Ideal oven temperature for biscuits
Many are the recipes that indicate the temperature at which we must activate the oven to proceed to bake it, however, many are also those that do not specify this data, leading us to experiment and obtain a raw cake inside. Why does this happen? Very simple, the ideal temperature is 170-180 ºC, neither more nor less, both to bake a cake and to get it spongy. In general, when the cake sinks in the center and is raw inside, it indicates that the temperature used is below the ideal. Likewise, it should be noted that not all the ovens reach the temperature in the same way, nor do they reach the scheduled degrees, so it is essential to know the appliance with which we are working and try until reaching the optimal temperature. They are the only factor to take into account when the oven is about, since the function we choose plays a crucial role. Thus, so that the cake rises correctly and does not remain raw, we must preheat the oven with heat up and down, but cook the cake only with heat below. In this way, the cake will grow from below, will be cooking inside properly and no raw part will remain. By keeping the heat up and down, what we are doing is cooking the cake on the outside, generating a hard crust that prevents the interior from being cooked. Only when there are 10 minutes to finish cooking we can activate the heat above if we want the upper part to be golden. And the position of the cake? It also influences! It is best to use a grid to place the mold on top and place it right in the middle part of the oven.
Type of mold appropriate to the size of the cake
Although it seems obvious, selecting a suitable mold to the amounts of the ingredients is essential to get it correctly. If we opt for a mold too large, the result will be a compact cake, low and nothing spongy, while if we choose a very small one it is possible that we find mass of the sponge cake outside the mold and the sunk cake in the center, being raw inside. In general, cake recipes usually be designed for middle molds, about 20-25 cm in diameter. However, if you have doubts, ask the cook! To get an idea, a cake with a medium -sized mold usually carries about 250 grams of flour, while a cake for a small mold half. Here you have recipes as an example very easy to make:- Medium mold: caramel cake
– Small mold: vegan chocolate cake
Flour and baking powder, in the end and gently!
When do you usually add the flour? The sieves before? Do you mix with baking powder? If you do not follow an order, or pass it through the strainer along with the baking powder, error! Regardless of the kitchen utensil that you use to mix the rest of the ingredients of your cake, the flour should always be mixed with chemical yeast, sieve and integrate at the end using a wooden or spatula spoon, and making soft surround movements. Why? Very easy, to give air and body to the dough. The exception lies in those recipes with liquids such as milk, in which the flour with the liquid in question must be alternated. To sift the flour, we air the product and provide the dough an extra of softness, which is why we skip this step this step It can lead to a compact or raw cake. Likewise, chemical yeast, powders that are activated with the heat of the oven, must be sifted together with the flour to perform its function correctly. If instead of Royal type yeast you usually use sodium bicarbonate, the norm is the same.
Does the type of flour influence?
Clearly yes! The best baking flours and preventing them from being raw or little fluffy are those called soft, that is, with a lower percentage of gluten. In general, they are marketed under the name of pastry flour or lifting flour, but any flour that meets this characteristic is suitable for the preparation of cakes and cakes.
How to incorporate the eggs so that the cake is not raw
As we said, eggs must be at room temperature and be of the best possible quality. That said, how are they added to the dough? We have two options:- Whole eggs: one always one. Until the first egg has not been completely incorporated into the dough, the second is not added, and so long until they end with them. In addition, by beating the egg to integrate it, it is essential to do it with energy to air the dough as much as possible.
– Separating the clear of the yolk. In this case, the whites must be bathed ready and add just before the flour. The yolks, one in one. By beating the whites, the air we provide to the dough is even greater, this being an infallible trick when making spongy biscuits.
At this point, you will have realized that the word air appears with notoriety, isn this? This is because here resides one of the keys to get the cake to be spongy and well done inside. For the steps prior to the incorporation of flour, you can use electric or blender rods with the end of guaranteeing this air.
Have you opened the oven early?
One of the most common errors and that leads to obtain a raw cake inside or sunk in the center is this: open the oven early. Chemical yeast, or baking powder, we said it is activated with the heat of the oven, and when opening it when its work has not yet finished the heat chain is broken and, therefore, the cake does not continue to rise properly. The ideal is ideal. Do not open the oven during the first 30 minutes. Once this time has passed, and provided that through the glass you observe that the cake is almost ready, you can open it to start checking the degree of cooking.
