Baking Tips
"Help is at Hand! "
If you are looking for Baking Tips you may find some answers on these pages. As queries and questions come up I will answer with a page addressing the issue.
Many Baking Tips will help you bake the perfect cake….but we all have the odd failure for whatever reason. A memory lapse where you have missed a vital ingredient or you have forgotten to check the time when you put your cake in the oven. Just try again - you are sure to be successful second time around.
For beginning bakers it is good to read through the tips before you start. You will be surprised how such small things can make a difference.
So here we go - in no particular order!
Many Baking Tips will help you bake the perfect cake….but we all have the odd failure for whatever reason. A memory lapse where you have missed a vital ingredient or you have forgotten to check the time when you put your cake in the oven. Just try again - you are sure to be successful second time around.
For beginning bakers it is good to read through the tips before you start. You will be surprised how such small things can make a difference.
So here we go - in no particular order!
General Tips for Successful Baking
1) Always preheat your oven.
2) Always leave a cake to cool for several minutes before turning out
3) Do NOT open the oven door until the cake is almost cooked or you will end up with a cracked top or the cake will rise unevenly.
4) Do not overbeat your mixture. Your cake can be dry and tough from over beating. While you want the ingredients to be well blended with no lumps, once this has happened, stop beating unless the recipe gives you instructions to beat longer.
5) Beating Egg Whites
6) Always use butter softened to room temperature.
7) Be sure your mixture is evenly spread to the edges of the cake pan or your cake will be thicker in the middle than the outside - and most likely dry around the edges from over cooking.
8) Measure your ingredients - see the measures chart if you are unsure
9) Sift dry ingredients - this helps get out lumps and puts air into the mixture.If you don't have a sifter a simple sieve works well.I like one that sits across the bowl.
10) Prepare your baking pans properly. You can see a full description of how to prepare your pans here.
11) Use the correct size baking pan - preferably with a removable base. This ensures you will not have a problem with sticking when you turn out your cake.
12) Use a light cooking oil like Canola or Rice Bran Oil for baking.( unless the recipe states a certain type of oil) A strong flavoured oil will affect the flavour.
13) Your cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean. You can see uncooked mix on an uncooked cake. Always test in the middle as that takes the longest to cook through.
14) Another quick test for a cake - If you press the cake gently with your finger it will depress, then bounce back.
15) If your cake is over browning on the top but needs more cooking, cover the pan with tinfoil - aluminum paper
2) Always leave a cake to cool for several minutes before turning out
3) Do NOT open the oven door until the cake is almost cooked or you will end up with a cracked top or the cake will rise unevenly.
4) Do not overbeat your mixture. Your cake can be dry and tough from over beating. While you want the ingredients to be well blended with no lumps, once this has happened, stop beating unless the recipe gives you instructions to beat longer.
5) Beating Egg Whites
- If you are beating egg whites you must have a completely dry bowl.
- No egg yolk must have escaped into the egg whites.
- If you have had a little yolk get into the white you will have to start again as it will not beat up properly.
- For this reason it is a good idea to separate your eggs into a separate cup and add the clear egg white
to the bowl.
- This means you only need to separate one extra egg if you have a mishap, rather than have ruined the whole bowl of egg white.
6) Always use butter softened to room temperature.
7) Be sure your mixture is evenly spread to the edges of the cake pan or your cake will be thicker in the middle than the outside - and most likely dry around the edges from over cooking.
8) Measure your ingredients - see the measures chart if you are unsure
9) Sift dry ingredients - this helps get out lumps and puts air into the mixture.If you don't have a sifter a simple sieve works well.I like one that sits across the bowl.
10) Prepare your baking pans properly. You can see a full description of how to prepare your pans here.
11) Use the correct size baking pan - preferably with a removable base. This ensures you will not have a problem with sticking when you turn out your cake.
12) Use a light cooking oil like Canola or Rice Bran Oil for baking.( unless the recipe states a certain type of oil) A strong flavoured oil will affect the flavour.
13) Your cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean. You can see uncooked mix on an uncooked cake. Always test in the middle as that takes the longest to cook through.
14) Another quick test for a cake - If you press the cake gently with your finger it will depress, then bounce back.
15) If your cake is over browning on the top but needs more cooking, cover the pan with tinfoil - aluminum paper