When people hear that our founder, Eileen Gannon, has won over 600 awards, the first thing they ask is “how’d she do it?” To help you out, we’ve asked her to sum up years worth of experience into a few quick tips that’ll help you get started with your own baking endeavors.
There’s nothing more disappointing than a beautifully crafted cake that looks like perfection, but crumbles like dry dust in your mouth. (Especially when you’re only hours away from a birthday party with guests arriving soon, but that’s a story for another day!)
To help you avoid this disaster, we asked Eileen for the best ways to enhance your next cake baking adventure. She answered “Be intentional about flavoring and be meticulous with the baking time.” Here’s how …
Tips for Ensuring Decadent Flavor
These ideas are quick and easy - taking only seconds to implement. And they’re guaranteed to have your friends and family coming back for more.
- Add 1 teaspoon of fine instant espresso or coffee to chocolate cakes to create a deeper, richer flavor.
- Add 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract to white cakes for more complexity.
- If you're using frosting for the outside of the cake, then use a filling for the middle of the cake, like lemon curd, fruit preserves, mascarpone with honey and sweetened whipped cream, or chocolate mousse.
- Don't be afraid to create new flavors by altering recipes for fillings and frostings.
Avoid Dry, Flavorless Cakes with These Tips
Putting too much trust in your oven can leave you with a dry cake. Being attentive towards the end of the baking process can help keep your cake moist and flavorful.
- Five minutes before your cake should be fully baked, test for doneness by inserting a toothpick about an inch from the center—not directly in the center as most recipes say. The toothpick should still have a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- If the toothpick is clean, the cake is most likely overbaked. If the toothpick is still wet, continue to set the timer for 2 minutes at a time, checking at each interval. Every few seconds count at this stage because the flavor disappears in a dry cake.
- Place an inexpensive oven thermometer inside your oven to make sure it's baking at the correct temperature. Many ovens are not calibrated for accuracy.
Our velvety, chocolate ganache is guaranteed to enhance ANY cake recipe you already use. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to incorporate our Premium Chocolate Sauces into your next baking adventure, then we recommend starting with Sunday Night Chocolate Layer Cake or Sunday Night Marble Cake. Use Eileen’s advice above and your final results will win over all of your guests!