So, there’s a Facebook group called Cakes With Threatening Auras. Quite appropriately, it is dedicated to scouring the vast internetscape and pointing out all of the visually documented flour-based confections that, as soon as you see them, fill you with the understanding that you and your offspring have been cursed to not be able to unsee them as they peer into your soul… [snaps out of it] what just happened?
The group was formed 4 years ago and has since amassed over 250,000 members, only just recently crossing the quarter of a million mark.
Not sure if it’s an appreciation, critique or whatever else group, but you can’t help but admit one thing: you can’t stop giving these cakes attention because of how perfectly bizarre they are.
#8 Every Year I Make Dirt Pudding For Halloween, But This Year I Changed Out The Gummy Worms For Marzipan Maggots
#9 In Honour Of My Middle Kid’s 12th Birthday Tomorrow, Here Is The First Cake I Made For Her
Now, when baking a cake, there are—no exaggeration—at least several dozen things that can go wrong. Artistic talent is definitely part of it, so put down the pastry bag if stick figures are your go-to art style.
It’s important to understand that baking is the art of chemistry and physics. Knowing how heat, pressure, mixing and all that jazz affect the ingredients is a huge part in making a cake that you want and not a summoning circle for cacklers.
So, where to start? Chatelaine has published 7 rules for baking a cake that will make you proud:
Grease the pan and line it with baking paper; allow the oven to fully preheat; bake in the center of the oven; bake in an appropriately sized pan; don’t double recipes; use fresh ingredients; and no substitutions.
The seven rules above should solve most of the problems, but there are more solutions if your cake doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.
Now, if your cake is too dense, make sure you’re measuring wet and dry ingredients with appropriate measures. Baking soda and powder ought to be fresh and used appropriately over temperatures because you can’t quicken or slow the process.
If your cake turns out dry, try not to overly compress the flour and cocoa in the measuring cup as that makes more of it and creates a disproportion.
Also, overbaking is another issue, so look out for these three indicators that your cake is done: the cake should be slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan; putting a cake tester into the deepest part of the cake should come out clean; and the cake should spring back when pressed gently.
