If you’ve ever baked a cake, chances are you’re well-versed in the ol’ toothpick trick to check if the cake is done. And while handy, it’s not exactly a foolproof science. Sure, sticking a toothpick in your cake to see if it comes out clean is easy. But a new hack that is way more precise is making the rounds on social media, and it might change the way you bake forever.
In a Reel posted to Instagram, Roice Bethel, the former teacher behind the account @noflakeysalt, shared that he uses an instant-read thermometer to check the finishing temperature of baked goods instead of a toothpick. But why over-complicate a technique used by home bakers for decades? Well, believe it or not, he has a really good reason.
“In order for the toothpick to come out clean you need a temperature of at least 212°F, and the problem with that is this is the temperature where water evaporates, meaning it’ll give you a drier and less moist cake,” explains Bethel. Essentially, he’s claiming that if you use the toothpick method, you’re overbaking your cake.
Instead, he says you should use an instant-read thermometer and remove the cake once the temperature reaches around 205°F. “At this point, a toothpick would not come out clean, but the cake is fully baked, and because we didn’t push all the way up to 212, it’s also moist.”
Naturally, this totally blew my mind. Is Bethel onto something? Well, sort of. “I think the specification of calling for 205°F as the ideal temperature can be misleading because different types of cakes have different doneness ranges,” said The Kitchn Food Editor, Patty Catalano.
“I think what’s most important when checking cakes for doneness is to rely on a few indicators and not just one. Is the cake pulling away from the sides of the pan and browning slightly? Does the cake bounce back when gently pressed?” adds Catalano. “Often recipes will say that a few small crumbs are OK but that a toothpick shouldn’t have wet batter clinging to the tester.”
