"My early cakes always leaned unnaturally to one side. Their fillings oozed. The frostings were patchy at best and marred by sticky crumbs. But I never cared. I was a kid on a mission, excited to bake and eat with the people I loved. My family dutifully forked into thick slabs of those less-than-perfect confections because even mediocre cake makes people happy. If you ask me, that's the best thing about cake."
"Unlike vanilla and salt, which I tend to eyeball when baking, the amount of flour in a cake recipe should be adhered to as strictly as possible. Too little flour could lead to a damp or gummy cake without enough structure, and too much flour will make it dry. Please don't use a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients. Liquid measuring cups are for liquid."
Imperfect cakes can still bring joy despite leaning layers, oozing fillings, or crumbly frostings. Consistent technique and proper ingredients improve results over time. Precise flour measurement is essential: too little yields a gummy cake lacking structure, too much makes it dry. Use a digital kitchen scale for accuracy or employ the scoop-and-sweep method—spoon flour into the cup and level without tapping—to avoid compacting. Liquid measuring cups must not be used for dry ingredients. Thoughtful ingredient ratios, such as controlled flour and cocoa amounts, produce light, well-flavored cakes and properly filled liners.
Read at cooking.nytimes.com
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