The Temperature Mistake To Avoid When Baking A Cake

Baking a cake may look simple on paper, but it can be trickier than it appears. While most cake recipes are fairly straightforward, baking is, after all, a science. Because small discrepancies can affect the outcome greatly, there are many mistakes everyone makes when baking a cake. One of these common mistakes is adding ingredients straight from the fridge. If you've ever baked a cake impulsively, you may have pulled your butter, eggs, or milk out of the fridge and gone straight to work. But for an ideal cake, you should let your refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature before making your batter. 

There are two main reasons why temperature matters, both of which significantly affect the end product. First, room temperature ingredients make for a significantly smoother batter, especially when it comes to eggs and butter. Not only is this easier to work with, but a smooth batter means a smooth cake, with no lumps or bumps in odd places. Second, room temperature ingredients ensure that the whole batter will be the same temperature. This means your cake will bake much more evenly while in the oven. There's nothing more frustrating than a cake that's overdone at the edges and still gooey in the center.

What is room temperature? That's generally considered to be 70 degrees Fahrenheit. To bring your ingredients to room temperature, simply leave them out in a room of about 70 degrees until they no longer feel cold to the touch. The time this takes will vary by ingredient, and will of course depend on the temperature of the room. 

If you're short on time, there are some ways to get there faster. For butter, pour boiling water into a glass, and let it sit for five minutes. Dump out the water, and place the hot glass on your butter for a few more minutes. This allows the butter to come to room temperature without melting (which tends to happen in the microwave). For eggs, simply place the eggs (still in their shells) in a bowl of warm water. This can bring them to room temperature in a few minutes, giving you just enough time to gather the rest of your ingredients. Other supplies, like milk, can theoretically be brought to room temperature in the microwave, but be careful to heat those in very short time increments so they don't melt or become hot.

Are your cakes still turning out less than ideal? Make sure you're reading the entire recipe before getting started, and check the expiration date of your baking powder and other ingredients before diving in. And don't beat yourself up if you make a mistake, as baking is a lifelong learning process!