Why Christina Tosi Prefers To Bake Cakes On A Sheet Pan
Christina Tosi knows a thing or two when it comes to delicious baked goods. The CEO and mastermind behind Milk Bar, a dessert and bakery eatery with locations dotting the United States, may have first come into our homes through the reality cooking show "Master Chef," but every bite of her cakes, cookies, and pies are what we remember her for (via Christina Tosi). Tosi's layer cakes are like none other. She shared her strategy for making these culinary masterpieces on the "Today" show, specifically, for her layered red velvet cake. The James Beard award-winning chef explained that her philosophy is all about flavor and "blowing it out of the water."
The cake maker shared many tips during her "Today" appearance, including using a cake soak to ensure your cake is never dry, but the one thing that many viewers may have found fascinating is that Tosi used a sheet pan for her layer cake. That's right, the baker forwent the 6-inch or 8-inch round cake pan and instead took the cake ring of a springform pan, which has a removable bottom, and used it like a cookie cutter to create the round layers from a cake baked on a sheet pan. Inquiring minds want to know: Why?
Consistency is key to cake
According to BuzzFeed, Christina Tosi revealed if you want your cake to bake consistently, you need to use a sheet pan. Tosi said, "Often, the round cake pans come out overbaked on the outside and underbaked in the middle." No one wants that. Tosi shares sheet pans don't give you this problem and she is able to make the round layers simply by using "a cake ring to cut out the rounds."
Tosi demonstrated just how she makes her rounds from a sheet cake in a Youtube clip shared by Extra TV. While she was able to get two full round layers from the sheet cake, Tosi confessed, that the third layer is actually two halves "cobbled" together, using scrapes to fill in the negative space. But don't worry about any bits of leftover cake going to waste. Tosi reassures viewers that no part of the cake goes in the circular. When she assembles her cake, Tosi creates what is known as her signature "no frosting on the sides" cake. In fact she told Bon Appétit, it reminds her of a "dollhouse moment of looking in and seeing the world of amazing things happening inside."
So, the next time you want to make a layer cake, start with a sheet cake.