How to make a cake rise | Baking Tips | Betty Crocker UK (2024)

FAQs

How to make a cake rise | Baking Tips | Betty Crocker UK? ›

To make a box cake mix rise higher, try using a smaller pan, adding an extra egg, using milk instead of water, adding baking powder, mixing for longer, using room temperature ingredients, baking at a higher temperature, or using cake strips.

To make a box cake mix rise higher, try using a smaller pan, adding an extra egg, using milk instead of water, adding baking powder, mixing for longer, using room temperature ingredients, baking at a higher temperature, or using cake strips.

These are the key ingredients that make a cake rise. There are two types of leavening agents, chemical (baking soda and baking powder) and biological (yeast).

In order to bake cake evenly, you have to insulate its edges. Preventing the temperature of batter at the edge from increasing quickly allows the cake to rise longer before it sets. A cake whose edges rise at nearly the same rate as its center will remain flat across the top — no dome, perfect for stacking and icing.

Add an Extra Egg

Most cake mixes call for two to three eggs. Just one more egg will add extra moisture, fat, and a little protein, which means the cake will be softer and less likely to overbake and dry out in the oven.

Baking soda as we talked about reacts immediately to acidic elements and gives immediate leavening effect. The baking powder keeps reacting with the heat to give a leavening boost while the baked goods are in the oven. A combination of both these leavening agents gives the best leavening for most cake recipes.

Swap out each cup of water called for with milk. Buttermilk: Instead of water, use the same amount of buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk interacts with the leavening agents in the mix for a better rise. "Swapping out the water for buttermilk creates a fluffier cake and a moister one, too," says Waterson.

If a recipe includes a lot of acid such as lemon juice and buttermilk and isn't lifted with enough baking powder, the cake will taste dense. In that case, you may need the addition of baking soda which will react with the acid and create a fluffier crumb.

How to stop cake from doming? ›

Once your cake is baked to perfection, proper cooling is key to maintaining its shape. Allow your cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack for a time before turning it out to cool completely. This method helps prevent the structure from collapsing, avoiding doming or sinking as it cools.

Air is a poor heat conductor so it takes longer for the top and middle to bake. This means that the leavening agents, baking soda and/or baking powder, have more time to react before the top sets. The cake rises in the middle, but the edges can't rise as much because they heated up so quickly that the crust has set.

My solution, rather than trimming the cake to make it flat, was to just place one cooled layer dome-side down on the platter, frost it, then place the other layer on top, dome-side up. Genius.

If there is too little raising agent, or it is out of date, there won't be enough gas for a rise. Maybe my oven is too hot? Rising happens during the first two thirds of the baking time, this is followed by setting. If it is too hot then the outside will set before all the gas has expanded and the cake will not rise.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

If your cake sinks, it could be a sign that you've been impatient. To avoid a sunken cake, you need to resist the urge to open the oven door a long time before the cake is cooked. The bubbles inside the cake are expanding in the oven's heat, creating maximum volume as the batter reaches its setting point.