Would it surprise you to learn that The Pioneer Woman once said, "Baked goods aren't my strong suit?" It's true! She admitted that because baking is so precise, she loves to "lean on the experts for those times I want to sharpen my skills or try new things."
But over the years, Ree Drummond has become an expert in baking thanks to those tips and tricks... and some happy accidents. Take The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever for instance, which was originally her mother-in-law's recipe. The first time she made it, "I had accidentally doubled the butter in the icing! I guess the lesson here is, the more butter, the better." Indeed.
And while she's a big fan of elevating cake mix as an easy hack, there are times when homemade cakes are the way to go. And Ree's got some easy cake baking tips for achieving the fluffiest cakes, no matter how experienced you are in the kitchen.
Add Buttermilk
"I wind up with the fluffiest cakes when the recipe calls for buttermilk," Ree explains. Buttermilk is a tenderizer, making a moist crumb with a subtle tang to balance out sweetness. It also helps activate baking soda, adding the the rise of the cake, which makes it fluffier. Her coffee-toffee crunch cake is a perfect example!
"Try substituting buttermilk instead of milk in your favorite recipe," she suggests, if the recipe doesn't already call for it. While it doesn't work all of the time since baking is a more exact science, more often than not, you'll get a fluffier result. Need a buttermilk substitute? "If you don't have buttermilk on hand," she adds, "use 1/2 cup minus two tablespoons whole milk and mix with two tablespoons white vinegar."
Use Cake Flour
"Cake flour can also help keep cakes light; it has less protein (therefore less gluten) than all-purpose flour, so doesn't easily develop that 'chew' that makes a cake tough," Ree notes. Of the many types of flour, cake flour will produce a finer, more delicate crumb.
If you haven't used cake flour before, try to look for a recipe that calls for it rather than making a one-to-one swap with all-purpose flour. Think: angel food cake or Ree's coconut layer cake. If you want to try to substitute cake flour in a recipe that calls for all-purpose: Measure one cup of all-purpose flour, scoop out and remove two tablespoons, then add two tablespoons of cornstarch.
Don't Overmix
"I also try not to overmix my batter once I add the dry ingredients. The more you beat the batter, the more the gluten will develop, and the tougher the cake will be," she explains. It doesn't matter if you're using cake or all-purpose flour, because both have the ability to develop gluten.
Ree's trick to avoid overmixing? "Once you add the flour and other dry ingredients, mix it until it's just incorporated... then turn off that mixer!" In fact, you can turn the mixer off when there are still a few traces of flour and make the last few folds by hand before pouring the batter into the pans. Then bake, cool, and frost for the most delicious results!
