No toothpick ? No problem ! utilise these alternate method to examine the doneness of your baked goods .

When testing to see if bar are done , toothpicks are the go - to pecker . For the classic bar toothpick exam , you simply insert a wooden toothpick near the centre of the cake . If the toothpick follow out clean , the bar is done . Yes , the bake toothpick trial run is really that easy . Provided , of course , youhavea toothpick at the quick . If you open up your closet to find you ’ve run out of this no - technical school putz , we have other options you could use to arrest your parched goods . Still , it ’s not a spoilt estimate to supply toothpick to your shopping list .

Our Favorite Alternative to Toothpicks

If you ’re in the middle of making , say , yourbest - ever chocolate cakeand you do n’t have a toothpick to see cake doneness , a thin , sharp knife is our Test Kitchen ’s favorite workaround . Look at your knife coif and ascertain the one with the flimsy blade . Then sneak in the blade into the center of the cake . If the knife comes out white , the cake is done . If slugger or git stick to the blade , let your cake broil a few minute more and retest with a clean tongue .

Other Ways to Test Baked Goods Without a Toothpick

We know you ’ve acquire a tongue in your kitchen already , which is one reason it ’s our favorite alternative to toothpicks , but there are extra options .

What about the fork toothpick magic ? Truth be told , most board fork have tine that are too confining together to work as a secure choice to toothpicks . A better choice is a carving branching . Thanks to the wide space between the two tine , you ’ll be able to easily see any telltale crumb or hitter .

Beyond the Baking Toothpick Test

For some bar recipes , a toothpick examination is n’t the best way to limit doneness . Be indisputable to show the recipe method closely to find out just what kind of doneness mental test to apply .

For example , when baking asponge cakeor achiffon cake , you’re able to determine doneness by allude the top lightly with your digit . If the top bounce back , the cake is done . You ’ll require no toothpick to test cake doneness when bakingangel solid food cake , either . Instead , an Angel Falls intellectual nourishment bar is done when it turns a fortunate color and spring back when lightly touched .

The cake toothpick trial has saved many of us from overbaking cakes ; in fact , it remains the doneness test that our Test Kitchen practice most often . And , yet , there ’s a reason toothpicks are not on our list ofessential baking tools every household cook needs : There are bully alternative to toothpick that lick just fine .

Toothpick testing coffee cake man pan

Credit: Andy Lyons

Cake doneness test with finger

Credit: Scott Little