Toothpick test

The toothpick test is the most common way to check that a cake, muffin, brownie or quick bread is baked through. You push a toothpick, thin wooden skewer or metal cake tester into the center and pull it out. What sticks to it tells you whether the middle is still raw batter. It works best with the spring-back test as a second check.

How to do it

1. Start checking a few minutes before the end of the baking time.
2. Pull the oven rack out partway so you are not reaching over the hot pan.
3. Push a toothpick straight down into the thickest part, usually the center. For a ring or bundt cake, test halfway between the edge and the hole.
4. Pull it straight out and look at it.
5. If it is not done, close the oven and test again in 3 to 5 minutes, in a fresh spot.

How to tell it is done

• Done: the toothpick comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
• Not done: wet, shiny batter streaks the toothpick.
• Overbaked: it comes out completely dry, and the cake has pulled well away from the pan.

For fudgy brownies, you want moist crumbs, not a clean pick. For a light sponge, a clean pick is right.

Why it works

Raw batter is wet and sticks to the wood in a smear. Baked crumb is set, so only a few crumbs or none at all stick. A wooden toothpick is a little rough, so it picks up batter more easily than a smooth metal tester.

Common mistakes

• Testing too early. Opening the oven before the cake has set can make it sink.
• Testing near the edge. The edges bake first and give a false "done".
• Hitting a chocolate chip or a piece of fruit. Melted chocolate looks like raw batter. Test another spot.
• Using it on custards and cheesecakes. A creamy filling always clings. Use the jiggle test.
• Waiting for a clean pick on brownies. They end up dry, since they keep cooking from carryover heat as they cool.

In recipes

"Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean" is the standard phrase. "With a few moist crumbs" means stop a little earlier, for a moist cake.