Food | Mixing up a flawless cake

The Great Irish Bake off has everyone enthused about cake making, but it often looks so much easier on screen than in real life. Here are our best tips to making a flawless cake this Christmas.

We all would love to think we are great bakers, but sometimes our creations are more flat than flawless. Baking can be a tricky task, especially when you have limited patience skills.

And while some people seem more at ease with baking, you too can make the best cakes with a few tricks that the experts use.

We all know to bring the butter to room temperature, but it’s just as important for egss. Otherwise, the mixture won’t emulsify properly. If you are short on time, microwave cut-up butter on low in five-second intervals, checking in between, and place eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.

One of the most common mistakes novices make in baking is inaccurate measurements, and especially when it comes to flour. Always use a measuring cup, and sweep off the excess with a knife. Don’t scoop it directly from the bag as the flour will become compacted, and you will get more than you need for the recipe.

It may be an old school lesson to butter your pan with a piece of butter in paper but it’s better to use a pastry brush. You will get better coverage. Swipe the brush over a tablespoon of very soft butter, then onto the pan or paper.

Position the pans as close to the centre of the oven as possible. They shouldn’t touch each other or the oven walls. If your oven is not wide enough to put pans side by side, place them on different racks and slightly offset, to allow for air circulation.

Rotate the pans during baking as this will ensure even baking. Wait until the cake is set – about two thirds of the way through the baking time – to prevent collapse.

Always cool cakes upside down. This will flatten out the tops, creating easy-to-stick disks for layer cakes.

Finally, serve up and enjoy!