Doing a little baking this weekend? Coz I have some great little secrets to impart! If you have a baker mum she has probably passed down one or two baking tips over the years. This has definitely been the case for me. A couple of weeks ago though, I bought a cupcake book by Jennifer Graham of The Crapapple Cupcake Bakery, and inside, Jennifer has given some tips which were news to me and mama, both.
Read on for some top tips.
HAPPY BAKING!
1. Always cook with butter and eggs that are at room temperature.
2. Never use baking power that is over a year old, as it will be practically useless.
3. Invest in an oven thermometre, as convential domestic ovens are often way inaccurate. We have an oven thermometre, and I know this to be true - ours is about 20 degrees out.
4. If the recipe calls for milk, always use full cream milk. Milk must be at room temperature as cold milk will cause the mixture to shrink and will result in a tough cake.
5. Creaming the butter and sugar: Do so in a few batches. Start by mixing the butter for a couple of minutes, then add the sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes after each sugar addition. This process is important as it will aerate your cake.
6. New Zealand makes the best butter for cooking, as it has a higher butterfat content than Australian butter.
7. Have your oven temperature ready and your cake tins all prepared for as soon as your mixture is ready. The sooner you get it into the oven the better. She doesn't say why, but I assume it has something to do with losing the aeration.
STOP PRESS! KITCHEN CRUSH:
Woah woah woah woah woah, what have we here?! Hello, my pretty. *Strokes mixer*.
Oooo-oohh -maarrrrr-gaaaaaaard.
Sigh. This Raspberry Ice Mixer is by KitchenAid - the brand is available in Australia but this stunner doesn't seem to be on the website yet. It's available in the US so hopefully it will be here soon, too. Proceeds from the sale of this mixer in the States are going to breast cancer research - that's pretty cool.
Anyways, she will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine!
[I think I just quoted Wayne's World...]
TOP IMAGE from CUPCAKE WORLD. MIXER PIC from SWEETOPIA.
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