John Myers
You know the phenomenon: you follow the baking time specified in the recipe exactly – but the marble cake comes out of the oven soggy. But don’t worry: With the simple and ingenious test with a chopstick, you can see exactly when the dough is ready when baking. Read more about it with us!
Perfectly cooked: That’s why the trick is worth it
Hobby bakers know: the baking times given in cake recipes and the cooking times for your own oven are rarely the same. There are many reasons for this: On the one hand, ovens heat up with different intensity and speed from model to model. Older models may also be incorrectly calibrated. These facts alone result in different baking times. On the other hand, the material and design of the baking pan can change the baking time. The number given in the recipe is therefore only a guideline. And you can tell the exact doneness of your muffins by testing them with a stick while baking.
Stick sample: cakes that the test works with
The chopstick test doesn’t work with every treat. It is primarily suitable for batter recipes and shortcrust pastry. On the other hand, particularly moist baked goods or those with a cream filling are unsuitable. So the chopstick test is nothing for your brownies or cheesecake. Speaking of cheesecake: Your cheesecake will tear while baking – but what’s the reason? You can find the answer to this question in our expert knowledge.
Stick test for cake – suitable utensils
Does the chopstick test also work with a fork? Yes. Ideally, the utensil should be long enough to reach from top to bottom at the thickest part of the pastry. However, the material is not decisive. Wood and metal are equally suitable for your cake when testing with a stick. Suitable utensils are kebab skewers, chopsticks, and toothpicks, but also knitting needles, forks, or knives.
And this is how you proceed for a successful chopstick test:
- Insert the skewer of your choice into the pastry five minutes before the end of the specified baking time. To do this, choose its thickest point and pierce through to the bottom of the cake or pastry.
- Slowly pull the chopstick out. If dough or crumbs stick to the utensil, the pastry goes back into the oven.
- Repeat the procedure five minutes later with a clean chopstick.
- If the chopstick comes out clean, the cake is done and can be taken out to cool.
