When you’re just starting your baking journey, you might feel intimidated. But, take heart! Baking tips and tricks exist to help you start your baking journey the right way. We listed below some important baking techniques.

If you got to a point where you feel bad about not perfectly executing that yema cake recipe, we’re here to help. Similarly, if you want to level up your baking skills, we’re here to help.

So how exactly can you start your baking journey the right way? How do you take your baking skills to the next level?

In this article, we will talk about baking tips and tricks that will help you do so. While these baking tips and tricks are initially made for beginners, they can help mid-level and advanced bakers as well.

Baking Tips and Tricks

Read the recipe before starting.
Closely follow the recipe.
Have the right kitchen tools.
Use high-quality baking ingredients.
Measure your ingredients accurately.
Have the right butter or shortening consistency.
Use the right egg size.
Use your hands to separate egg whites from egg yolks.
Prepare the pan before the batter.
Always sift dry ingredients.
Use frosting so your cake stays in place when decorating.
Enhance the flavor of your chocolate recipes using coffee.
Keep your cookie dough in the fridge before baking.
Flip the bowl to know if your egg whites have stiff peaks.
Use a glass to put frosting in a piping bag.
Let your oven heat up for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
Always double-check the oven temperature.
Use a toothpick to see if your cakes are properly baked.
Let your baked treats cool down.
Coat chocolate chips using flour before putting them into the mix.

20 Baking Tips and Tricks Every Beginner (and Pro) Must Know

Here are 20 baking tips and tricks you must know:

1. Read the recipe before starting.

First of all, you have to read the recipe before starting. This ensures that you get the instructions right. Remember, baking requires patience. Hence, you need to take time when reading the recipe.

If possible, read the recipe twice. This ensures that you don’t miss any step or ingredient.

After reading the recipe, make sure that you have all the ingredients and tools with you. If not, you might want to get everything first before baking.

In addition, make sure that you know all of the techniques required by the recipe. Some recipes call for advanced techniques. Others call for basic ones. Whatever technique it calls for, know how to do them.

2. Closely follow the recipe.

Speaking of recipes, make sure to follow the recipe. Recipes exist for a reason. They guide you, so you don’t have to go through a lot of trial and error to bake your treats.

Recipes also save you time. Since the ingredients are laid out for you, you just have to prepare them accordingly.

Moreover, do not skip any step. If the recipe tells you to let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, do not let it sit for 10. Similarly, do not let it sit for 20 minutes. Baking is all about accuracy, so you need to closely follow the instructions.

3. Have the right kitchen tools.

Another baking tip and trick you should not miss is having the right kitchen tools and equipment.

While this may sound like an obvious tip, some bakers, especially beginners, try to substitute one tool for another.

For instance, some bakers will substitute an electric mixer with a whisk. Unfortunately, a whisk cannot produce the same egg-peaking effect as an electric mixer does. Hence, you have to invest in the necessary baking tools and equipment if you want to make delicious treats.

In addition, having the right tools is often not enough. You need to invest in high-quality tools that last for long and won’t contaminate your food.

4. Use high-quality baking ingredients.

Speaking of having high-quality stuff, you need to use high-quality baking ingredients.

When we say high-quality, we mean fresh, uncontaminated ingredients. For instance, if your recipe calls for fruits, make sure they have not been sitting in the supermarket for weeks. If possible, buy them from the farmer’s market to ensure freshness.

While some ingredients cannot be purchased fresh from the manufacturer, keep them as fresh as possible. For instance, do not keep eggs in the fridge for too long. Buy them a day or a few hours before (depending on the recipe) baking.

5. Measure your ingredients accurately.

In relation to the previous baking tip and trick, measure your ingredients accurately.

Interestingly, baking is both a science and an art. The science part matters a lot. Hence, you have to measure your ingredients properly.

If the recipe calls for a cup of milk, use a cup to measure the milk. Similarly, if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of salt, use a tablespoon to measure the said ingredient.

In some cases, recipes call for ingredients measured in grams. In this case, you must use a kitchen scale.

You can also use our tablespoon to cup conversion chart for your convenience.

6. Have the right butter or shortening consistency.

Butter is a crucial ingredient in many recipes. The same thing applies to shortening in baking.

Whether the recipe calls for butter or shortening, make sure that they are in the right consistency.

Most recipes that call for butter usually tell you to use them at room temperature. This means that you should not use frozen or melted butter. The butter should not be too soft either.

However, some recipes require melted butter. If yours does, make sure to melt your butter properly. Avoid burning it.

7. Use the right egg size.

Eggs are another crucial ingredient in most baked treats. From cakes to cookies, eggs serve various functions. However, they can only work well if you use the right size.

Remember, a medium egg is much smaller than an extra-large egg. Using one instead of the other can greatly alter the final product. So, you need to be careful when picking out eggs. Make sure to read the label to know their size.

If they do not have a label, have them weigh one egg. The weight determines whether an egg is small, medium, or large.

8. Use your hands to separate egg whites from egg yolks.

Speaking of eggs, some recipes require you to separate the whites from the yolks.

