Simple Cake Baking Tips

Baking is easy if you know the short cuts. I learnt the hard way and there's no such thing as common sense when it comes to new recipes. Try these cake baking tips. They work wonders!

1. Do buy proper equipment as encouragement.

I heard a lot of husbands complaining that the wifes never really bake. The truth is, they need encouragement, not complaints! My husband bought me a very small oven and he knew that i had never baked anything in my life. He trusted me and believe that i'm gonna a great cook. It started with a RM99 Pensonic oven, a handmixer (gicen by friends for my wedding), a digital scale and a pan. The rest is history!

2. If you don't have a digital scale, just buy a metric cup.
I insisted on buying a digital scale that costed me RM150 for 1kg. Now, the scales are much cheaper. I bought my second one for RM69 at e-bay and weighs 5kg. One of my major encouragement is the digital scale. It makes my life easier and if you have a very good recipe, it'll turn out great! Just get one with 5kg scale and can weigh both gram and ounce. My traditional sampret cookies is learnt from my mother in law, i make sure i use metric cups, so the taste remains the same everytime i bake.

3. Weigh and sift your ingredients in advance and seal them in plastic bags.
Don't forget to label them, though! You don't want to make tarts with sponge cake recipe!

4. Always preheat your oven with the correct temperature.

If the oven is not hot enough, your cake will not rise but if it's too hot, your cake is forced to rise and crack in the middle. Don't just assume the temperature because the temperature changes with different recipes. Cheese cake uses 160C while choc cake uses 180C. Carrot cake, on the other hand, uses 150c only.

5. Never trust the time given by the recipe book.

When baking with my best friend, she didn't realise that her cake burnt right under her nose, The recipe says 1 1/2 hours. The reason is simple. Your ovens differ. When my friends ask me about the time, i told them to remember, smaller oven is hotter because there's no space for air to circulate. My cakes is baked 40 minutes in my small oven and cracks in the middle, but with my bigger oven it takes 1 hour 10 minutes. Just get to know your oven! You'll be an expert in no time!

6. Use greese paper to line your pans.

Using greese paper at the bottom of your pan will difinitely give a very smooth top (your cake will be upside down). Just peel carefully when the cake is already cool and i mean peel literally

7. Never open the oven within the first 40 - 50 minutes!

While admiring your cake, please remember that opening your oven will let cold air in, the pressure will cause your cake to fall. (And your confidence fall with the cake too. hu hu)