BAKE LIKE A PRO IN THE KITCHEN A FEW weeks into lockdown, many people were whipping and whisking their way to beautiful desserts, and it was brilliant. However, when the cake is in the oven and the stack of baking bowls are towering over your kitchen sink, it can feel less like a hobby and more like a chore. Below, cookbook author and baking aficionado Grace Stevens shares some of her tried-and-true tips for weekend baking. Read the recipe. Few things are more frustrating than the “chill overnight” instruction in the last step of a recipe. Reading the recipe carefully will allow you to plan your time so that you can bake your creation and still have time to enjoy the rest of your weekend plans. Make a precise list of ingredients that you need and check that you have the correct
size baking tins. Making sure you use the correct size tin for your baked goods will prevent an accidental collapse. Buy your ingredients in advance to give yourself time to hunt down any specialist ingredients online or at baking shops. Make sure you understand the baking terminology in your recipe – you may need to ask a baker friend or research terms to know what the recipe’s asking of you. Start with a clean kitchen. Nothing is more treacherous than trying to balance a cake tin full of batter precariously on the edge of your counter, and cleaning cake batter off the floor is not fun for anyone. Best to avoid any accidents altogether and begin with enough clean space for you to work. Grease or line your tins before you begin and preheat your oven.
All food cooks unevenly in a cold oven and yeast, baking soda, and baking powder will react differently at varying temperatures. Preheating your oven will help ensure your cake rises as you planned. Measure your ingredients carefully. Baking relies on the chemical reactions between the ingredients in your recipe to achieve that perfectly light cake or chewy cookie. There is also a slight difference between dry and liquid cup quantities so whenever possible measure by weight. Bake a nostalgic recipe. The taste and smell of these delights are treasured memories and making one of these recipes for a family member is like serving them a happy slice of childhood. Literally.
