Ultimate Salted Caramel
 
Author:
Serves: 32
Ingredients
  • 200 g granulated white sugar
  • 60 ml water
  • 125 ml whipping cream (between 35% - 40% fat)
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • ½ tsp sea salt flakes OR ⅓ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
  1. Place sugar and water in a heavy based saucepan on medium heat.
  2. While the sugar is dissolving, place butter, cream and salt in a separate small saucepan on another burner over medium high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat right down to its lowest setting just to keep it warm.
  3. Swirl the sugar and water mixture occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved. Proceed to turn the heat up to medium high to bring sugar syrup to a steady boil. After a minute or so, turn the heat up to high (Out of my 6 heat settings, I put my stove on number 5).
  4. Watch the sugar like a hawk! Spots of colour will start to appear after anything from 7-10 minutes. Gently swirl the pan every now and then so the sugar doesn’t only caramelize in one spot.
  5. Keep cooking until traces of light smoke releases from the mixture and the sugar is a dark amber colour.
  6. Remove sugar from the heat and immediately pour in the warm cream mixture in four phases, continually whisking with a balloon whisk until fully combined. Return the caramel to medium heat and cook for another 2 minutes. *If you want to use it as a more pour-able sauce, don't return the pot to the stove for those 2 extra minutes.
Notes
You have to dissolve the sugar COMPLETELY before you start caramelizing it! If your caramel crystallizes it's because the didn't dissolve the sugar completely.

In the next post you can get one of my ALL TIME favourite recipes to date – Salted Caramel Apple Blondies! Make them – they will change your life.

Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Shiny Brownie Crust – Foolproof and Perfect!

Shiny Brownie Crust – Foolproof and Perfect!

Shiny Brownie Crust – Foolproof and Perfect!

I’ve finally cracked it! Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know to give you a shiny crust (shiny brownie skin/tops)!

I LOVE baking science and LOVE geeking out on it, but if you just want to skip the science-y stuff and jump straight to the step-by-step method, then click this button…

A BROWNIE IS NOT FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT ITS SHINY CRUST.

The texture of the brownie can be perfect, nuts can be waiting for you in every bite and the best quality chocolate can radiate its aroma, but without the thin, crackly, SHINY crust… the experience just isn’t the same 😕

Please note: This is a long post. It has been a VERY complicated and long journey to crack the science behind the Shiny Brownie Crust.

There are a myriad of my Brownie recipes that can get away with not having a crust; like my EPIC Red Velvet Brownies, but for good old classic Chocolate Brownies or The Best Ever Gluten Free Brownies, there is no where to hide!

Shiny brownie crust 1

My relationship with the humble brownie crust has been a love-hate one for sure. My husband and I can recall at least 5 different instances where I’ve shouted “I’ve finally figured out the shiny brownie crust!!”.

And then 10 more where I said very soberly No, this time I’ve REALLY figured it out! I know I’ve said this so many times before, but this time it’s really true.

As you may have guessed I then figured out, again, for the fifteenth time, that I hadn’t REALLY figured it out yet.

I was onto it, but I just didn’t get it yet…

So here is my 3 1/2 year long brownie journey condensed into one blog post. I’ve done this so that you will not suffer the same frustration, but get to experience all of the joy of a perfect shiny brownie crust!

 

How did I crack the Shiny Brownie Crust Phenomenon?

Having supplied coffee shops here in Cape Town for 5 years (Field Office, Salisburys and Eat with Emma) has given me a very generous opportunity to experiment with baking methods.

My goal is always to get each baked thingy as good as it can possibly be.

How many brownies have I baked? This is where Microsoft Excel comes in handy! And the answer is 28748 BROWNIES. Yep. That’s about 5750 brownies per year.

For a solo baker that is quite a lot I suppose. I’m sharing the numbers because I want you to see that it sometimes takes a lot of patience and perseverance to crack a baking secret.

Trial and error, trial and error (repeat).

What is amazing is that quite often you’ll discover other secrets along the way that you didn’t even bother to think about! I’ll be sharing these secret discoveries as well.

 

Which Brownie Recipe Should You Use?

The beauty of this Shiny Brownie Crust Hack is that it applies to ALL classic brownie recipes (not vegan or sugar free though) – Whether it uses cocoa powder or chocolate or both! Happy days! So, you can really just use your favourite brownie recipe.

