Baking Tips - Making Cakes

Here are some tips for making the perfect cake that the cookbooks never tell you.

1. Buy an oven therometer (they are not expensive) to ensure that your oven is cooking at the right temperature. If your oven is too hot then your cake may form a dome.

2. Always preheat the oven before you begin doing anything else. It takes about 10-15 minutes for an oven to reach the required temperature. Grease your baking trays or cake tins at this point too to ensure the cake mixture is not sitting around in the open air for too long as your cake may begin to rise.

3. Always use ingrediants at room temperature.

4.For a lighter cake, fold in one tablespoon of hot water to the mixture after you have added the flour.

5. NEVER open the oven door within the first ten minutes of baking as the cake will not rise properly.

6. Always allow the cake to cool on a wire tray. Only when the cake is cooled should you begin to add the frosting, buttercream or icing otherwise it will fall straight of the cake.

Hope you find them useful!

Baking Tips - Eggs

I thought it would be useful to write down some tips every now and then that I have found helpful when baking. Eggs are used so much in cooking and baking and are a delicious and healthy food. I always buy free-range eggs no matter what and sometimes organic eggs depending on what I am making. I think that you can really tell the difference between free-range eggs and non-free range by the colour of the yolk. My husband's father keeps his own chickens and waking up to fresh eggs that have just been laid is something special. The colour of the yolk is a deep yellow orange like a sunset. I usually cook with medium sized eggs unless I specify otherwise.

1. Eggs should be stored at a constant temperature below 8oC/46.5F in the refrigerature and should be stored away from any strong smells that may effect them.

2. About an hour before you begin baking remove the number of eggs required from the refrigerature. Eggs that are used at room temperature make better cakes.

3. Always make sure your eggs are fresh. You can test this by placing the egg in a glass of cold water. If the egg is fresh it will sink to the bottom of the glass. An old egg may settle part way up the glass or if it is really old will rise and float at the top. This shows that the egg is bad and should never be used in baking.

4. When cracking eggs into the cake mixture make sure that you crack them into a small bowl first. This is to prevent any bits of shell falling into the mixture.

5. When adding eggs to cakes always add a spoonful of flour with the second egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. If you are making a large cake that uses many eggs it may be good to add a sponnful of flour after every second egg.

That's all folks!