The Trick To Give The Bottom Of Your Cake A Tasty Crust
From ensuring ingredients are at the right temperature to measuring precisely with a scale to properly adjusting cook times, we're always on the lookout for helpful tips and tricks from professional bakers, chefs, and grandmas on how to make the perfect cake.
And while a moist, melt-in-your-mouth texture is essential (Amycakes Bakes suggests a combo of buttermilk and pudding mix for the perfect crumb), we think it's high time you stop ignoring the bottom of your cake. The cake's fluffiness, a balanced flavor, and the smoothness of your icing are of course important, but why should that attention to detail stop when you reach the edge? At best the bottom of your cake is just that — the bottom, at worst there is that unsightly white powder peeking out from the base.
If you're a perfectionist from the bottom up when it comes to baked goods, you'll be relieved to know you have tastier, more attractive options to give your cake some extra oomph.
Upgrade your cake with graham crackers, cocoa powder, and more
To really take your cake to the next level, Taste of Home advises you coat the bottom of your baking pan with crushed graham crackers. The added layer will help you remove your finished cake from the pan easily and your baked treat will have extra flavor and texture fused to the bottom.
If you're not feeling the graham cracker flavor, not a problem. Food52 recommends trying a similar method using sugar. When baked, the sugar layer becomes a crunchy, sparkly surprise! This is great for unfrosted cakes but would work for frosted ones as well. Feel free to mix ground spices or salt with the sugar for a flavor boost; A cinnamon sugar crust would make the perfect addition to the bottom of your next apple cake.
For chocolate cakes, Cuisine at Home suggests dusting your pans with cocoa powder instead of flour. Not only does the cocoa powder enhance the already rich chocolate flavor of your cake, but it also eliminates any white flour that might discolor the surface.