When Do You Remove Your Cakes From The Oven?
Decorating By zespri Updated 4 Aug 2010 , 10:59pm by zespri
I used to poke my cakes with a fondant fork, and when the fork came out with the cake sticking to it in little clumps (not wet like batter consistency, but not completely clean either), then I'd take it out of the oven and leave it in the tin for 10 minutes or so before turning out to air-dry.
Now I do the same thing with the fondue fork test, but I flip it immediately onto a wire rack upside down to try and flatten the top, and cover it with a tea-towel to try and keep it moist.
The last couple of cakes I had tasted like they could have done with more time in the oven, and I'm guessing it's because I no longer leave them in the tin, so they don't 'finish off' their cooking, or maybe because I cover them with a tea-towel. If I've accidentally left it in the oven too long, I sometimes pop it in the fridge to try and stop the cooking process.
What methods do YOU use? How do you test your cake to know it's ready to come out, and what do you do with it once it's out?
I stick a toothpick in the center to see if it's done..but I can usually just tell by looking. I NEVER take it out of the pan immediately...I use the "press down" method to level then after it's cooled in the pan for 10 minutes I remove it from to pan onto the wire rack.
Taking the cake out of the pan immediately after it's out of the oven can cause your cake to break.
I wait for the skewer to come out clean before removing from the oven. I let it sit in the pan about 5 mins then trim off the top (I bake so the "dome" part rises above the pan making for 2 inch layers) and then cover with cooling rack and flip it over to cool. After completely cool I torte, wrap and freeze.
I wondered about why recipes always say to leave in the tin, so did some research and found this to be the only reason. As I've never had a cake break, I just kept on doing it. I'm really not sure why mine don't break, maybe I over-mix them so they're too tough or something!!
Taking the cake out of the pan immediately after it's out of the oven can cause your cake to break.
I wondered about why recipes always say to leave in the tin, so did some research and found this to be the only reason. As I've never had a cake break, I just kept on doing it. I'm really not sure why mine don't break, maybe I over-mix them so they're too tough or something!!
Taking the cake out of the pan immediately after it's out of the oven can cause your cake to break.
I had one to break once. I think it was because of the way I flipped it onto the rack. If it had been cooler it probably wouldn't have broke like it did. I'm usually busy putting other cakes in the oven when mine are cooling anyway so 10 minutes passes pretty quickly.
cake skew is completely clean, press down method, then after two minutes turn out on to cake cake circles or wax paper. placed on racks to cool.
hmm..never had a cake break this way. If I leave them anylonger they like to stick and I have had chunks come out of the center of the cake. so learned to flip soon.
I think it is amazing of all the different ways we have of baking. I love it.
I use a toothpick or skewer and take it out when the toothpick comes out clean.
It's funny, I've been wondering and wondering if anyone used the pushdown method (didn't know that's what it was called until yesterday) so I finally asked about it. Now I'm seeing it mentioned all over the threads 
Glad to know I can keep doing it and I'm not actually doing something wrong 
I pull mine out when the toothpick comes out clean and it springs back when you press it in the middle. I'm usually multi tasking when I bake, so the cakes cool sometimes for quite a while before I flip them out. I trim the crowns, then flip. But I like to make sure they at least have some time to settle before decorating, especially if I'm baking late at night and end up letting them cool overnight in the pans. I've had cakes break because I flipped when they were too warm, but never because they had cooled completely, so I leave them in the pan longer than most people do.
I want a few moist crumbs on my toothpick/skewer when I pull it out of the cake, then out of the oven it comes! I cool in the pan for a bit, then put them on racks. I level with an agbay later on.
I wait for the skewer to come out clean before removing from the oven. I let it sit in the pan about 5 mins then trim off the top (I bake so the "dome" part rises above the pan making for 2 inch layers) and then cover with cooling rack and flip it over to cool. After completely cool I torte, wrap and freeze.
I do the exact same thing except that I usually leave mine in the pan for 10 minutes 
I stick a toothpick in the center to see if it's done..but I can usually just tell by looking. I NEVER take it out of the pan immediately...I use the "press down" method to level then after it's cooled in the pan for 10 minutes I remove it from to pan onto the wire rack.
Taking the cake out of the pan immediately after it's out of the oven can cause your cake to break.
You can keep that from happening by putting parchment paper of wax paper in the bottom of your pan before you pour in the batter. The cake will not break if the pan is prepped properly with a flour/oil spray like baker's joy.
