Still Baking in 2021? 5 Simple Tips That Will Take Your Baking to Another Level

When the pandemic became our “new normal”, everyone began baking (that sourdough phase was intense, right?). Together, many of us have forrayed into a whole world of chemistry made delicious. Within that journey, I have made a load of bakes and cakes, and watched a lot of it too, and picked up some things along the way. Here are 5 (and a bonus 6) easy adjustments that you can use to help change your baking for the better.

1- Better Quality Butter

I’m sure you’ve heard to use “quality vanilla” when baking, but not too often do we hear to use quality butter. Yet, the difference is a game-changer. Much like you, I thought to myself “butter is butter is butter.” Except, not all butter is equal. European butter has a higher fat content, which means better flavor, thus taking buttercreams or yellow cakes to new heights. Though it is pricier, it will help significantly.

2- Brown Butter Anything

While we are on the subject of butter, have you tried browning it? Brown butter is when you cook butter over low-medium heat to the point right before burning. It smells sweet and like deep brown sugar caramel buttery goodness. Adding it to recipes like chocolate chip cookies or muffins will ramp up the flavor by like 100! The trick is to keep a watchful eye as it melts. It will froth and make it hard to see when it is brown. Once it is, transfer to a heat-proof bowl, add about a tablespoon or less of butter to help cool, and voila! You can even put it in the fridge to solidify to cream it.

3- Little Bit of Oil

You know when you make a cake and it’s perfection personified, but then you put it in the fridge and the next day it’s a bit hard? Or even, dare I say, dry? Well, the oil helps! Adding a bit of oil to the batter helps to maintain softness and keep dryness at bay. Add about a tablespoon to 2 tablespoons of neutral flavor oil to your cake batter. A little goes a long way.

4 and 5-Bake It in Water & Cool it Slowly

This tip is a two-in-one. A fan favorite is a quintessential cheesecake. Yet, so many are scared to make it or when they do, the unforgiving crack down the middle happens. When you are ready to bake your cheesecake, line the cake pan on the outside with foil and place it into a baking pan. Add some water to the pan so the cheesecake will bake in the water creating what is called a bain-marie. Water can only get so hot in liquid form, which helps provide a gentle cook to your cake. This keeps the inside nice and creamy.

Part two: cool the cake in the oven. The drastic temperature difference is what creates that undesirable crack. Turn the oven off, crack the oven door a bit, and let it sit in there for an hour. Transfer it to the fridge to set overnight, if you can manage not to eat it immediately.

6- Get a Scale

You may think that as a home baker measuring cups and spoons are more than enough. Except, I would argue, they are actually problematic. Let me explain. Like butter, measuring cups are not created equal. Some of the cheaper ones are either too big or too small. Plus, the clean-up is so much more annoying. Yet, with a scale, you are more likely to maintain accuracy, and clean-up is reduced to a couple of bowls at most. The investment will have you baking like a pro.

These 6 tips have helped to develop my baking in significant ways, and I know it will help yours!