There are few pie “improvements” that I trust right away. I’m a food skeptic by nature, and I tend to squint at viral hacks and food tricks until I’m convinced. That’s how I was when I reviewed Renee Erickson’s peach pie with hot sugar crust before I tried it. But after one bite, I’m happy to report that not only is it damn good, but this technique can add a sweet, crunchy top to a variety of baked goods. Just make sure you steel yourself for the moment you pour water on your pie.

Cake is usually topped with some sort of glaze or icing, such as chopped nuts, fruit, or ganache. These are all great, but a hot sugar crust is a cake topping that’s a little different than the rest. Rather than being added after the dessert has baked and cooled, the hot water dissolves the sugar granules and forms a crust as it evaporates during baking. Not to be confused with a brulée sugar topping: far from a hard, caramelized shell, a hot sugar crust is translucent, delicate, crispy, and ultra-thin. Your fork pierces through the crunchy layer of sugar and dives into the soft crumb of the cake beneath, making each bite an exquisite combination of textures.

Some of my initial concerns came from this concept of pouring hot water over the batter before baking. (Okay, all of my concerns came from that.) I’ve heard of this method for baking lasagnas, but cake? Nope. What if the hot water melts the butter? What if the water gets soggy? What if it makes the cake tough? What if it doesn’t form a crust at all? All of my concerns were dispelled for the same reason: it comes down to the mixing method.

The order in which you add the ingredients and the way they interact ensures that the water you pour on top of the dessert does not come into contact with ingredients that it should not come into contact with, especially the butter and flour.