Cakes have been and will always remain the favourite of desserts for many people. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, cakes are available in a number of varieties. Secondly, they can be made of completely healthy products so that they are not just great on the taste buds but are also good for health. You also have specified cakes available in the market for direct consumption and cake delivery, such as sugar-less or egg-less cakes. Lastly, cakes can be used for almost every single occasion and are also easily transportable from one place to another.

There are a few things you need to bear in mind when you order a cake for delivery, though. Some of the import ones are as follows:

• Estimated delivery time – As cakes are perishable items, you must check with the company you are going to place the order with about the longevity of their cakes and how many days in advance should you place the order with them. Most state you should do it at least 7 days prior to the delivery date.

• Shipping – Once the cake is shipped, you can keep a track of the package by using the ‘track order the cake’ facility company will no doubt provide you with. Be sure to collect the package when it arrives or ensure someone is there to collect it because it cannot be left on your doorstep. Usually, cakes once returned cannot be re-shipped so collecting the package in the first instance is vital.

• Dry ice packages – If your cake is shipped using dry ice, then you must collect the cake and firstly handle the ice with extreme caution. Do not try to remove the cake from the ice with bare hands as that kind of ice will cause serious injuries to naked skin. Also, the cake must be de-frosted for some time and then consumed as quickly as possible. Re-freezing and consuming the cake another day may not be possible or healthy and most cakes have a very short shelf life.

• Cancellation – Once you have placed the order, the baker will start gathering the ingredients and making other necessary preparations to bake the cake. Remember, all this is not done in just a day. So, if you do want to cancel the cake, be sure to do it as soon as possible. Some companies don’t offer cancellation refund while some do, fully or partially, depending on several factors, including the kind of cake you have ordered.  So, be sure to check out the cancellation policies of the cake maker while you place the order to be on the safer side.

• Seasonal deliveries – Sometimes, there are exceptionally large number of cakes ordered and the bakers may not be able to stick to their usual preparation time. It is recommended to place your order during special occasions such as festivals, religious occasions well in advance so that you don’t miss out on your favourite cake because of high cake order volumes!

Delivering cake is now easy, but you must do it right so you get your cake on time and in the way you want it!

You can make delicious food items even more delicious and healthy with the addition of yummy little things called dried fruits! Perfect examples of food items that can be enriched with are desserts and juices. You name it and you can include one or the other kind of dry fruit in their recipes.

If you are considering cake delivery for a special someone or just because you are in a mood to pamper yourself, then why don’t you opt for one with a healthy dose of health in it! If you are not sure of what kinds of dry fruits you should look out for in your cakes, here are some of the popular examples for you:

• Dried apricots – These are available throughout the year and can be chopped and sprinkled on your favourite ice cream or added to the cake batter. Made by drying the delicious and juicy fruits, the dried version too retains some of that juiciness. This is also very rich in minerals such as fibre, antioxidants and potassium.
• Dates – Pitted dates are great with dry desserts, such as ice creams and cakes. If finely chopped, they can also be added to our milkshakes and smoothies. Favourites of the Sheikhs, dates can also be easily found in all other parts of the world, thanks to their great demand and ample supply from the Middle Eastern countries. Sweet and with similar mineral properties as of apricots, dates are very sweet and rubbery in texture when bitten.
• Raisins – Dried grapes are small and shrivelled to look at. They are available in different shades of brown, usually, and the quality of the raisins, of course, depends on the quality of the grapes that are dried. These are added aplenty to almost all forms of desserts and are also rich in minerals such as vitamins and fibre.
• Dried cranberries (whole) – One of the sweetest berries you will find on earth, cranberries are excellent fruits of which juices can be made. If you enjoy cranberries, either in its original form or as a juice, then you should love including them in your snack plan or in some of your desserts. And don’t just settle for the canned and dried halved cranberries when you can opt for the juicy and delicious whole dried variety! Some of the other berries that you may want to try out are Goji berries, blueberries, glazed and tart red cherries and bing cherries. These little globes of taste and juice are available almost throughout the year!
• Nuts – There are many types of nuts that you can indulge in to make the flavour richer and with more substance to it. Examples of nuts are cashew, almond and pista. Whole, chopped or powdered, these are excellent in their flavour in any form.

It is considered a good practice to include a small portion of dry fruits such as nuts and raisins in our daily meal. They don’t look like they pack a punch but believe it or not, they really do, nutrition-wise! And the best part is they don’t always have to be clubbed with boring food items such as cereals and health drinks.

Variety of cakes lies before you when you are looking for cake delivery through online sites. If you go through various sites, there are ample of choices to pick from.

