Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's Top Cake Baking Tips

Pioneer Woman Ree DrummondPhoto byPillsbury

Ree Drummond is a true ''Pioneer Woman'' when it come to her cooking empire. Besides loving her cooking shows and cookbooks, she simply has some of the best recipes around. I especially love her cooking and baking tips she enjoys sharing with all her fans. Here are some wondeful tips for 'Baking the Fluffiest Cakes' from the Ree Drummond Pioneer Woman website.

The origin of cake baking goes back centuries where certain ingredients like yeast was used to make cakes light & fluffy. Honey was also used as a sweetener for different types of desserts as well. There have always been tried and true tricks and tips that bakers have used to get the best results when baking.

Ree Drummond's first baking tip is to add Buttermilk when baking your cakes. "I wind up with the fluffiest cakes when the recipe calls for buttermilk," Ree explains. Buttermilk is a tenderizer, making a moist crumb with a subtle tang to balance out sweetness. It also helps activate baking soda, adding the the rise of the cake, which makes it fluffier.''

Here is Ree Drummond's recipe to her coffee-toffee crunch cake which is the perfect recipe where adding buttermilk was essential.

Ree Drummond also says it's important to use Cake Flour as well when baking cakes, it makes a significant difference. "Cake flour can also help keep cakes light; it has less protein (therefore less gluten) than all-purpose flour, so doesn't easily develop that 'chew' that makes a cake tough," Ree notes. Of the many types of flour, cake flour will produce a finer, more delicate crumb.''

Here is Ree's recipe for coconut layer cake where cake flour is used so you won't have to do a swap.

The Pioneer Woman also says Don't Overmix your ingredients when blending everything together. "I also try not to overmix my batter once I add the dry ingredients. The more you beat the batter, the more the gluten will develop, and the tougher the cake will be," she explains. It doesn't matter if you're using cake or all-purpose flour, because both have the ability to develop gluten.''

This is what you should be doing, according to Ree "Once you add the flour and other dry ingredients, mix it until it's just incorporated... then turn off that mixer!"