Baking is so much fun when you have years of experience with it.
I rarely come across anyone who does not want to try baking even if it is for just one time but people do hesitate to do it because of the time it takes. The time consumption and effort that it takes are unexplainable and the risk, oh don’t talk about that!
You will always wonder if the recipe is going to come out just fine or not until you have that cake in your hands and you know for sure what have you done with it.
Imagine putting hours into preparing the batter of your cake than baking and making your frosting on the other hand only to find out that the cake was not baked to perfection. Heartbreaking, isn’t it?
So here comes the GOOD NEWS guys. You can also bake a cake in an air fryer and they turn out just PERFECT!
Let’s not waste any time and get into everything that you must know about baking a cake in an air fryer.
What exactly is an air fryer?
Air fryers are small kitchen gadgets that function similarly to micro convection ovens. They have a coil heating element that heats up at the top of the unit.
Above the heating coil is a tiny fan that propels air past the coil, causing the air to heat up. The hot air then circulates throughout the interior, cooking the food. As a result, the dish is healthier because less oil is used.
Things you need to make an air fryer cake
It is now time to bake a cake with this ingenious device. But for that, you will need the following tools.
- Cake batter – Make your favorite homemade cake batter or buy a box of cake mix.
- Air fryer- The air fryer is, of course, the star of this recipe.
- Cake pan – suitable for the air fryer. You don’t have to use the one that comes with the kit; simply measure the inside of your air fryer basket and use a cake pan that is smaller than that.
- Cake strips are great, but not required. They aid in keeping the cake level throughout baking rather than doming in the middle.
Can I use an air fryer instead of an oven for baking?
Of course, you can use an air fryer instead of an oven for baking. Even for baking a cake.
Air fryers are a more convenient way than ovens because this appliance takes less time to bake, require less space than the conventional oven, and does not make the kitchen extra hot like an oven would do.
People who live in studio apartments or small spaces prefer air fryers because they are space saviors.
Those people who live in places where the weather is hot prefer air fryers because ovens tend to make the temperature of the kitchen even higher.
And those people who do not have hours for waiting for the results also vouch for air fryers as they are time savers.
Let’s compare these famous kitchen appliances with each other to understand which one is better than the other. The results may vary for every person.
| Air fryer | Oven |
| Space saver. | Space taker. |
| Can do frying, baking, broiling, grilling, roasting, and reheating. | Can bake, broil, grill, and roast. |
| Counter-top appliance. | Kitchen fitting required. |
| Expensive cooking. | Budget-friendly cooking. |
| Time saver. | Time consumer. |
| Makes small batches. | Makes full-size meals. |
Can you use any cake pan in an air fryer?
Air fryers are a good replacement for a conventional oven and they can do everything an oven can do. Air fryers are also safe for those materials that are safe in an oven.
These materials include ceramic, steel, silicone, or metal cake pans.
In baking cake, pans play a great role in determining the results of your cake. It is important to be very careful about the diameter and depth of your cake pan. Also, following the recipe is very crucial.
Any mold or dish that is oven approved is okay to be used in an air fryer because both appliances work almost the same way.
Chocolate cakes are delicious, moist and the hardest to make. The reason these cakes are tricky is that, if you overcook them they are dry, if you undercook them, they are raw.
To keep the balance, check out this super easy recipe of how can you bake a cake in an air fryer, try it at home, and thank me later.
Does the air fryer give a better taste than the oven?
Does air-fried food taste better than the oven? Well, I would rather leave this question to my readers.
In all fairness, it all depends on personal preferences.
I cannot tell if air-fried food tastes better than the oven but I can tell that even though both of these appliances work in the same way and are a good replacement for each other, the food with the same ingredients and the same recipe does not taste the same in them.
To get the best results out of your air fryer, make sure that the air fryer basket is not overcrowded.
Tips and Tricks
To get better results, you must always look out for some tips and tricks no matter if you are air frying or baking. Make your air-fried cake better with the following tips.
- First and foremost, find a recipe that is simple to follow.
- Always know what pan is right for your recipe.
- Be precise on the timings and temperature and to do so you must know your brand and model.
- Keep a check on your cake’s crust. Make sure that it does not burn.
- Do your best with the cake topping.
Is air frying faster than baking?
Yes, air frying cooks food faster than baking in a regular oven.
Air fryers have sure made our busy life easy with quick meal preparations and healthy food. Air fryers have a heating element that circulates hot air in the appliance very quickly.
The only thing that I find ‘not-so-cool’ about the air fryers is that they do not have much capacity in them and if you are planning to make meals for more than one person, there is a chance that you will need to make rounds of air frying for a single dish.
As for ovens, they have the capacity of making meals for a big bunch of people.
This is the only way that makes air frying time-consuming other than that air fryers are best for small portions of meals.
Summary
In this article, you have learned.
- Air fryers are a good option for cake-making.
- You can use any oven-approved cake pan to use in an air fryer.
- The taste of air-fried and oven-made food is not the same but which one is better than the other depends on a person’s personal preference.
- To make better cakes in an air fryer, try to use simple recipes, know what pan will go best with that recipe, know the timings and temperature that will go best with your brand and model, keep an eye on the crust of your cake, and make the topping as per your liking.
- We know air fryers cook faster than ovens but air fryers cannot make big batches like air fryers.