What do you wish you'd known before you started? I'm hoping to do a rainbow cake but am a bit scared it will come out dry.
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Following. I find I always have trouble with vanilla based cakes/cupcake recipes. They always end of dry, where I have no issues with chocolate recipes.
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If you are using a boxed cake mix, use butter instead of oil, milk instead of water, & an extra egg. I haven't had a dryness problem with homemade cake recipes, but I don't know what I'm doing right.
Are you using food coloring or natural food dyes for the rainbow cake? I know lots of bees have made a rainbow cake recently (I just made one for Fs birthday in sept). Personally, I did test runs with cupcakes & then baked and froze my layers a week before. The cake was super moist.
There was a pretty good thread a week or so ago about freezing cake layers
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Following for tips.
The one good one I've come across that has worked for me is about how to get the cakes to cook flat so you don't end up with that domed top that you have to try to even out. Take an old but clean towel (hand towels usually work best for me), soak it in water, wring out the excess water, then wrap and safety pin it tightly around the edge of the pan. Oh, and make sure that once you pour the batter into the cake pan, you drop it onto the counter from just a few inches up once or twice to get rid of the air bubbles.
The hardest part for me is frosting, I'm TERRIBLE at getting smooth frosting.
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@wonderstruck: Wrap it around the pan when? keep it on while cooking? after you take it out of the oven?
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I had a lot of trouble with my LOs cakes. I could not get them out 9f the pans without them falling apart. I still dont know how! I just ended up baking until one turned out finally!
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@babycanuck: You put it on right before you cook it and leave it on during baking.
Another slightly-less intimidating trick (since I know wrapping it the first few times was kind of tricky) is to reduce the temperature and increase the baking time. Like, if the cake says to bake it at 350, do it at 300 instead. Then bake it for 1.5 times longer than the recipe says to. So if the recipe says to bake it for 60 minutes, you'd bake it for 90. That usually works for me too.
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I wish I would have known how much I suck at baking & just ordered one!
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@wonderstruck: I have these, way easier.
http://www.amazon.com/Regency-RW002-Evenbake-Cake-Strips/dp/B000I1UXUI -
@oliviaoblivia: Ooh those do look way easier! Ordering now, thank you for the tip!
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@JoyfulKiwi: It's a homemade recipe, a Victoria sponge UK recipe. It's gel colouring so I don't think it affected the consistency too much...
@wonderstruck: Ha I'd dreading the frosting : )
@yellowbird: That's what I was worried about, but my test runs didn't fall apart, thankfully.
@Mrs. Jump Rope: Ha ha! I hope I don't live to regret making my own, but for sure a bakery would do a better job.
@oliviaoblivia: Oooh they look fab!
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I have taken a couple Wilton classes at Michael's and highly recommend their baking strips that you wrap around the cake pans. The cakes always come out very even on top. Other tip I've learned is to cut a piece of parchment paper and put that on the bottom of the pan, then pour batter over the top. I've also noticed that letting the oven heat for a long time is key - so once it gets to the 350 mark, wait another 10 minutes, and then stick the cakes in. Don't open the oven again until the timer goes off as each time you open the oven, heat comes out and can disrupt the baking process.
I always use box mixes, but instead of using oil or butter, I use a cup of greek yogurt, half cup water, and two egg whites. The cakes turn out great - never dry. Sometimes they're a little spongy but frosting covers it
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If you are doing a rainbow cake, your best bet is to use a white cake recipe (without egg yolks). So it doesn't come out too tall and you don't have to make too many batches, if you can find them, use the disposable round baking pans.
Good luck!!!
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@JoyfulKiwi: i was thinking of baking and freezing layers a week before too...when do you let it thaw so you can frost?
@oliviaoblivia: thanks for sharing!
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Go as simple as possible. I made two cakes before her actual birthday party and both toppled. I decided simpler was better.
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People shared some good tips with me here!
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If you're not an experienced baker, keep things simple - use a box mix or a basic recipe.
Test the recipe in advance (do not try the recipe for the first time on LO's birthday). Read and reread the recipe to make sure you understand and can follow all of the instructions (in baking little changes can make a big difference).
Good luck!
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Dunkin Hines cake mix ALWAYS comes out moist and delicious. I nearly always bake from scratch (I make all of our bread/rolls/ bagels/ muffins etc) but if I'm making cake for a crowd I use dunkin hines because I know it will always come out good. It's like my dirty little secret lol.
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