This hack unfortunately does not work for Vegan brownies, but here is a vegan brownie recipe that does turn out with a shiny brownie crust.

I personally prefer chocolate only for gluten free brownies, but for normal brownies I love a recipe that uses both cocoa powder and chocolate in the batter itself as I find the chocolate flavour to be more intense and the texture perfectly chewy!

I LOVE CHEWY BROWNIES. I love adding chocolate chunks as well.

There are many blogs on INGREDIENT properties such as different sugars, flours, chocolate etc. This blog will not cover those topics. Click here for a useful guide on ingredient properties.

 

Breakthrough #1: Butter

Let’s pause. It is beautiful.

Moving on…

The main factor here is HEAT.

I’ve done a fair bit of internet research on how to crack the darn brownie crust and here is what some had to say about the butter:

“Melt the butter over simmering water OR in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Do not boil!”

FALSE. You want this mixture to be as warm as possible. You need the heat for a very specific reason which will be explained later. Bring the butter to boiling point in your microwave in a mixing bowl and from here on work as quick as you can.

When the butter it HOT, it dissolves the sugar much faster. And for the shiny brownie crust hack to work, you need your brownie batter to be a bit warm – preferably.

Be sure to have all your dry ingredients already sifted together, chocolate already chopped, room temperature eggs standing by.

Go ahead and melt the butter in the microwave for 3 minutes until it boils. It is not necessary to do it in 30 second bursts.

The heat of the butter made a huge difference, BUT to my frustration this did not work 100% of the time. In winter especially, the shiny brownie crust would take a vacation.

This new discovery was great, but I was still missing something.

 

Breakthrough #2: Ratio of Ingredients

My ratio is:

Butter Sugar Dry ingredients Eggs
400g 600g 400g 4 Jumbo eggs (240g without shell)
1 1.5 1 1

This ratio is more for the purpose of optimal texture AKA fudgy, gooey, chewy perfection! I use a combination of Treacle sugar and white sugar. The treacle sugar adds a lovely earthy note and also chewiness – yum!

 

Breakthrough #3: Whipping/Beating

I found this information from Brownie Chronicles:

“Whether brownies have a crust on top depends on how much you beat the batter after the eggs are added. The more you beat, the more crust you get. If you beat vigorously with a mixer, you can get a dramatic crust. 

Depending on how much you beat, this crust can be barely noticeable or a crisp, shiny crust that is totally puffed, and separated above the cake or brownie. It is also usually lighter in color. The color and shine are especially noticeable on brownies.

“This is a meringue-like crust and is actually caused by a “meringue.”  Your beating of the batter after the eggs are added creates it. This seems not to be widely known even among chocolate experts.

I tried this. It didn’t work. No shiny brownie crust. I was depressed.

Brownie chronicles should have the answer right? I did however find that beating the batter improves the brownie texture massively!

From then on I have always beaten my batter with the paddle attachment on medium – low speed for 3 minutes. You’d think it makes the brownies tough, but it seriously doesn’t! It just adds a glorious chewiness – you’ve got to try it at least once!

shiny brownie crust texture

Beating by hand plays no role. Unless you want impressive guns. Beating the eggs and sugar separately for 3-5 minutes before folding in the remaining ingredients (http://www.handletheheat.com/ultimate-brownie-guide/) creates a “crust”, but it is not always shiny.

Very often it is dull, but just a lighter colour than the rest of the brownie below the surface.

Some recipes with beating the eggs and sugar separately, do deliver a shiny crust, BUT the texture is NOT chewyI want both if that’s possible. Shiny brownie crust AND chewiness.

I do not beat the eggs and sugar separately, but I beat the mixture right at the end when all the ingredients are in the bowl. This does not deliver a shiny crust at all, but I do it because it improves the texture of my brownies.

 

Breakthrough #4: Eggs

The crust is definitely influenced by the amount and type of egg in the recipe.

You can achieve a brownie crust with a normal amount of eggs – you don’t need to add more or less eggs. The amount of eggs I use is mainly for the optimum texture.

Although, I’ve noticed that it helps the crust along if my total egg in the recipe contains more EGG WHITE. 