Orange Cornmeal Cake:

This cake has its origin in Italy. Made from orange peel extracts and corn meal, it is also made with addition of sugar syrup and eggs. This is a dessert after lunch.

Warm Almond Cherry Cake:

This cake is best served hot. Almond paste is mixed in a thick batter of flour, eggs and sugar syrup. After baking, fresh cherries are used as toppings. One can also add hot chocolate syrup for more taste.

Lemon Ginger Cake:

Some may get surprised by the name, but it is a very delicious recipe. Tangy lemon juice and ginger paste is used in a regular cake batter. Whipped cream is added after baking.

Chocolate Pudding Cake:

This one is also a very common recipe.  Eggs, flour and chocolate chips are baked together to make a pudding. Then frosted cream is added to it and kept in freezer for a few hours. Hence the cake!

Everyone loves the classic pound cake that has an ancient origin and a history of its own. Vanilla chunks and essence is particularly used in this recipe. Do not forget to add vanilla creams after the baking gets over.

Marble Cake:

This one is a unique mixture of chocolate and vanilla. Swirl the batter well so that both the flavours get properly mixed. Bake the cake and enjoy the twin fun.

Blueberry Crumb Cake:

As the name suggests, it is made of tiny little crumbs of egg and flour. Blueberries are added for decoration and taste.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake:

This is a sour cream coffee cake. The taste is unique and it is a very popular recipe of Germany.

Plum Cake:

This lemony, moist plum cake requires a little more than a confectioners’ sugar dusting to make it look like you love to have it. If you wish, a spoonful of sour cream is a tasty addition to it.

Coconut Pineapple Loaf Cake:

It is hard to believe that a simple cake can still be as fascinating and exciting like this cake’s recipe. We simple love it. The toasted coconut helps to balance the pineapple’s tart sweetness of and gives a crispy topping for this delicious cake.

Blueberry Sour Cream Cake:

Blueberries, sour cream, and a lemon-cream topping are used here. These extra ingredients and flavours make this cake all the more varied and exciting, and your guests will never know that you could make a classic pound cake recipe.

Walnut Honey Cake:

Roasted walnut and honey fragrance make this cake a joy to the taste buds. It is a sheer joy when served hot.

Cherry Sheet Cake:

Frozen cherries are used to make a fruit-filled cake that you can put in even when fresh cherries are not available in season. Decorate it with a little of whipped cream, and you’re ready.

Cakes are delicious. Do not let go a single bite of it.

Baking is not as easy as it may sound. It is an art which needs to be mastered for a flawless result. However, even the best of bakers make a few baking mistakes which either lead to an unusual look of the cake or an unpleasant taste. Following are the most common baking mistakes. Read and learn.

Not following each step of the recipe meticulously – Do not make your own assumptions on the recipe. Follow every word properly unless you are already a pro at baking.

Not using measuring tools for ingredients – Sometimes we just assume something to be of 50 gm. However, what we see and what it is are not always the same. So, always measure using the measurement cup or scale and use the ingredients in correct proportions.

Not having a thorough idea of your oven – Each oven has an individual style of working. What may be the ideal temperature for one cake will not necessarily be ideal for other cakes too? So, know your oven well.

Not sieving the flour – Not all of you do this but when you sieve flour with dry ingredients such as the baking powder, it helps to provide air to the flour. For cakes, airy flour is always preferable.

You tend to overbeat – Main reason for the cake getting spoilt is overbeating. When it is about eggs, sugar and better, you can beat them for as long as you like but mixing flour requiring a light hand.

You settle the chocolate or dry fruits straightaway – Often while baking you will see that the stuffing – chocolate or fruits sink right at the bottom. We have a hack for this. Coat the stuffing with a little flour first.

Not levelling the cake when you put in the oven – All of us simply stuff the mixture haphazardly into the tin and that is fine. But make sure the uppermost layer is even for the cake to have an even layer once it is baked.

Opening the oven door while the cake is baking – You are eager to know how it is turning out, but you must wait till it is done. It is okay to worry if the cake is burning or taking a bit too long. However, opening the door again and again drops the temperature and the texture of the cake gets ruined. Never do that.

Using inappropriate substitutes – Often we don’t have a certain ingredient handy at home. Sometimes we forget to buy a particular ingredient at the market. And this is when we get confused what to use in place of that ingredient. We often end up using an ingredient, the composition of which is not apt for the cake. And the one ingredient spoils the entire cake. It is very essential to know and be able to understand why a recipe demands a particular ingredient.

Baking is not everyone’s cup of tea. You can try baking for fun for but cake delivery to someone special, the safe option is to let the baker do his job.