Cake Baking Tips for Beginners

Many people say that baking is a science. It's all about exact measurements and timing. While it may remind some of chemistry class, the truth is that baking in the kitchen is a lot more fun than experimenting in a laboratory, unless of course you're a scientist. If you've been thinking of baking, but are afraid it's complicated, or you'll fail, read these cake baking tips and keep them in mind each time you turn on that oven.

Invest In Good Ingredients
Until you become an expert, the type of baker who can take the simplest ingredients and turn them into something fantastic, try to invest in some good ingredients. If you're working with the best chocolate, nuts, and fruit, then even if your first few tries are disastrous, the end product is still bound to taste good. So stick to good ingredients because you will need the encouragement in the beginning.

Learn How to Work With Eggs
Eggs are a big part of the baking process, but they're also a tricky part. Learn how to separate eggs well. Remember to always use fresh cold eggs. If you need to mix eggs into the batter, cold is always better, but if you need to whip the whites of the eggs, wait till the egg is at room temperature. Also, try to use large eggs. If your eggs are too small, your cake will be dense and heavy.

Ready Everything Before You Begin
A chemistry teacher would tell their students the same thing. If you measure and prepare everything before starting, you'll have an easier time carrying out the experiment. The same goes with baking. Ready everything you need before starting, and you'll find that it will be much easier to follow the recipe.

Get to Know Your Oven
You'll only succeed at doing this after a few baking experiments, but every oven is different. Some run hotter than others. So though you are following a recipe, make sure you watch out for signs that your cake is ready. Wait for it to rise and check whether or not it's done using the toothpick test.

Chill
In baking, plenty of steps require chilling, such as if you create a mousse cake or when you add frosting to your cake. Remember to not just chill mousse and frosting, but slightly chill the cakes before frosting as well. This will help you spread frosting evenly, and without ruining the cake. Some like to apply a thin layer of frosting to a cake that's bee cooled to room temperature from the oven, chill this for an hour, then apply the rest of the frosting. Choose the method that works best for you!