Let’s say my recipe uses 130 g of egg; then I’ll use about 100 g of whole egg and top up the remaining 30 g with egg white. Not beaten or anything, just plain egg white out of the shell.

Too much egg will result in a very spongy brownie. Too little and the brownie is too dense and solid. 

Another myth is that you have to add them in one by one. Not necessary. I add them all in one go and mix on low speed for 10 seconds until they are roughly incorporated.

Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks

 

Breakthrough #5: Sugar

Here’s where things get interesting.

According to Hackaday’s shiny brownies post, the shiny crust is determined by how well you dissolve the sugar in your brownies AND how much sugar you use.

This is definitely true.

But the problem comes in if you DON’T want a brownie that’s SUPER sweet. Personally it’s a bit disappointing to me that I HAVE to use loads of sugar to get a shiny brownie crust.

Don’t get me wrong, I think sugar is wonderful. But I want the overall flavour of my brownies to be CHOCOLATY, not overwhelming sweetness.

So, with my method you get to create a shiny brownie crust without compromising the flavour of your brownies.

Of course, in ALL baking it’s good to dissolve your sugar – although it doesn’t need to be dissolved completely with my method.

Just dunk all your sugar into your melted butter in one go. Then mix on low speed for about 1 minute – the sugar should be sticky and glue-y when you lift up the paddle.

But if your recipe specifies to beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 minutes, then please do that.

 

Breakthrough #6: Chocolate vs. Cocoa Powder

When I first started making brownies as a side-hustle in university, I used a recipe with mounds of chocolate.

Problem is that I had a horrible oven (university dorm kitchens!), an even worse stove and no understanding of chocolate seizing.

They were still amazing though! I sold them during my years as architecture student to raise money for the university’s charity program – Jool/Rag. This recipe used the eggs & sugar whipping technique. A shiny brownie crust did appear from time to time.

I thought it might be worth a go to try a recipe that uses cocoa powder. I took the first one I found in a magazine which happened to be a yummy one! I decided to make it my new “go to” recipe as the chewiness of the brownies was just amazing!

I’ve modified the recipe drastically over the years. One addition to the recipe was Milk Chocolate chunks and hazelnuts. I loved the idea of chocolate chunks (dark and milk separately) and hazelnuts that provide flavour as well as more exciting textures!

What puzzled me was that sometimes there was this ridiculously awesome shiny brownie crust on top and other times not even a trace of it! I did not understand. I made an effort to mix it EXACTLY the same way as I did before, but different results came forth with very inconsistent frequency.

I also did not believe that it could be Chocolate that makes the big difference because my gluten free brownies have ONLY DARK CHOCOLATE and also didn’t develop a shiny brownie crust.

 

Breakthrough #7: MILK Chocolate

So it happened one fine day in the second month of 2015 that someone ordered brownies without any nuts due to an allergy.

This meant my dear hazelnut milk chocolate had to be left out this time and so did other chocolate because most of them are “manufactured in a factory that uses nuts”.

Now up until this point I had believed that the whipping caused the shiny brownie crust (even though the success rate was 70/30, which was the most consistent theory I had found anyway).

Even Kitchen Conundrums said this too and I really have a high regard for everything they say! Their lemon meringue video is amazing!!

I did everything the way I always do it… Melt the butter to boiling point in the microwave. Quickly add the white sugar and treacle sugar. Mix in the eggs all at once. Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed till incorporated. Scrape down the sides. Beat on medium speed for exactly 3.5 minutes. Bake at 180°C for exactly 37 minutes, turning after 15. And then…

NO crust.

This time, however, my inward fit of frustration only lasted 10 seconds as I had realized what has been happening all along…

The reason why it often worked when the butter was boiling hot, was because there was heat. The fully mixed batter had enough heat to melt something that is sensitive to temperature…

The reason why it often worked to let the moody brownies rest before baking, was because there was more time available for something specific to happen.

The reason why the crust took a vacation in winter, was not because it fancied the Bahamas. The drastic drop in temperature hindered a scientific reaction.

Milk chocolate. MELTED milk chocolate. In the nut free version, there was no milk chocolate present. The heat of the batter couldn’t melt it no matter how long it stood “resting” because well, it wasn’t there. I had left out the Hazelnut Milk Chocolate due to allergies.

