It is baking time again and we are delighted to answer your problems on specific cakes. This type of subject in our column has become popular to our readers, which just means that all of you are brave enough to send your queries and get inspired by exploring the different varieties of cakes and desserts. Read on!

I enjoy making cakes. But my number one problem is keeping them together. I have cakes where the icing doesn’t attach itself to the cake, causing it to fall and go to one side. This happens in most cakes with my butter cream icing. Can you share a solution to this problem?  (Coney of Manila)

Jun Jun: Make sure that your cakes are cooled for at least two hours before applying any icing. Remember also that your icing shouldn’t be that cold and it is spread out straight from the chiller.  Cake and icing should both have the same temperature.

If the cake is warm, the icing will not adhere to the cake so it is best to keep it at the right temperature.  For layer cakes, leave some space at the edge of each inner layer without icing so that when the next layer is placed, the icing will not overflow.

Adoree:  If your icing is sliding off, it just means it is melting.  Make sure the cake is completely cooled and the icing is not pre-melting.  I hope it does not take you hours to ice your cake.  It would also help if you are working in a cool room.

My butter cream icing is very hard to spread out, it has funny lumps and is not as smooth as the others that I see in bakery show cases.  Please let me know.  (Angelica of San Juan)

Jun Jun:  I don’t think it is the recipe of the butter cream that has a problem since this is a very basic recipe.  I hope you did not chill or refrigerate your butter cream because it will really develop lumps once the fat source hardens and becomes solid.  Keep in a cool place while you are waiting for the cake to cool. 

Adoree:  Angelica, continue to beat your buttercream until it is nice and smooth.  Your butter needs some time to whip, especially if it is still cold.  Use butter at room temperature so that it is easier to incorporate the butter with the other ingredients.

Hi Adoree and Jun Jun, I sell cheesecakes to my officemates. They enjoy it very much but lately since my order has doubled, I have been getting comments that it is not as smooth as before.  I bake it in a water bath in a very low set oven around 300 F.  What could be my problem?  (Neny of Quezon City)

Jun Jun:  The temperature of your cream cheese is very crucial. At room temperature, it will be easier for it to become smooth by properly blending the properties with other ingredients. Make sure that your bain marie is warm and not cold or very hot.  Over baking it will cause some lumps to appear. Sudden changes in oven temperature can also do this so do not open the oven door too often.  

Adoree:  Hi, Neny.  You have to use the cream cheese at room temperature so that it smoothens nicely after some beating.  You will also have to be patient in beating the cream cheese; you cannot add the other liquid ingredients unless the cream cheese is completely smooth.  Otherwise, the lumps would still be visible even after baking.

After experimenting, a gelatinous refrigerated cheesecake is what I get.  My cheesecake doesn’t require any baking, just mixing and refrigerating.  I also noticed that it shrinks after some time in the refrigerator. What should I do?  (Celine of Quezon City)

Jun Jun:  Hi Celine. Please be sure to follow the written recipe. What type of gelatine are you using?  If it is the powdered form, make sure that it is a popular brand used by bakers, so please inquire from them.  Proper gelatine blooming must be done at all times. A sachet of gelatine must be placed in water five times its weight. Let it stay there until it firms up, then lightly heat to make it liquid again.  Blend with cream which is almost of the same temperature as the gelatine mixture so that it doesn’t form into gelatine bits.  As to the shrinking cheesecake, there may not have been enough water for the gelatine to absorb.

Adoree: You can opt to lessen the amount of the gelatine so that it does not result in a rubbery consistency.  The shrinkage can be due to the amount of gelatine used.

I use ready-made puff pastry as a base for my pies. Sometimes it becomes very soggy and not crispy the way I wanted it to be. How do I address this dilemma? (Maribel of Makati)

Jun Jun:  Make sure that your puff pastry is cold but pliable when you put it in your molds.  Then dock it with a fork so that when it is baked, the hot air goes in and cooks both inside and outside.  Oven temperature is a bit high around 400 F but please make sure to check on it at all times.  If you are using pie weights while baking it, bake it again without the weights to make it crispier and not soggy.  What do you fill them with?  If it is a custard or fresh fruit, brushing them with a bit of melted white chocolate is recommended.  

Adoree:  I suspect your oven temperature was not high enough to make the puff pastry crisp and nicely puffed.  The oven temperature has to be at least 375 F to 400 F.  Be sure that the oven is well-preheated before you put the puff pastry in so that the fat does not pre-melt.  Good luck!