Most Common Questions & Answers
Yes you can - they should last up to three months in the freezer - after that you might notice some drying due to freezing. To freeze your cake simply wrap it in four or five layers of cling film, or seal in a thick freezer bag.
When defrosting a cake, make sure it is thoroughly defrosted and at room temperature before decorating it - it is best to defrost it over night in its wrapping.
Iced cakes sometimes become a little soggy if allowed to defrost too quickly, so slow the process down by leaving them to thaw overnight in the fridge, before unwrapping and leaving on the kitchen surface to bring them up to room-temperature.
Cover with kitchen foil and return to the oven. Check your oven temperature isn't too hot
Knead the Dr. Oetker Regal-Ice Ready to Roll Icing to ensure it’s warm and pliable.
Lightly dust a flat working surface and your rolling pin with icing sugar then roll out your Regal-Ice keeping an even pressure.
It is very important to lift and rotate the Regal-Ice as you roll; adding a little more icing sugar to the surface or rolling pin if necessary. This will prevent it from sticking to the surface.
Should any air bubbles appear within the icing these can be removed by piercing with a clean pin.
Continue to roll out the Regal-Ice until it is larger than the cake itself. This will help with the application of the icing. It is recommended that the Icing is rolled out to a thickness of approximately 5mm.
If using buttercream to stick the Regal-Ice to the cake, use a very thin layer and keep in a cool place to prevent the buttercream from melting. We recommend using apricot jam, as it is easy to apply in a thin layer, and has a better 'gluing' effect.
For a marzipanned cake – lightly brush the marzipan with either cooled boiled water or Apricot Glaze, just enough to make the surface sticky. For a sponge cake, thinly coat with Dr. Oetker Apricot Glaze or homemade buttercream.
Gently lift the Regal-Ice over the rolling pin or pick it up with both hands, taking care not to stretch or tear. Position it on the cake.
Using the palm of your hand or icing smoothing tools, smooth and shape the Regal-Ice on the cake top and sides until it feels silky to the touch.
Trim any excess Regal-Ice using a sharp knife.
If embossing or crimping tools are to be used do this while the icing is still soft – Regal-Ice will generally set within 2-3 hours.
Alternatively, you could use Dr. Oetker Ready Rolled Regal-Ice White Icing. Each disc is approx. 33cm (13 inch) diameter and covers a 20cm (8 inch) round cake.
To check a cake is completely cooked, simply insert a skewer or very thin knife into the centre of the cake for a second or two and then remove. If the cake mixture is still wet, and sticks to the blade, then the cake needs a few more minutes. If the blade comes out clean – your cake is ready for cooling.
Simply select the measurement and read off the corresponding amount from the tables below.
Oven Temperatures
Gas Mark | °C | °F | Description |
1/4 | 110 | 225 | Cool |
1/2 | 130 | 250 | Cool |
1 | 140 | 275 | Very low |
2 | 150 | 300 | Very low |
3 | 170 | 325 | Very low |
4 | 180 | 350 | Moderate |
5 | 190 | 375 | Moderate / hot |
6 | 200 | 400 | Hot |
7 | 220 | 425 | Hot |
8 | 230 | 450 | Very hot |
Weights
Ounces (oz) | Grams (g) |
1 | 25 |
2 | 50 |
3 | 75 |
4 | 110 |
5 | 150 |
6 | 175 |
7 | 200 |
8 | 225 |
9 | 250 |
10 | 275 |
11 | 315 |
12 | 350 |
13 | 375 |
14 | 400 |
15 | 425 |
16 / 1lb | 450 |
Volumes
Fluid Ounces (fl oz) | Mililetres (ml) |
1 | 25 |
2 | 55 |
3 | 75 |
4 | 120 |
5 | 150 |
6 | 175 |
7 | 200 |
8 | 225 |
9 | 250 |
10 | 275 |
15 | 425 |
20 / 1 pint | 570 |
1 1/4 pints | 725 |
1 1/2 pints | 850 |
1 3/4 pints | 1 litre |
Cake Tin Sizes
The general rule of thumb when converting from a round tin to a square tin is to reduce by 2cm (1 inch).
Round | Square Equivalent |
15 cm (6 inch) | 13 cm (5 inch) |
20 cm (8 inch) | 18 cm (7 inch) |
23 cm (9 inch) | 20 cm (8 inch) |
28 cm (11 inch) | 25.5 cm (10 inch) |
1 American Cup is equivalent to 250ml,
½ of an American Cup is equivalent to 125ml,
1/3 of an American Cup is equivalent to 80ml,
¼ an American Cup is equivalent to 60ml.
If you are wanting to convert cups to grams, it depends on what you are wanting to weigh for example:
1 cup flour - 5oz - 150g
1 cup caster/ granulated sugar - 8oz - 225g
1 cup brown sugar - 6oz - 175g
1 cup butter/margarine/lard - 6oz - 175g
1 cup sultanas/raisins 8oz - 225g
1 cup currants - 7oz - 200g
1 cup ground almonds -5oz - 150g
1 cup golden syrup 12oz - 350g
1 cup uncooked rice 7oz - 200g
1 cup grated cheese 4oz - 110g
Fill the kettle to the maximum point and add 2 teaspoons of Bicarbonate of Soda. Boil and discard the water.
