Baking Tip: Do you open the oven when baking sponges, cupcakes or muffins?

The basic answer is NO! Don't open the oven to check if a cake is cooked. If the cake is not cooked and you open the oven, the sponge will sink and you will have a dent in your cake.

There are some simple tips to knowing if your cake is done, without having to open the oven door:

1. First, cook the cake for the minimum recommended time. Recipes have been practiced several times and therefore they know the correct baking time.
2. Take a look through your oven door to see if the sponge has turned golden brown.
3. You should be able to smell the cake now. But make sure its not a burning bit of cake mixture that has strayed from the tin.
4. The sponge would have also come away from the sides of the tin or cases.

Once you have checked these points, you can now quickly open the door and lightly press the sponge in the centre. If the sponge bounces back then it is ready to come out.

1. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the tin or muffin/cupcake case.
2. Remove from the tin onto a cooling wire rack