The Art of Cake Baking

French cakes are vast, but some can be a challenge to replicate. The gateau is difficult to make, but is desired by many people. Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat, French pastry chefs, coauthored a book titled, "The Art of the Cake" which instructs you on how to create and decorate elaborate French cakes. Their book gets more detailed as you become more successful at making French cakes. Baking any cake is scientific and artistic in nature. You need to measure very accurately, use the ingredients it calls for, and check your temperature control settings.

Replacing some of the oil in recipes with sauces like apple, rhubarb and others add to the moisture of cake and enriches the taste. You must not exceed the liquid requirements in the recipe. Always place wax paper with a bit of oil on it in your pan. This allows you to turn the cake over without leaving cake in the bottom. This also makes the bottom smooth and level. You can add a filling for layer cakes then proceed the same way with the next pan. If the white cake starts to look a bit tan, you have baked it too long. The sides of your cake should not have a space between them and the pan's edges during baking.

A wet cake top continues to bake from the heat. Let it sit for nearly six minutes before separating from the pan’s edges. A very thin icing on the entire outside of the cake while warm preserves the moistness. It resembles the glaze on doughnuts. After it drys you can frost and decorate it. Make sure to use a covered cake pan before refrigerating as this will preserve the moisture.