Baking is our jam. We live and breathe baking and our recipes have been passed down through generations. We thought we’d share a few of our top tips with you to help your home bakes get to the next level!
Keep Cakes Moist
To ensure cakes don't dry out while baking, try adding a pan of water to the oven while the cake is baking. The steam will help keep the sponge nice and fluffy.
Piping Cupcake Icing
You’ve probably always wondered how bakers get that beautiful, swirly pattern on top of their pretty cupcakes. Well, we are happy to tell you that it’s super simple! Pop down to a kitchen supply store and pick up a few piping bags and icing tips/nozzles (or for those last-minute jobs, you can use a zip lock bag and cut the corner off!) You can get icing tips in all sorts of shapes, sizes and patterns. Depending on your theme, pick the tips that will create the right shape for your creation. Try a few out for size and see what the icing looks like once it’s piped. Once you’ve picked the tip, practice on a tester cupcake first to get comfortable with piping. Once you’ve got the technique down pat, get cracking with the cupcakes. Keep a steady hand and go at your own pace; if the icing is too thick, try warming it slightly in the bag with your hands. Et voila! Top the icing with chocolate sprinkles, sprinkles, lollies or anything that suits your theme! Practice makes perfect, so don’t give up if your first attempt is a little wobbly. It’s a good excuse to get the baking apron on more often!
Get Grating
When you're making biscuits or pastry, it can be hard to rub this butter into even, small pieces without it melting and getting hard to handle. Using a grater on butter gives the butter a softer, thinner texture. Once grated, you'll find it easier to mix into your other ingredients.
Measuring and Quality Matters
We know a lot of people don’t like to follow a recipe and tend to make it up as they go along, but unfortunately, you can’t do that with baking. It’s not like cooking a stew or a pasta sauce where you can add your own flair. If you add too much of one ingredient or not enough of another, it’s going to affect the way your cake rises, the consistency of your icing, or the overall taste of the treat. This also goes hand in hand with the types of ingredients you use. Always make sure you are using the correct type of flour for example, as different types will again make your cupcake or cake behave differently. Always use quality ingredients in your baking, as different brands have different levels of moisture, fat, salt etc. Keep these ingredients at the temperature that the recipe recommends, like “cold butter” or “melted warm butter”, as this will also affect the overall outcome.
Store your cake in the microwave
This might sound a bit crazy, but your microwave is sealed perfectly, so it's a great place to keep your cake to ensure it stays fresh and moist!
Keep Frosting Soft
There's nothing more annoying than trying to frost your cake or cupcakes and your icing being hard. Our tip is to add a teaspoon of white vinegar to your frosting. This will ensure the frosting stays soft, especially when the cake is cut.
(image from Relish)
