When I first started baking I used to be such a mess, I would burn the cake or under cook it. There was never in between or perfection was just too far away! I realized my mistakes over the years, because I knew I had the passion for it and I decided to invest more time on my research. Honestly, this helped and I took my mistakes into considerations and rectified them. Now, I bake almost like a pro, kidding! But yes, I do bake well enough for my family and friends to devour every last bit on their plate! So here’s a few tips and tricks I use, and I hope it helps you as well:
Read the Recipe Before Beginning : You will feel this is silly, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a complete recipe disaster because I didn’t realize a certain step was coming up. Reading ahead will help you know the how, why, where, and when of what you are about to do. It will take you 1-5 minutes and could save you from wasting your ingredients (and money!) on a failed recipe.
Always Have Ingredients Prepped : Read through the ingredients, then get them prepared on your counter. Measure your ingredients before starting a recipe. Avoid making ingredient substitutions. Remember, baking is chemistry. Make the recipe as written first then if you feel confident, make substitutions as you see fit.
Investing in the right equipment : Trust me when I say this, the right equipment will not only make your preparation 5x easier, but they also end up ensuring that you’re doing your recipe right. Like, silicone spatulas have taken the baking world by a storm and evidently to another level. Uniformly mixing your cake ingredients, ensuring that each drop of your batter has been transferred to the tin, to even cleaning out your final platter, silicone spatulas have become no less than a wish come true.
Weigh Your Ingredients : A small kitchen scale is priceless! It is, by far, the most used tool in my kitchen. A gram or ounce is always a gram or an ounce, but a cup isn’t always a cup. This is why I offer gram measurements with my recipes. Again, precision is everything.
Parchment paper all the way : If you need to ensure to one hundred percent that your cake isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan, parchment paper is the answer to all your prayers! Indeed, there are other methods like oiling or dusting with flour, but there is nothing like a good old parchment paper that is allowing your cake to come out in the most beautiful way possible!
Always sift dry ingredients : Dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and so on, should always be sifted. Even if the recipes don’t ask for it.
Sifting allows your ingredients to get lighter and it allows the involvement of air.
Don’t give up : This is the most important tip that I’d like to share. Please embrace all the flaws and faults that made baking a failed attempt and be rest assured that the next time, you’re only going to grow as a baker. Mistakes do not inhibit your growth, they’re actually a milestone that you’re almost there and you need to carry on and not give up and run. Understand the fact that things will go wrong and there are absolutely zero things wrong with this.
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