Never know when to pull out your cake of the oven? We share all the EASY ways to tell if a cake is done so you can bake perfect treats.
Have you ever baked a cake and been unsure whether it was done or not? Here are a few tips to help you tell if your cake is ready!
Is your cake ready? You don’t want a dry, overbaked cake, but you also don’t want an under-baked one with a gooey center.
Let’s check how you can determine the doneness of the cake.
Jump to:
- What you need to know about cake pans and how they make baking easies
- What you need to know about setting the oven
- Easy tips and tricks to make a perfectly baked cake so you don’t need to tell if a cake is done
- How to tell if a cake is done
- What to do when the cake is baked
- Frequently asked questions
- Cake recipes
What you need to know about cake pans and how they make baking easies
The first step in making any cake is preparing your pans.
The type you use will depend on what kind of cake you are baking.
For layer cakes, you will need 3 to 5 pans that are 8-inch round or 9-inch round, depending on how tall you want them to be.
For cupcakes, you will need a muffin pan. Depending on your oven size and how many cupcakes you want, you may need two or more muffin pans.
For an angel food cake, it is best to use tube pans with removable bottoms so that the cakes won’t fall out of their pans when you flip them over.
What you need to know about setting the oven
You should preheat your oven for 15-20 minutes before putting anything in the oven.
The preheating will allow your oven to reach the correct baking temperature.
For many cakes, the oven temperature should be 350°F, and the baking time goes from 20 to 40 minutes.
But several factors can affect the time to bake the cake.
The time the cake takes depends on the heat of your stove, how many pans are in your oven, and whether or not you have an electric, gas, or glass top stove.
Not all ovens heat the same way, so you must know your oven to determine how long you should have the cake in the range.
All cakes should be baked on the center rack unless otherwise noted in the recipe with a lower heat setting if they tend to burn quickly.
You do not want to bake cakes on the very bottom rack of your oven because if you aren’t careful, you could end up with burnt edges and uncooked centers.
Easy tips and tricks to make a perfectly baked cake so you don’t need to tell if a cake is done
– Cupcakes take a shorter time to bake than a larger baking pan, so you will have to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
– Try not to open the oven door during cooking as it will change the temperature inside, thus affecting your cake’s progress.
– If you are baking more than one cake at a time, make sure to rotate them halfway through cooking for even baking results.
– Cake pans need to be greased and floured or lined with parchment paper before pouring in your batter.
– You can store the cake batter in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.
– You may need to add more baking soda or baking powder, depending on what you have added into your cake mix.
– For a chocolate cake, try adding one tablespoon of instant coffee granules to enhance their richness and depth of flavor.
How to tell if a cake is done
When you bake a cake, it’s not just following the recipe’s instructions.
You should also see if the surface of the cake is golden brown to remove it from the oven.
When baking a cake (especially if it’s your first time), it can be challenging to know when to take it out of the oven.
Usually, cakes are ready when they spring back when pressed gently in the center or have golden brown edges.
Also, the cake is fully baked if a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out completely clean.
If your cake is not fully baked, the center may be very sticky and moist-looking still, or there may even be raw batter on the toothpick.
Cakes should also shrink away from the sides of the pan, creating a slight crack around the edges.
In summary, to tell if a cake is done:
- You can use the toothpick test: insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is fully baked!
- You can also use a cake tester, which are those metal pins with plastic handles used to peck the cakes and check the cake doneness.
- You can also touch the top of the cake and gently press it. If it springs back, it is ready!
What to do when the cake is baked
– Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Then remove the cake from the pan by inverting it onto a wire rack and peeling off the parchment paper.
– Let the cake cool entirely on a wire rack.
Tips
It would be best if you allowed it to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before flipping it over for almost any cake.
Let them cool completely in their tins or pans before removing them if you are making cupcakes.
To remove the cake from the pan, you can run a knife along the edge of the pan and then gently flip the cake over and tap it on the bottom.
It should slide right out of the pan, and you can place it where you want to decorate your cake.
If you plan to decorate your cake, it might be a good idea to put wax paper or parchment paper on your kitchen counter or table.
The paper will keep the cake from sticking after you’ve iced it and will make transporting it much more manageable.
Cake decorating is an entirely different topic that will be covered in another article.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Or you can use parchment paper in the cake pan.
Oil won’t yield the same consistency as butter when baked.
If you don’t want to use butter, use parchment paper instead.
Cake recipes
Surely now that you have read so much about cakes, you will be on fire and want to prepare some delicious cake.
Here are some recipes with which you can start preparing delicious cakes!
Let’s start with the chocolate cakes.
We know that there are many fans of chocolate, but this cake goes further.
Vegan chocolate cake
With this recipe, you can prepare a vegan chocolate cake. Enjoy a slice with a glass of vegan milk for a spectacular breakfast.
Vanilla cake
It’s a delicious recipe to make the very best vanilla cake! If you are looking for a cake that looks straight out of a bakery but that’s easy to make then this recipe is for you.
