Melt-in-your-mouth cake recipe costs almost nothing and is super easy to make (2024)

FAQs

What gives cakes a melt in the mouth texture? ›

Much of the tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture of cake comes from gas bubbles, which subdivide the batter into fragile sheets. The majority of this air is added in this initial stage by vigorous mixing of the fat and sugar – a process called "creaming".

Melting Method: Simplicity at its Finest

For dense and moist cakes, the melting method reigns supreme. In this technique, the butter and sugar are melted together as the first step, eliminating the need for creaming or whisking. To aid the rise, a raising agent is added to the batter.

However, anyone well-versed in the ways of the dump cake will tell you that there is one rule you should never break when making a dump cake. Since it's not a step that you'll ever see in most other cake recipes, it can be easily missed. The mistake to avoid is simple: Don't mix it.

Baking powder is mixed with the flour. When water is added to this flour to make dough, baking powder undergoes a chemical reaction during which carbon dioxide gas is produced. This carbon dioxide gas gets trapped into the dough and bubbles out which causes the cake to rise making it soft and spongy.

If your oven is too cool:

Your cake may have coarse, dense or heavy texture. Your cake won't set fast enough and will fall. Your crust may be too light. If your oven temperature is uneven, your cake may be uneven.

For best texture, beat filling ingredients at medium-low speed. Beating at high speed adds air to the batter; longer, slower beating yields a pleasantly dense cake.

As its name suggests, this baking technique typically involves melting ingredients, mixing them together, and then proceeding with baking. In fact, it is commonly used for recipes like brownies, chocolate cakes, and some cookie variations. Begin by melting ingredients like butter, chocolate, or other fats.

Lesson three: melted butter Because melted butter has already released much of its water content, it makes the finished treats soft and dense, as well as flavourful. Use it in loaves and brownies.

The dry ingredients are put into a bowl, and the ingredients which melt are placed in saucepan over boiling water or in the microwave to melt. The melted ingredients are then poured over the dry and ingredients and mixed until well combined.

What not to do to a cake? ›

Most common reason is when the oven door is opened too soon and the cake hasn't set up and baked properly. The mixture could be too soft due to not enough ingredients or if there is too much liquid added. Using too much raising agents can make the cake rise too much too quickly and it implodes on itself.

The addition of sour cream adds moisture, flavor, and tenderness to the cake. I use it in muffins and other cake recipes for the same reason, and it's the secret ingredient in homemade pie crust too!

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

If you have a true sugar allergy, you might experience certain symptoms when you eat sugar, such as: Hives. Congestion. An itchy, tingling sensation in your mouth.

Sticky cake and cupcake tops are from a reaction with sugar and water. Sugars are hygroscopic, meaning they attract water. Within baked goods, sugars help maintain a moist and tender crumb. Sugar on the exposed tops, however, will grab water from humid air, creating a wet or sticky top.

Pound Cake

This is a mouth-watering cake made using a pound of flour, butter, eggs and sugar. These are traditionally baked in a loaf pan or a Bundt mold.