Contrary to popular belief and practice, you should not use eggs shells to separate egg whites from egg yolks. Doing this puts the yolks at risk of being punctured. You might also mix some shell fragments with the whites during the process.

The simplest solution? Use your hands. Doing so lets you separate the whites from the yolks gently. This method is also easier and quicker than using eggshells.

9. Prepare the pan before the batter.

One mistake many beginners (sometimes pros) make is preparing the batter before the pan.

This common practice came from the concept that things must be done according to when you need them. Since people only need the baking pan before baking, many thought of preparing it after making the batter.

However, you must prepare the pan first. It’s because you need to put your batter into the oven as soon as possible. This allows leavening agents to work their magic. So, prepare that pan ahead of time.

10. Always sift dry ingredients.

While sifting is not always necessary, you must do it, especially when your dry ingredients have lumps. Lumps can mess up your batter. They also do not allow the dry ingredients to mix well with the wet ones.

Yes, sifting might be boring and time-consuming sometimes. However, you should not skip it when your recipe requires you to sift ingredients. Remember, not sifting can break a recipe.

11. Use frosting so your cake stays in place when decorating.

One of the main problems bakers have when decorating a cake is that it does not stay at one point.

The best solution? Putting frosting at the center of a rotating cake stand. Doing this allows you to decorate your cake without it being wobbly.

This baking tip is useful for making any cake design― from extravagant to minimalist cake designs.

12. Enhance the flavor of your chocolate recipes using coffee.

From chocolate dream cake to creamy chocolate cheesecake, who can easily resist chocolate?

If you are a chocolate lover like us, you’ll be glad to know that coffee powder enhances the chocolate flavor. We know that chocolate is already delicious, but why not make it more delicious?

To get more depth of flavor in your double chocolate cookies, brownies, and cake, add a teaspoon of coffee powder. This baking tip and trick also works with pre-made chocolate cake and brownie mixes.

Cookies can be tricky to make at first. However, it does not have to be tricky for you. You can make the perfect cookies using one simple trick: ripening the cookie dough.

Ripening means keeping your cookie dough in the fridge before baking it. This allows that unique cookie flavor to settle properly. Ripening also improves the texture of your cookies.

Many recommend keeping cookie dough in the fridge for at least 24 hours before baking.

14. Flip the bowl to know if your egg whites have stiff peaks.

Fluffy, egg whites are the main component of recipes such as meringue. But how exactly do you determine if the egg whites are stiff enough?

Simple. Flip the bowl containing the egg whites. If they do not fall, that means they are stiff enough. If they do, beat them some more.

15. Use a glass to put frosting in a piping bag.

Most, if not all beginners find it hard to fill a piping bag with frosting. It can be messy and wasteful.

You don’t have to go through this often annoying process.

To avoid wasting frosting and making a mess, place your piping bag on top of a glass. Fold the edges over and voila! You can put frosting in it easily.

16. Let your oven heat up for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.

Baking can be exciting. This makes many beginners too excited to bake. As a result, they prematurely place their batter inside the oven.

However, this is often frowned upon in the baking community. You have to heat up before placing anything inside it. Most ovens take 10 to 15 minutes to heat up, so make sure to turn on your oven before finishing your batter.

17. Always double-check the oven temperature.

Speaking of oven for baking, you need to always double-check its temperature.

For this reason, you need to invest in an oven thermometer. This tool allows you to accurately measure your oven’s temperature before you put anything in it.

In addition, some baked goods call for varying temperatures. Owning an oven thermometer ensures that you bake your products at the correct temperatures.

18. Use a toothpick to see if your cakes are properly baked.

Probably one of the oldest baking tips and tricks, using a toothpick to see if your cakes are baked deserves a spot on this list.

When seeing if cakes are baked, toothpicks are the go-to tools. To do the good old toothpick test, insert a wood toothpick at the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, take the cake out of the oven. If not, you need to keep it in the oven.

19. Let your baked treats cool down.

You may be excited to try your baked treats right away, but please don’t do so. Every baked treat needs to cool down.

To do this, simply let your cake, muffin, or cupcake cooldown on top of a rack. Do not take them off of the pan right away.

20. Coat chocolate chips using flour before putting them into the mix.

Chocolate chips taste heavenly. However, they easily sink to the bottom on your cookies or cupcakes. This makes them unevenly distributed.

To avoid this, coat chocolate chips with flour before adding them to the mix.

Conclusion

Which of the baking tips and tricks above do you like the most? Or do you have additional baking tips and techniques you may want to share? Comment down below.

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About HICAPS

Over the years, HICAPS has helped bakers and businesses make delicious products by offering ingredients like ChiffonAide Cake Oil, Magic Whizk Whipping Cream, Red Velvet Flavor Emulco, and Instabake Brownie Mix.

HICAPS also provides tools and resources to valued partners such as the free “How to Increase Your Sales Amidst the Pandemic” E-book and free dealer locator that helps look for baking ingredients near me.

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20 Baking Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Baking Tips and Tricks