If the center springs back when touched it is done, I bake low & slow (325 degrees) This makes the baking more even. Then I use my "Most Moist Cake" method after the cakes are baked.
They are immediately turned out onto Glad Press N Seal. Wrapped to seal in all steam (moisture and flavor will be intensified by this). Then flash freeze them in a dedicated freezer. My cakes come out perfect every time, no breaking, and super moist. They can be stored for quite a few months, but I always bake as needed, so they are never in the freezer for more than a day or two before decorating.
I do not allow them to fully defrost. I level them semi frozen, fill and crumb ice them. Then allow them to rest so you don't get the "ooze" from the fillings. Once they have settled and the buldge (if any) has been taken care of they go back in the freezer to firm up the crumb ice before the full BC coat if a BC cake or the fondant coat, or ganache coat. If carving them for a 3D cake they remain semi frozen until the carving is complete.
This just goes to show there's more than one way to skin a cat! Awful expression, but I'm a person who has always 'followed the rules' with things like baking, so to know that there are several different ways which are all successful is wonderful.
A question for the plastic-wrap people - does it not make the cake wet? And if they are frozen, wouldn't it form ice on the cake which would surely then melt later on underneath the icing, causing problems? Also, what about BPA, wouldn't the combination of heat and plastic leech BPA into the cake?
It will only make it wet if you let it fully defrost inside the wrapping. I pull from the freezer, take the wrapping off let sit about 2-5 minutes and begin leveling and torting. Then fill and crumb ice while somewhat frozen. Once iced you seal in the moisture completely. Since the cakes are still somewhat frozen no wet cake. Once fully defrosted under the icing and the cake complete you have a really flavorful, moist piece of cake.
I have to laugh at your "follows the rules" statement. I coined myself the "Rogue Baker" because I push the envelope with baking. Granted there are some rules you just can't break, but others, such as ingredient substitution, oven temp, before, during and after baking methods, I will venture from the well beaten path (pun intended...LOL)
I have to laugh at your "follows the rules" statement. I coined myself the "Rogue Baker" because I push the envelope with baking.
Same here! Remember I'm the "Until It Looks Right" cook and that includes baking. A recipe, to me, is just a suggestion, designed to be tweeked and twisted to create my own special unique taste and spin on it. Otherwise, all of our foods would taste the same and there would be no need to have so many of us selling cakes!
I usually find that folks who "followed the recipe to a T"! are the ones who have the most problems. 
I repeat the story of my friend who complained that her cakes were overbaked/dry and her cookies were always crunchy (whereas mine were always soft). When I told her she was baking them too long,, she defended herself that she "did what the recipe said", to which I'd always reply "How's that workin' for ya?"
If we always do what we've always done then we'll always get the same 'ole too-crunchy cookie!
You are right of course! While it's still new to me, I'm a slave to others advice. But I'm working on my baking bravery 
) This thread is testatment to that, I'm not following the 'cool in the pan for ten minutes rule'. What a rebel I am!!!! hehe....
I'm also dabbling in changing baking methods, and the results have been very pleasing. I read an article about how to make cupcakes dome more, so tried it, and it worked. I've also made two caramel cakes, one to the recipe, and the other with some tweaks I thought might be good, and my tweaks were the winner in the taste test.
So I'm working on my bravery!!! I doubt I'll ever be a pioneer like some of you ladies, but braver, nonetheless.
I have to laugh at your "follows the rules" statement. I coined myself the "Rogue Baker" because I push the envelope with baking. Granted there are some rules you just can't break, but others, such as ingredient substitution, oven temp, before, during and after baking methods, I will venture from the well beaten path (pun intended...LOL)
I doubt I'll ever be a pioneer like some of you ladies, but braver, nonetheless.
To be honest, mine comes from growing up dirt poor. When you've got nothing in the cabinet and have to feed 6 kids, you have to get creative.
Follow a recipe? Hell, we were lucky to have basic food in the house, let alone all of the "crap" a recipe called for!
Adapt, Substitute and Improvise! That was the name of the game and the prize was survival.
As I tell my kids, it may have been rough, but growing up dirt poor was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I learned how to adapt and "survive" things that just can't be taught or even intellectually understood by those who never had to worry about going a week or more without electricity because the bill didn't get paid (and usually in the winter), or having to go to school every single day because that's where the heat and the food was.
Who knew that kind of background would turn me into a caterer and a wedding cake maker!
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, this is a fine example!
To be honest, mine comes from growing up dirt poor. When you've got nothing in the cabinet and have to feed 6 kids, you have to get creative.
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