Baking Cakes

A reliable oven is essential for successful cake and biscuit baking. Most are reliable, but no two ovens are quite the same, so recipe times should be taken only as guidelines, and you should test for doneness a few minutes before the time given in any recipe. Because temperature is so vital in baking, an oven thermometer is useful, and should be hung near the top part of the oven, unless the oven is fan-assisted. It is a good idea to read through your user’s manual before baking.

Try not to peek into the oven until the cake has had time to set, especially for light cakes which might sink. And when you do check, do so very quickly and shut the door again gently. In general, position cakes on the shelf just above the centre of the oven and turn the cake if it is browning too quickly on one side.