Buttermilk is the slightly sour, residual liquid which remains after butter is churned, i.e. milk from the butter or buttermilk.
The flavour of buttermilk is similar to that of yoghurt. You will find it to be slightly thicker in texture than regular milk but not as heavy as cream. Nowadays, most commercial buttermilk is made by adding a lactic acid bacteria culture to pasteurised sweet whole milk or, more commonly skim milk or non-fat milk. After the addition of the culture, the milk is left to ferment for 12 to 14 hours at a low temperature (optimum 69 degrees F.) It is usually labelled cultured buttermilk.
When buttermilk is used in baking it lends a lot of butter flavour without the extra fat of using more butter. Buttermilk has a thick texture and when used in cake making they are extra moist.
The yellow colour from the butter would affect the final colour in the icing. We suggest using less butter in your recipe and more icing sugar with a tablespoon of milk to create paler base before any colour is added. You can also use a white fat based spread.
We would not recommend putting the whole cake in the fridge as the low temperature can affect the desired texture and finish of the Icing. For best results, keep the cake in an airtight container.
It depends on the specific recipe details. Normally you could add the lemon extract to replace the zest that is typically added to baking for the citrus flavour - about 1 tsp or to taste.
However, the juice in the recipe might be required for a specific function for example, in Lemon Meringue pie, you need the liquid from the juice to make the filling which you could not substitute with our Extracts.
Yes, for best results add a little at a time. Adding too much could cause the chocolate to seize and then not be useable.
Yes, however as it is an oil spray which can be highly flammable at high temperatures, it should be applied when the machine is cold.
We would recommend to remove the nozzle and clean it. Wipe off any excess icing around the nozzle end of the can and replace the cap. Store in a cool dry place but not in the fridge. The Easy Swirl can then be kept until the Best Before date printed on the base of the can.
The icing does not need to be refrigerated when on your cake and it will keep for about one week but it will need to be kept cool, especially in warm weather.
Dip the knife in hot water, wipe off the excess water and then cut the cake. The heat from the knife would make it easier to cut through the Scotbloc covering on top of the cake.
We recommend using Shimmer Spray once your baking has been defrosted throughly, as moisture can affect they way the Shimmer Spray adheres to your baking.
We recommend using 1 tube per 150g royal icing to achieve bright red.
To make bold shade buttercream we suggest using 1 tube of Dr. Oetker Gel Food Colour in 175g buttercream icing (butter + icing sugar + milk + colour). This amount of buttercream is enough to cover 6 fairycakes or cupcakes (30g buttercream per cake).
Occasionally brown specks can appear on the surface of the Marzipan, this is from the almond skin.
Glycerine is a natural humectant, which will keep food moist for longer and can be used to soften royal icing.
We would recommend to add 1tsp glycerine per 100g flour, which can be added to the cake batter with the eggs to give a perceived freshness, and a slightly softer crumb structure after storage.
Flower paste has extra gum tragacanth in the recipe which sets the paste firm and enables the paste to be rolled out very thinly and hold its shape without ripping to achieve delicate shapes like flower petals.
Sugar paste (sometime referred to as Fondant paste) is what we refer to as ‘Ready to Roll’ Icing. This is a block of sugar paste that can be rolled out to cover cakes or to create simple models. This will not set as hard as flower paste and you will not be able to roll as thin.
Sometimes if the cupcakes are not baked long enough the cases could peel, as there is more moisture in the cupcake. If they are stored in a container when still slightly warm, moisture can build and cause the Cupcake Cases to peel.
We do not use any of the Southampton 6 artificial colours that require the warning on pack.
We only use artificial colours where required to deliver bright colours:
Artificial Colours we do use:
E133 Brilliant Blue
E142 Green S
Also referred to as PGPR (E476). It is an emulsifier which helps with the flow of the chocolate.
1 sachet = 12g
1 sachets set one pint of liquid (568ml)
1 oz of powdered gelatine would be approx. 2 sachets
When using leaf gelatine 4 sheets is equivalent to 1 powdered sachet (12g)
'Bloom' happens because the chocolate has at some stage been subjected to adverse temperatures which have resulted in the 'bloom' which is present. This is a characteristic of chocolate and chocolate type products in which in which fats rise to the surface of the chocolate, giving a whitish-grey appearance. Although this may look unsightly, it does not affect the performance of the product, and when melted it returns to its former state.
Yes, our Dr. Oetker Ristorante Mozzarella pizza is suitable for vegetarians.
The other pizzas in the Dr. Oetker range that are suitable for vegetarians are;
Ristorante Pizza Mozzarella Gluten Free
Ristorante Pizza Funghi
Ristorante Pizza Quattro Formaggi
Yes, I can confirm that the cheese used on all of the Dr. Oetker pizzas is pasteurised.
All of the pizzas in the Dr. Oetker range are free from Genetically Modified ingredients.
None of our pizzas contain nuts.
We do not use alcohol as an ingredient or in our production process.