Cakes and Desserts

A sunken center usually means the cake was underbaked, but leavening, oven habits and pan size can all play a…

A practical method for a tender, fluffy vanilla layer cake, with the reasons behind each step and quick fixes for…

A step-by-step guide to all-butter pie crust: the ratios, the cold-butter rules, three mixing methods, rolling and folding, and fixes…

A step-by-step guide to leveling, filling, stacking and crumb-coating a layer cake, with chill times and tips for a smooth…

A practical guide to stirred custard: the ratio, the temperature window, whether tempering matters and how to save a sauce…

Learn the techniques behind easy cake and dessert recipes: creaming, ingredient temperature and doneness checks for cakes, cheesecake, custard, brownies…

Cakey brownies usually come down to too much flour, overbaking or overmixing. Here is how to make fudgy brownies with…

Cracked cheesecake usually comes from overbaking and fast cooling. Learn the water tray, the jiggle test and the slow cool-down…

Make fluffy American buttercream in 10 minutes, then scale it for cakes and cupcakes, flavor it, and learn when to…