Baking and decorating a cake takes skill, dedication, and a great recipe. There’s so much knowledge available on how to perfectly make a cake and the best ways to effectively decorate it. But along with that wealth of information, there are a few misconceptions regarding the best ways to produce a cake. Today, we’re here to debunk some popular myths you may believe about cakes.

Margarine is healthier than butter

While margarine might be slightly better for your body than butter, there is very little difference between their calorie count. There’s no harm in using butter, especially when it comes to the taste and texture of the cake itself.

You need red food coloring for red velvet cakes

That’s simply not true. While it’s been thought that the red coloring of red velvet cakes has always come from edible food dye, the truth lies in the cake ingredients themselves. The original reddish hue of the iconic cake comes from the reaction that occurs between the vinegar, buttermilk, and cocoa. You don’t need to add red food coloring to make your red velvet cake, just use an authentic recipe that contains those three key ingredients.

The cake is ruined once the oven door opens

It’s always been said that opening the oven door while a cake is in the process of baking would cause it to sink. However, once the cake has set in the oven for the first ten minutes it’s been baking away, you won’t have to worry about it falling. As long as your oven is hot enough, the slight change in temperature from opening the door won’t do any damage.

Always put cakes in the fridge

When decorating a cake, techniques that include buttercream frosted cakes or naked cakes can go in the fridge without fear of destruction. However, you should never store a cake covered in fondant in a fridge. If you do, you’ll end up with a sticky, wet mess. And if you had finely crafted details on it like sugar flowers, then you can say goodbye to that handiwork, for it too will be ruined by the fridge’s moisture.

All cakes can be made year-round

Not true. The integrity of a cake can be affected by any number of factors, including weather conditions. If you’re traveling with a cake, transporting it from one location to another, then you need to be aware of any circumstances that can affect the cake. The moist heat of a summer’s day will destroy a decorated cake, especially if there’s chocolate work or soft icing involved. Cakes thrive in cool, dry spaces.

It doesn’t take long to make

Making boxed cakes or following a simple recipe with little to no decorative work can be achieved in an hour or two. However, crafting elaborate cakes with delicate details can take a day or two, maybe more depending on the scale of the cake design. The bigger the cake, the longer it’ll take to make, from baking and prepping to covering and decorating. Any high-quality cake shop will take as much time as they need to create a cake that fits its client’s needs.

Located in the Kerrisdale neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Sweet E’s Pastries and Sweets is a unique cake shop and pastry boutique. Since opening our doors in 2005, our cake artists have been designing playful, yet modern creations for our unique clientele. If you’re interested in ordering custom cookies or a large number of baked goods, call us and visit our website at https://sweet-e.ca/.