For making someone’s birthday special, you need a birthday cake, right! Yes, whether it is your husband, child, or other family member’s birthday, it needs to be exceptional.
However, when it comes to baking, not everyone thinks they have the skills and prefer heading out to the bakery to order one. The truth is that it does not have to be this way.
Everyone deserves a birthday cake, and why not make it more special by baking one yourself. Yes, we know you can make it from a box.
Remove that thought from your mind! Once you start making one from scratch, it will be hard to turn back. So, where do you start? You start here with us.
History Lesson on the Birthday Cake
Don’t stress. We will get to baking the cake soon. A fact is that the 1st birthday cake was believed to originate from the middle ages in Germany. They used to celebrate their kid’s birthdays by baking a cake and calling the festival Kinderfest.
The cake used to be made of coarse bread, and later it became sweeter called the Geburtstagorten. Now that we have the history lesson behind us, it is time to learn how to bake a birthday cake and the essential utensils you will need.
Essential Utensils to Have Before Baking Your Cake
While making a one-bowl cake with a buttery taste and tender topping with swirls of buttercream and sprinkles is a top-secret to baking the best birthday cake-there are some utensils you will need first.
First, you need at least three different sizes of measuring cups to measure dry and liquid separately with measuring spoons. Baking is all about precision, and having these items are great to use for cooking to baking.
Furthermore, make sure to have some wooden spoons as it is a handy tool to have in the kitchen for stirring. Always remember to hand wash them to prevent them from cracking.
One more utensil to have is the rubber scraper or spatula to help scrape the batter or dough out of the pan or bowl. Also, get yourself a metal turner as well.
This kitchen tool helps to serve a piece of cake and come in handy for other uses around the kitchen as well. Here are some other utensils you will also need:
Pastry brush to grease a pan before pouring in the cake batter
A wire whisk to beat eggs together and you can use it for other things as well
Kitchen shears for cutting a parchment to fit in a pan
Rolling pin that helps if you do not have a food processor
A fine-mesh sieve for sifting dry ingredients or dusting powder to complete cookies and more
Baking pans from a rectangular, square to round cake pan as it helps to have both if you want to bake a cake in different sizes
A wire rack to help air circulate around the cake
Hand mixer for mixing ingredients but if you can afford a stand mixer go all the way as these appliances are handy to have
Parchment paper to spread over the pan before you start baking as it prevents treats from sticking to the pan
Mixing bowls to place ingredients while preparing your cake mixture
Lastly, a lovely cake plate to put the birthday cake on
These are the essentials you need to start baking your cake, and in most cases, you already have them available in the kitchen.
Choosing the right recipe to make the birthday cake special!
Here it all comes down to preference as you can find different recipes online to bake a birthday cake. You can make vanilla to chocolate cake and depends on the person’s taste.
So if your child enjoys eating chocolate, make them one for their special day. After selecting the recipe you plan to follow, it is essential to read it thoroughly to make sure you have all the ingredients needed to bake it.
The problem is that you do not want to end up in the middle of the recipe to find you have left something up. Always start with the ingredients you need by measuring each one and placing them in separate bowls on the table.
Once the measuring is done, you can follow the instructions as per the recipe you are following. Do everything according to the recipe, and you will not go wrong in creating a perfect birthday cake.
Easy Recipe You Can Follow
Here we have a simple recipe to help you bake a birthday cake:
Traditional Birthday Cake
The cake comprises either one or two layers that measure nine-inches and yields eight to twelve portions.
Ingredients for a Butter Cake
½ a cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 ½ a cup of granulated sugar
Three eggs (large)
Two ¼ cups of flour (all-purpose)
One tsp. of salt (fine)
3 ½ tsp. of baking powder
One ¼ cups of creamy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Chocolate Topping (you can change this with any other frosting you prefer)
1 ½ stick or a ¾ cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
⅓ cup of chocolate Ovaltine or Cocoa Powder
2 ½ cups of caster sugar (powdered)
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt (fine)
Two-ounces of bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate that is melted and left for cooling down (optional)
Your Equipment Needed
Two nine-inch cake pans (round)
Some cooking spray
Hand mixer
Spatula
Mixing bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons
Cake stand or plate
Method to Follow:
Start by measuring your ingredients and placing them on the table.
Take the cooking spray and spray the cake pans and leave them one side – you can also sprinkle a bit of flour dust over the pan and give it a little shake to dispense the powder evenly. Tap out the leftover flour over the kitchen sink. Alternatively, you can line the pans with parchment, and it all depends on you.
Heat the oven and arrange the shelf in the center and heat it to 350° F
Take your hand mixer and cream the sugar and butter together. If you are using a stand mixer, set the speed on medium and do this for about three minutes until fluffy and light.
Add your eggs to the mixture and mix until incorporated and look very pale and creamy.
Sieve in the flour, baking powder, salt, followed by the vanilla essence and milk, and beat at a low speed for up to 30 seconds depending on the mixer you use. Then mix it for another three minutes and scrape the sides as needed.
Divide batter into two pans and place in the oven for half-an-hour, or until the cake loosens from the sides.
Leave to cool on the wire rack for 15-minutes first. Once the cake cools down, it should fall easily out of the baking pans. Flip them back and leave to cool before frosting.
Making the Frosting:
Use your mixer to mix the butter, cocoa powder (Ovaltine), and mayonnaise until it increases in volume for up to one minute or more depending on the mixer used.
Add the caster (powdered) sugar half-a-cup at a time until mixed.
Add the salt, vanilla extract, and the melted chocolate and mix at high speed for five minutes or more.
Place the first layer at the bottom and spread over ⅓ of the icing in the middle of the loaf. Distribute it around to the edges. Even it out as uniformly as you can and place the second layer on top.
Now take a step back and observe if the cake is leaning to the side. If so, put it back to its rightful position. Throw a large amount of the topping on the top section and spread it out smoothly with the spatula pushing towards the edges. After completing the top section, start applying it to the borders and work with insignificant amounts.
Once all the sides have frosting, use the spatula tip or back of a spoon to make swirled finishes. Now sprinkle it with your favorite topping from color sprinkles to chocolate shavings. Here you can use your imagination and go wild. You can even use M&Ms to decorate it further.
Now stand back and look at your creation as you have baked your first cake, and there are many more to come.
Storage
Depending on if you are planning to serve the birthday cake or not, storing is essential from the time the cakes baked to serving.
Cover the cake or leftovers in a sealable tub to place in the fridge. You can leave the cake for a week in the refrigerator. Another fantastic thing is you can make your cake ahead of time.
Wrap the cake in a plastic wrapping and leave it standing in the kitchen at reasonable room temperature for a week. You can freeze a cake for three months.
As you can see, baking a birthday cake is not difficult if you follow a recipe and have all your utensils on hand. The crucial thing is to measure correctly and follow the recipe right through to the end. When it comes to decoration, you can use your imagination and make a gorgeous cake to make your loved one’s day special. There is a wide selection of recipes you can find online to bake. Just keep to the method, and you will not go wrong.
You might also need these appliances for better baking. Check out:
Best Bakeware Sets
Best Ceramic Bakeware
Cake Stands With Dome
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