This Is Carla Hall's Trick For Baking A Cake Quickly
Whether you're prepping for a big bake sale at your kid's school, or having guests over sooner than you expected, there's nothing worse than running out of time when you're trying to pull together a presentable cake. Not only is there the bake time you have to account for, there's also the cooling time, the crumb coat and chill stage, and, of course, the frosting and decorating. It might seem like an impossible task if you're in a time crunch, but the good news is that you don't have to resort to buying a store-bought backup, or risk your cake looking like one off an episode of "Nailed It." Instead, you can simply follow a tip from chef Carla Hall.
During an interview with Insider in November 2020, Hall, a judge on the Food Network's hit series, "Halloween Baking Championship," revealed her tip for cutting your baking time in half.
Carla Hall says its all about what you're cooking with
"Instead of baking it in a cake round, bake your cake in a sheet pan and then punch it out layers with a ring mold or something like that," Hall told Insider.
Hall's baking hack produces thin cake layers, but that doesn't mean you'll end up with a smaller cake. The celebrity chef explained that not only does filling go a long way in bulking out a cake, it also elevates the overall flavor and texture, and you don't have to stick to one type of filling. Hall recommends alternating between each layer, and suggests any combination of ganache, frosting, or fruit compote, depending on your preference.
Getting creative with the filling flavors is key to successfully executing Hall's baking shortcut, but it's important to not get carried away by overfilling. As Cake by Courtney elaborates, if you add too much, it will inevitably spill over the edges and cause your cake layers to slide around and putting you in even more of a time crunch. However, as long as you make sure your cake doesn't consist of more filling than actual cake, Hall's trick will definitely make a difference.