How to Bake a Cake

Homemade sponge cake always has a very special taste. Moreover, this is a cake that is easy to make just by measuring the ingredients and mixing in the correct order and remembering to take the cake out of the oven before it burns. This article will show you how to make 3 basic sponge cakes: vanilla sponge cake, chocolate sponge cake, and apple sponge cake.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Vanilla sponge cake

1 cup (230g) softened unsalted butter
1 cup (230g) granulated sugar
Pinch
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla essence
5 eggs at room temperature ^{[1] X Research Source}
2 cups (240g) cake flour (or, you can use 2 cups all-purpose flour reduced by 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch added) ^{[2] X Research Source}

Chocolate sponge cake

¾ cup (170g) softened unsalted butter
¾ cup (65g) unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup (90g) flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (230g) granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla essence
½ cup (120ml) buttermilk or sour cream

Apple cake

¾ cup (90g) flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
4 apples of any size
2 eggs at room temperature
¾ cup (170g) granulated sugar
Pinch
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup (120ml) melted unsalted butter

Make vanilla cake

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Prepare materials. Pancakes are one of the easiest cakes to make. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Preheat the oven to 165°C, then grease the pan with oil and sprinkle with flour. The sponge cake should be baked in a deep pan, such as a deep rectangle or bundt. You will use butter or shortening to spread the mold. Next, sprinkle a thin layer of noodles into the mold and rotate until the dough evenly covers the mold and tap lightly to let the excess dough fall off. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Beat butter and sugar. Place butter and sugar in a bowl, and beat until mixture is light, fluffy, and smooth. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Add eggs and vanilla. For best results, add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. ^{[6] X Research Source} Continue to beat the mixture until even. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Mix in the cake batter. Turn the mixer on the slowest setting or use a wooden spoon to mix a little flour at a time until the mixture is relatively even. You need to be careful not to over mix the dough. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Pour the flour mixture into the mold. Use a spatula to scrape away the flour mixture that remains on the bowl. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Rotate the cake pan 180 degrees at half the baking time to ensure even baking. The cake is complete when you remove the toothpick inserted in the center of the cake and do not see wet dough on it. All that’s left is to enjoy a delicious home-made sponge cake! ^{[10] X Research Source}

Make chocolate sponge cake

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Prepare materials. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Preheat the oven to 180°C, then grease the pan with oil and sprinkle with flour. You can use the familiar round mold, square mold, deep rectangular mold, bundt mold or any other type of mold you have. Make sure the pan is evenly spread with butter or margarine so the cupcakes don’t stick to the pan. After this step, you will sprinkle a thin layer of flour into the mold so that it is even. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Stir wet ingredients in large bowl. You will put the butter, eggs, vanilla essence, sugar and buttermilk in a bowl, and then use a hand mixer or a table to beat the ingredients. ^{[13] X Research Source}

“Wet ingredients” in a cake recipe are ingredients that have moisture. Sugar is also classified as a wet ingredient even when it is not wet at all.
Wet ingredients are usually stirred first. The dry ingredients will be mixed in another bowl and added later.
It is important that you prepare the butter with the correct texture required by the sponge cake recipe. If you use melted butter when the recipe calls for softened butter, the cake will deflate. ^{[14] X Research Source} In this case, the recipe calls for softened butter. You can plan ahead by placing the butter on the counter while you prepare the other ingredients; This will give the butter time to come to room temperature.

Make apple sponge cake

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Prepare materials. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

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Grease the pan with oil and flour, then preheat the oven to 180°C. For this recipe, you should use a removable bottom mold with a diameter of 20cm for easy removal of the sides and the cake will look perfect for the party. Spread the mold with margarine or butter before adding flour to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. ^{[24] X Research Sources}

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Melt butter and let cool. You can melt butter in the microwave or on the stove. Wait for the butter to reach room temperature before mixing with the other ingredients. ^{[25] X Research Sources}

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and mix well. ^{[26] X Research Source}

Prepare apples. Use a knife or grater to peel the apples, then cut off the core. Cut apples into bite-sized pieces (1.5cm squares) ^{[27] X Research Source}

Stir in wet ingredients. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar. Next, add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Finally, add vanilla essence to the flour mixture. ^{[28] X Research Sources}

Add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture. You can mix the flour mixture by hand or use a whisk. The dough must be mixed until smooth as cream. ^{[29] X Research Sources}

Add apples. Using a spatula, gently fold the apples into the flour mixture. Do not mix the dough too hard or the cake will be thick and hard. ^{[30] X Research Source}

To prevent the apples from sinking to the bottom of the bowl, dip the apples in the flour before adding them to the flour mixture. ^{[31] X Research Source}

Follow the instructions in the recipe

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Read the ingredients and instructions before you start. Preparing all the ingredients needed to make the cake is very important. You probably don’t want to run to the supermarket while you’re baking. The finished product will not meet the standard even if only one material is missing.

