How to Add Dry Ingredients to a Bake Sheet Cake

Making a cake is more than just dumping all of the ingredients into a bowl and beating it until it is smooth. When you follow specific techniques developed years ago in order to create a light airy texture, you'll end up with a delicious cake your family will love.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Cake ingredients
• Sifter
• Dry measuring cups
• Mixer

1. Lighten the flour. Flour you purchase from the store that sits in your pantry for a few weeks can settle, becoming dense. With a large whisk, stir the flour a dozen strokes or so, until it is light and airy.
2. Use a dry measuring cup for consistent results. Unlike liquid measuring cups that have a raised edge and a formed lip for pouring out the fluid, dry measuring cups have a straight top edge so you can level the dry ingredients with the flat edge of a spatula or butter knife.
3. Begin by incorporating the sugar with the fat. Often shortening or butter supplies the fat ingredient. Mix the sugar and the fat together until they are light and fluffy. Sugar is the only dry ingredient added in the first stage of mixing your cake.
4. Sift together the remaining dry ingredients. After measuring your lightened flour into a large bowl, add the rest of the dry ingredients and sift. The most common additions are baking powder, salt and soda, although cornstarch and meringue powder are sometimes included.
5. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the liquid ingredients. Your cake recipe may call for different types of wet ingredients; milk, water, sour cream, lemon juice or others, but by adding them alternately with the dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, you will assure a well-blended batter.
6. Beat on low until the dry ingredients are incorporated, then beat on medium for a couple of minutes if your recipe calls for it. After adding the dry ingredients, beating is minimal to prevent destruction of the leaveners, baking powder and soda.
7. Pour into your prepared sheet pan and bake as your recipe directs.

Tips & Warnings

• Cake flour contains less gluten than all-purpose flour. It will result in a cake with more height and a softer crumb. If you don't have cake flour, substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour, minus 1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. of cornstarch.