I had another experiment.

This time I chopped as little as 20g of milk chocolate. I sprinkled it on top of the batter, left it for a minute and spread the slightly melted chocolate into the top layer of brownie batter…

shiny brownie crust method

Eureka. HELLO SHINY BROWNIE CRUST!!

Struggling to get shiny tops on your brownies? You know, that thin shiny crust that take brownies to the next level! In this thorough post you'll learn all the secret tricks you need to get this shiny crust on any brownie recipe (except vegan or sugar free)! #brownies #homebaking #chocolatebrownies #shinybrownies #browniecrust

Now there happens to be a lovely trick you can apply during winter months… the hairdryer! Tada! Sprinkle finely chopped milk chocolate over the surface, apply heat until chocolate is melted, spread into the top of the batter.

PERFECT SHINY BROWNIE CRUST. EVERY. TIME.

Shiny Brownie Crust! An incredible baking hack! Best part - this baking tip gives you a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe! Click through to learn how to create a shiny, paper thin crust on your brownies. #homebaking #bakingtips #baking #brownies #chocolatebrownies

 

Try it out and let me know if you are pleased with the results!

I’ve tried this with my gluten free brownies as well which don’t contain any cocoa powder. I’ve had the same successful shiny brownie crust for 6 glorious months now on ANY brownie recipe!

WE’VE FOUND NEMO!!

I’ve been tempted to stop here, but the journey is not yet fully complete. Continue to read if you are a scientist like me! I still wanted to understand and know what specific ingredient name I had to frame in my home!

WHAT ingredient is it that causes the shiny brownie crust for Pete’s sake?!

So my experiment took me a little further. I approached my favourite chocolaterie, CocoaFair (Cape Town, South Africa) and asked for their expertise on Milk Chocolate.

There are 2 ingredients that feature in Milk Chocolate, but not in Dark Chocolate.

Milk powder (Milk solids) and Soy Lecithin. I obtained some Soy Lecithin and Milk Powder from my dear chocolate friends at CocoaFair!

This week I made 3 last batches to settle the argument of the shiny brownie crust once and for all.

  1. Normal brownie batter + milk powder.
  2. Normal brownie batter + soy lecithin.
  3. Normal brownie batter + milk powder + soy lecithin.

milk & soy test

Thus, it is the COMBINATION OF SOY LECITHIN AND MILK SOLIDS that creates the shiny brownie crust. Wow! I dissolved the soy lecithin granules and milk powder in water (left it standing for one hour).

shiny brownie crust smear

I thought it might be a good idea to smear at least part of the surface with a spatula so that the structure of the top layer had been realigned – another one of my theories. It turned out to be another key to a shiny brownie crust!

To Clarify The Shiny Brownie Crust Method:

  1. Make your favourite brownie recipe as usual, but make sure the melted butter is boiling hot. Add the sugar and mix it for at least 1 minute so it dissolves a bit . It should be sticky, glue-y and cling to your spoon or paddle beater.
  2. Mix in the eggs and dry ingredients. Move quickly so your batter stays WARM. If your batter gets cold, your crust will be compromised. Pour the batter into the tin and level it out with a spatula.
  3. Chop about 20 g of MILK chocolate finely (don’t use anything higher than 38% Milk Chocolate. Dark chocolate doesn’t work! You need the dairy & sugar in the milk chocolate. If you’re making blondies, use white chocolate). Sprinkle on the surface of your brownie batter in the tin.
  4. Apply heat to the top to melt the milk chocolate. In summertime you can leave it in the sun for 40 seconds – 1 minute. In winter, use a hairdryer to melt the finely chopped chocolate on the surface.
  5. Using a rubber spatula, smear the melted milk chocolate into the top of the brownie batter in even, long strokes. Be sure to smear all of it in and not leave any chocolate streaks!
  6. Bake in the top third of your oven for the time your recipe states. (Don’t add anything else to the oven while the brownies are baking. Moisture in the oven will stop the shiny crust from forming.)
  7. Voila! Perfect Shiny Brownie Crust! Enjoy!

Well, it’s been frustrating, enlightening, educational and (mostly) fun! SO grateful that I can sleep at night now – at last!!

Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)