Cake is basically a shaped and sweetened dough. It has a bread-like texture. It is typically made from flour, eggs, sugar, milk, and baking powder in an oven. Cake has different sizes and can be cut into slices.
There are infinite varieties of flavors and garnishing ingredients. The decorative ingredients of the cake include icing sugar, fruits, chocolate, cream, etc.
During Roman times, the cake was named placenta, a Greek word for something baked on a pastry base or inside the case of the pastry. They also added honey, butter, and eggs to the basic bread dough to give a new taste and texture to it.
The most common difference between cake and bread used to be that cake was supposed to be round or flat, whereas bread was left upright throughout the baking procedure.
A cake mix is a mixture of ingredients required for baking a cake in powdered form. You have to add the mixture to the eggs and milk, and your cake is ready. Cake mix is easily available in the market, or you can make it at home.
How Many Boxes of Cake Mix Do I Need for a Three Layer Cake?
You need 1.5-2 packs of cake mix to make a three-layer cake. The standard cake mix in a box is approximately 15-20 ounces. Two layers of a 9-inch cake can be made from this cake mix.
Mixing Instructions for Cake Mix
You can follow these mixing instructions to get the best results.
Pour half of the needed amount of water into a bowl, add the whole cake mix, and mix it slowly until there are no lumps left. Now add the remaining amount of water and oil to it. Keep on mixing the batter for 2 minutes. Then bake it in a pre-heated oven.
Difference Between Baking Powder and Baking Soda
Although they both make the dough rise by increasing the number of air bubbles in the batter, they can never be substituted for one another.
Baking Powder
Baking powder releases carbon dioxide gas when it interacts with heat and moisture, due to which the dough becomes lighter. It shows its result during mixing and then during baking as well.
Baking Soda
Baking soda makes bubbles during the process of baking, due to which the batter and the dough rise. It works only if there is enough acidity available to it from the mixture like lemon juice, milk, or yogurt.
Types of Cake
There are various types of cakes based on the ingredients and the method of mixing. The final texture of the cake also differs depending upon the procedure followed in mixing the batter. Some of the famous types of cakes are listed below.
Pound Cake
Pound cake is named because of the measured proportions of ingredients added to it. You add a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, a pound of butter, and a pound of flour to make this cake. Pound cakes have a simple texture and a light flavor. They can be served plain, or you can top them with water icing or a simple glaze. They are baked in a loaf pan.
Butter Cake
Any cake that is made from a mixture of creamy butter and sugar is called butter cake. After adding this to the mixture, eggs are added, then flour is added. Lastly, baking powder or baking soda is added to raise the dough in the oven.
Sponge Cake
Sponge cake does not contain baking powder or baking soda. It is made from a large quantity of egg or egg whites.
Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake is made from egg whites only. The yolks and butter are not added to the mixture. Firstly, sugar and egg white are mixed until the sugar is finely dissolved. And then, flour is added to give it a firm texture. Its texture is usually delicate, spongy, and chewy.
Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake is mostly made up of oil instead of butter. Raw cocoa is added to the cake mixture to make the cake which gives it the distinguished red velvet texture.
Genoise Cake
It is made by beating together whole eggs and sugar until they form a thick ribbon-like texture. Then butter and flour are added to the mixture, and it is baked.
Genoise lacks the flavor and the texture, and it is mostly used to make layer and rolled cakes. You can add flavor to the genoise cake by adding flavor syrup, or you can put buttercream on its slices.
Chiffon Cake
It is somewhat a mixture of oil cake and butter cake. The eggs are separated, and only the egg whites are beaten. It also includes baking powder and vegetable oil. It has a light and sponge-like texture. You can bake them in tube pans.
Flourless Cake
Flourless chocolate cake and cheesecake belong to this type of cake. You can make them in a springform pan, and it has a very delicate and creamy texture.
Fun Facts about Cakes
- Around 50-100 million people eat birthday cakes globally every day.
- Before the 18th century, the shape of the cakes used to be flat, and yeast was used to raise them
- The most preferred flavor for birthday cake by people is chocolate cake
Frequently Asked Questions to How Many Boxes of Cake Mix Do I Need for a Three Layer Cake?
How Much Batter is Needed to Make a Three-tier Cake?
One tier is equal to two layers of cake. So a total of 24 cups of batter is required for a 3-tier cake, as 4 cups will be required to make the top tier, 8 cups for the middle tier, and 12 cups for the bottom tier.
Can Two Cakes Be Baked At The Same Time In an Oven?
It is possible but make sure that the mold of one cake is placed in the middle rack and the mold of the second cake is placed on the bottom rack in the center of the oven. Make sure to rotate and shift the positions of the pans halfway through.
Why Did My Cake Not Rise Properly?
The reason behind your cake not rising properly or its dough becoming hard is that your baking powder may be expired or you may not be adding the adequate amount of it, due to which the cake will rise quickly and collapse down. Leaving the dough thick and unpleasant in taste.