Torte cake recipes
Torte cake recipes : This is how I do it’ -Post for beginners : I do get queries in my inbox on how to get a good finish on cakes. Assuming we have baked a good cake ,this is how I achieve a fairly neat finish on my cake. The thing that used to intimidate me the most wrt to cakes was the torting.
- 3/4 cup butter, softened.
- 2 cups sugar.
- 3 eggs.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour.
- 3/4 cup baking cocoa.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Torting is slicing through the cake to get horizontal layers that we fill . Even layers ensure neat cakes.
Let me talk about the blunders I made the first time around and how I tackled it . So let’s assume we now have a nicely baked cake which is cooling in its pan.
Blunder 1 –
to try and remove a cake from the pan before it cools completely.
Allow the cake to come to room temperature or even lesser before attempting to upturn. Cakes continue to cook in the heat of the pan and that is required for complete cooking of the cake . If you are in a hurry you may end up with a broken cake or a cake that’s uncooked in the centre .Use a cake board while trying to upturn a cake from the pan as it is stiff and gives firm support .You can later slide it or turn it on to a wire rack.
Blunder 2 –
to try and slice through ( tort ) the cake as soon as the cake has cooled down.
The cake needs to be chilled in order to pack and firm it’s crumbs and allow easy torting . I usually chill my cakes after cling wrapping in the refrigerator for atleast 4 hours – overnight before torting.
Blunder 3 – trying to tort with a regular knife
Cakes and breads need to be torted/ sliced with a serrated knife . The action to be followed is a sawing action . ( Back and forth slowly working your way through the entire surface) . A regular knife will not work .I like using a long serrated knife especially for large diameter cakes . More surface area covered that way. A turn table is a necessary investment at this point . It allows you to slice through the cake evenly while turning the table constantly. Youtube videos will explain this better.
Blunder 4 – lifting torted layers without a board.
Sometimes we do get a lovely thin layer after torting. You can slip a cake board under the layer and then lift. Lifting with hands breaks the layer.
After this ,you are ready to fill and frost your cake . Even layers will ensure a neat finish and help distribute filling evenly.
Hope this helps !! We afterall live to learn from our blunders !