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Prepare the cake mold. Be sure to choose the correct size or shape mold. To make a bundt, you need a bundt mold; Other cakes can be molded with different sizes. Brush the pan with oil so that the cake doesn’t stick to the mold. Place about ½ tablespoon butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening on a paper towel and apply to the inside of the pan, then sprinkle with 1-2 more tablespoons of flour.

Put some flour in the mold, rotate the mold to make sure the dough adheres evenly, then shake to remove excess flour and set the mold aside.

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Heat the oven to the temperature required in the recipe. You need to follow the instructions as the use of higher or lower temperatures may result in substandard finished products.

Measure ingredients accurately and use them in the order indicated in the recipe. Most sponge cake recipes start with stirring the wet ingredients (such as eggs, oil, and milk), and then adding the dry ingredients (such as flour, baking powder, cocoa powder). Do the required operations such as sifting, stirring or whisking, and compacting the ingredients before placing them in the main bowl.

Mix the cake batter according to the instructions. Some recipes can use a hand or table whisk. Be aware, however, that many of the steps will require performing a “fold” of the dough or other material with a spatula. While mixing the dough, be sure to stop from time to time and use a spatula or spatula to scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.

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Pour the flour mixture into the prepared mold evenly. You should only fill the pan ⅔ full as the dough will expand while baking. Gently tap the cake pan onto the counter top to release air bubbles in the dough.

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Place the mold on the griddle in the center of the preheated oven. You can place the mold on the baking tray in case the dough spills out. Do not let the cake pan touch the oven wall.

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Close the oven door and immediately set the timer to the directed baking time. If the recipe gives you only one interval, choose the middle (such as 35 minutes baking if the recipe instructs 34 to 36 minutes, or 53 minutes for 50 to 55 minutes) .

Avoid opening the oven door while baking as the heat will escape and the cake will not bake evenly. If possible, turn on the oven lights and observe the cake through the glass on the oven door.

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Check the doneness of the cake. Gently insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the cake. If the toothpick or skewer comes out clean or has some crumbs on it when removed, the cake is done. Otherwise, you will bake the cake for another 3-4 minutes. Continue testing with the same interval until you have the right finished product.

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Place the mold on the baking tray for about 15-30 minutes to let the cake cool. Move the spatula around the inside edge of the pan so that the cake no longer clings to the pan. Place the baking tray on top of the pan, then turn the pan upside down and tap gently to remove the cake.

Wait for the cake to cool completely before decorating as the heat will melt the icing. You can spread the cream and decorate the cake to your liking.

Advice

When the recipe calls for cold ingredients like butter or cream cheese at room temperature, you’ll peel off the wrapping, then place the ingredients in a bowl and set on the counter for 30-60 minutes to soften. You can test the softness of an ingredient by pressing a fork or your finger into it.
Don’t spread the icing on the cake before it cools down. This will cause the cake to deform and the cream will either run down the side of the cake or not stick to the cake.
Do not mix the dough more than necessary.
Always make sure the pan is evenly spread with butter.
If you keep trying to get the hot cake out of the mold, it will break and fall apart.
Use high-quality aluminum molds for even baking and best results.
Follow the instructions in each recipe you use.
Use a toothpick to check if the cake is cooked through.
Check the amount of ingredients you have measured before adding them to the mixing bowl. An excess or lack of a few tablespoons of flour can seriously affect the texture of the finished product.
To make vegan cakes, you will use vegetable oil or melted coconut oil instead of butter. Replace eggs with apple sauce, such as using ¼ cup of apple sauce to replace 1 egg.

Warning

Do not allow small children and pets to approach when you open the door of a hot oven.
The temperature in the oven may not be evenly distributed, so you need to pay attention to the cake to avoid burning.
Always wear kitchen gloves or protective gloves when taking the cake out of the oven to avoid burns.

Things you need

Measuring tools
Hand or desktop egg beater
Cake mold
Toothpicks (or wooden skewers)
dredge
Griller
Kitchen gloves or protective gloves
Blister for cake