If you’re a hobbyist baker, chances are you might be impatient and want to dig into your baked goods the moment they’re ready. You might even indulge a bit and simply order your favourites from an online cake shop in Singapore during those days you don’t feel like baking them yourself. But while most pastries generally taste best fresh from the oven, you may want to consider holding off for a while when it comes to cakes. Read on as we discuss the merits of delaying that slice and how ageing your cakes can take it to the next level.
Why it’s worth ageing your cake
Ageing cakes have long been a thing, yet not many tend to be familiar with them. If you’ve tried making fruitcakes before, you may have encountered this peculiar process already. However, it is not really the same thing.
Fruitcakes are generally aged for long periods ranging from weeks to months, during which they’re bathed in liquor regularly for added flavour and moisture. For some regular cakes, the ageing process isn’t as unbearably long as you need only wait a few days before digging in. As mentioned before, this may contradict your deeply held beliefs that fresh-baked tastes best, but this waiting period actually helps improve the texture and flavour of certain cakes.
But that’s the leading theory, anyway. For instance, when making chocolate olive oil cake, you can bet it’ll taste delicious on the first day. However, if you abstain from cutting a slice until after three days, you’re in for some good eating, as the cake will have a deeper chocolate flavour and stronger notes of olive oil that elevate the entire experience.
Which cakes should you age?
Any moist and dense cake is a perfect candidate for ageing as you want its prominent flavours to grow stronger and improve their texture. Take carrot cake, for example. The complementary flavour notes from its ingredients will deepen and mellow over several days, resulting in a stronger and more enticing taste. Oil-based cakes are also better for ageing, which carrot cakes fall under, as they stay supple and see improvements in flavour provided they are wrapped tightly to minimise moisture loss.
Tips for ageing your cakes
Looking forward to experiencing the benefits of abstinence? Here are a few tips to keep in mind when ageing your cakes:
1. Choose the right recipe
As mentioned, oil-based cakes are the best for ageing, particularly those with a moist and dense texture and distinct flavours, as the process allows these key attributes to bloom and become more pronounced. Conversely, delicate and light egg-based cakes such as chiffon cakes are not suited for ageing.
2. Hold the frosting
If your recipe calls for frosting the cake, leave it unfrosted until serving. Since frosting tends to have a high sugar ratio, the sugar’s hygroscopic nature will suck out all the cake’s moisture and cause it to dry up.
3. Wrap it tightly
Properly wrapping the cake is key to locking in moisture and preventing it from drying up during the ageing process. Thus, double-check your seal and use an airtight wrapper so that the cake isn’t exposed to any air.
4. Let it rest at room temperature
There’s no need to chill the cake in the fridge when ageing. More importantly, it is not recommended since the cold air promotes drying. Hence, letting the cake rest at room temperature will suffice.
5. Wait for one to three days
After waiting a day, the cake’s flavours will deepen and strengthen the more you wait. However, don’t wait too long and only age your cake for up to four days maximum unless it’s a fruitcake or some other cake recipe that requires ageing for much longer.
Conclusion
With a bit of patience, your delicious cake can become even tastier as ageing helps it develop a more nuanced flavour and a better texture that is sure to delight your taste buds. But if you don’t have time to spare, there’s no harm in taking a shortcut occasionally, so just order cakes online for delivery. Simply browse Polar Puffs & Cakes’ expansive selection of desserts and pastries, choose the ones that catch your eye, and sit back as we deliver baked goodness right to your door!
