Tips for Making Perfect Grapefruit Cake
Grapefruit cake is a wonderful treat and is perfect for birthday parties, holiday parties, weddings and other occasions. But many people don't even try to make their own cake at home because they think it's too hard. It's not. Baking your own grapefruit cake is as easy as mixing up a cake mix and using grapefruit juice instead of water. Most bakers won't tell you this but very few cakes come out perfect directly from the oven. Cakes are prone to a wide range of problems, all of which are fixable if you just know the tricks that pro bakers use. Perfect grapefruit cakes are something that anyone can make if you know how to fix all the little problems that might come up while cooking. Here are some expert bakers's tips for creating perfect cakes:
Always have simple syrup on hand. A simple syrup is made from boiling sugar and water together. If you are making a grapefruit cake make a grapefruit syrup by boiling water, grapefruit juice, and sugar together. You can use simple syrup to do everything from fix holes in the cake to fix a dry cake. If your cake is so dry that it crumbles when you try to frost it don't worry, just spray some simple syrup evenly on it and freeze it. When it's frozen you will be able to frost it without it crumbling. You can also use simple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar as a fast and easy frosting.
Oven temperature is critical to a successful cake – Make sure your oven is heating properly and let it pre-heat for ten to fifteen minutes before placing cake batter in it to cook. Don't open the oven to check on your grapefruit cake because opening the oven will create a draft that can wreak havoc on the cake. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oven before you put in the grapefruit cake to cook. If the cake doesn't cook evenly it's usually because of an uneven temperature in the oven.
Don't frost too soon – This is the number one mistake people make when baking grapefruit cakes. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack, then brush it with a very thin layer of simple grapefruit syrup or frosting. Use a pastry brush to make sure it's an even layer. This will seal in all the crumbs and fix any cracks in the cake. Then refrigerate the cake for at least four hours before applying the main layer of frosting.
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