Top tips for successful baking

I honestly believe that if you can read a recipe, you can bake. Maybe not a wedding cake, but certainly a batch of edible cupcakes! Successful baking is all about preparation and organization. Here are my 7 top tips for foolproof baking!

1. Read the recipe before you start and then read it again

Nothing is worse than getting halfway through a recipe only to realise you’re missing an ingredient or equipment or that the recipe needs time to rest/rise/set.

2. Collect all your ingredients and equipment

Collecting everything you need before you start ensures that you won’t be scrambling for hidden equipment or trying to unfreeze a block of butter mid-baking. Having everything set out really makes baking so much more enjoyable and relaxing!

3. Room temperature ingredients are best

Certain ingredients, like eggs, milk and butter form emulsions in baked goods. This emulsion traps air and when baking, that trapped air expands o produce a fluffy end product. Ingredients that are too cold don’t emulsify as well, and won’t give as good an end result as their room temperature counterparts.

4. Preheat your oven

Getting into the routine of preheating your oven and double checking the temperature and setting before picking up a whisk will spare you from many a disaster.

5. Ditch the measuring cups

Measuring cups are clumsy, messy and make more dishes. Using a scale is so much easier, and definitely more accurate too. See my list of ml to gram conversions of common baking ingredients here.

6. Know that baking times are only a guideline

Twenty minutes in my oven is not necessarily twenty minutes in yours, so learn to follow your instincts and not the time stated in your recipe. It’s very valuable learning to tell when something is baked by touch and sight – it will take some practice, put once you’ve learnt to tell, you’ll have perfect bakes every time.

7. Practice, practice, practice!

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are those life-sized cake creations we see all over Pinterest and baking shows. If you practice and master the basics, you’ll be able to successfully attempt more complicated bakes (queue Maria from Sound of Music: When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most a-ny-thiiiing!!!!)

Happy baking lovelies!

Jeanine xxx

#bakingtips