Whether you make it from scratch or have elevated a box mix per Duff Goldman’s easy advice, freshly baked cake is a treat for the senses, especially if you plan on decorating it in the Lambeth cake decorating method. But there is such a thing as cutting into those moist, fluffy layers too soon, which can lead to tearing or crumbling (or worse, entire chunks coming off). Food Republic consulted with Trina Dekett, the operations and creative specialist behind BaKIT Box, as well as a professional pastry chef and baker for over 12 years. In her expert opinion, “A good rule of thumb is one to two hours” of cooling before trying to slice a piece off.
“Most cakes need to be cooled to room temperature after baking [and] before serving,” she told us. Depending on how dense the cake is, it might need even longer than that, if it’s thickset, like a pound cake. She shared a helpful hack for gauging whether your cake is ready to be cut or not: “Take a toothpick and insert it in the center for about three to five minutes.” Once you remove it, she continued, feel the part of the toothpick that was inserted. “If it is still warm or hot, give it another 30 minutes before checking again,” Dekett advised.
Read more: 12 Delicious Italian Cakes You Need To Try At Least Once
More Cakes That Require A Wait Before Slicing
A colorful slice of ice cream cake, drizzled with caramel, sits on a white plate – Sana Grebinets/Getty Images
On the other hand, if you’re picking up a cake from a bakery, whether it’s a locally-owned shop or a larger commercial outfit, like at Sam’s Club or Costco (and yes, cakes are one of the most craveable Costco bakery desserts available), Trina Dekett told us you might have to wait to slice into it for the opposite reason you would a freshly baked cake at home. “Most decorated cakes are assembled using frozen or very chilled cake layers,” she said, before explaining that pastry chefs do it this way because heat melts buttercream and most fillings — which can make decorating ornate cakes a real pain if they don’t start with near-frozen ingredients.
“Instead of waiting for your cake to cool, you’re waiting for it to come to room temperature,” Dekett commented. According to her, it usually takes about two to three hours of sitting at room temperature before you can cut into these to avoid the struggle of slicing into a frozen cake, as well as to be sure you’re getting clean pieces.
It’s the same deal with ice cream cakes, which are supposed to come frozen, but which also require some thawing before cutting — though not as much as decorated cold cakes from a bakery, because you don’t want it to start melting. It’s best to wait up to 30 minutes if you have a larger ice cream cake (more like 20 minutes if it’s smaller) and the room isn’t too warm.
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Read the original article on Food Republic.
