Basic Baking and Cake Decorating (8 Viewers)

Baking in the summer can be a wonderful way to embrace the season. So why not try out those new flavours and get your creative juices flowing. From refreshing citrus-infused desserts to light and airy confections, there are plenty of summer-inspired recipes that can make baking a joy during the summer months. Whether it's a twist on classic or exploring new ingredients summer baking provides a fantastic opportunity to unleash creativity in the kitchen. So, grab your apron, turn on the oven, and let the aroma of freshly baked goodies fill those summer days. Enjoy! 👨‍🍳 Basic Baking and Cake Decorating Hints, Tips and Tools Summer Desserts Healthier Wholemeal Bakes Gifts and Sweet Treats Recipes and Guides Tutorials

Happy Valentine's Day! Well not quite yet but... Love is in the air once again; our creative juices are flowing, and we want to impart love and affection on our nearest and dearest. So, to kickstart the celebrations, here are a few delightful ideas to help add a sprinkle of love on this upcoming Valentine's Day! Teddy Bear Toppers Who can resist the warm embrace of a teddy bear? These adorable toppers can be placed on biscuits, cupcakes, or even a cake, bringing a cuddly charm to your Valentine's Day spread. https://www.helpmebake.com/threads/how-to-make-easy-teddy-bear-toppers.2171/ Sweet Cones For a quick and delightful treat, whip up some Valentine's Day cones filled with all your family favourites. Simple yet satisfying...

To help get your Bonfire Night celebrations in full swing, here are a few ideas and recipes for you to try. S'mores: These delightful treats are incredibly popular across the pond and can easily be recreated here too. To make S'mores, you can roast them over the bonfire, or if you're looking for a quick, fire-free alternative, we have a simple method of whipping them up in minutes. No bonfire needed! Ginger Cake: A warm, moist ginger cake with a hint of spice is a perfect treat for you to enjoy on a chilly Bonfire evening. You can have it plain or serve it up with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for that extra bit of indulgence. Bonfire Cupcakes: Get a little creative with the kids and decorate cupcakes...

Macerated strawberries are when you soften the fruit in liquid. This can sometimes be done when you have below par fruit and are looking to revive it or when you are looking to enhance the flavours of fresh fruit. How do you macerate strawberries? Cut them in half and then either soak the strawberries in a liquid such as Balsamic Vinegar or Lemon Juice or cover them in a couple of tablespoons of Sugar. This helps soften the berry and extract the juices, thus giving you a sweeter strawberry that you can then use in a dessert. Note: Make sure you Hull the Strawberries before macerating them. https://www.helpmebake.com/threads/how-to-hull-strawberries.943/ What brings out the flavour of strawberries? Believe it or not, Black Pepper...

If you have any kind of bake sale coming up and you're looking for a few ideas or inspiration, then why not try making one of the following items? They can be altered and amended to suit your needs, and they can be as simple or elaborate as you want them to be, depending on your time and budget. 5 Things to make for a Bake Sale... Biscuits and Cookies These are always a best-seller. Stick with the classic chocolate chip cookie or shortbread, or be a little more daring by adding fruits or flavours such as matcha or spices to help elevate your bakes. You can make them as simple, elaborate or fun themed as you like. Not only that, you can make an array of simple or intricate designs, or they can just be cut into fun shapes. Cupcakes...

When you make regular buttercream, it generally takes on the colour of the butter and has a creamy yellow colour to it. Now that's great if you're not bothered about the colour. However, if you'd like to get yours into a whiter shade, then all you need to do is the following. Simply add tiny amounts of purple concentrated food dye with a toothpick, yes, that's right, I did say purple. Do it in stages and mix it in. You will see the 'yellow tinge' start to disappear and the white transform in front of your very eyes. The reason this happens is that yellow and purple are complementary colours and opposite to each other on a colour wheel, so they cancel each other out, therefore, giving you a beautiful white buttercream. Great news...

When using Icing/Sugarpaste or Fondant on a cake, you must always ensure that it has a good shelf life and is in date before you cover your cake. However, if you are making dummy toppers or a display cake, then the icing/sugarpaste/fondant doesn't have to be in date as it isn't going to be consumed. The only thing you may find with the out-of-date paste is that it may be harder and drier and could require a little more kneading. Tip: Always keep your out-of-date icing sugarpaste fondant in a separate cupboard/box/tub away from your new in-date icing so that you never get the two confused. Either that or use up all your paste before the expiry date. Basic Baking and Cake Decorating Hints, Tips and Tools Recipes and Guides Tutorials

Due to various reasons, many people cannot tolerate eggs in their baked goods. Therefore if you find yourself in this quandary, here are a few alternative ingredients you can use instead. Ingredients that can be substituted for an egg(s) in baking:- Apple Sauce You can use apple sauce to replace your egg(s). Not only will it prevent your bakes from drying out, but it will also add moisture to them too. However, to ensure that your bakes aren't too sweet, use unsweetened apple sauce. If you can't, reduce the amount of sugar in your recipe, so you don't overload your bake with sweetness. Aquafaba This is the liquid left over after cooking chick peas, legumes or any kind of pulses. It is similar to egg whites when whisked and is...

As we are heading towards Christmas, I decided to make some Candy Cane Chocolate Bars. So after sending my daughter on an expedition to get some Candy Canes, I finally managed to get some time to make them. As the Candy Canes were festive red, white and green, I decided to use them with both dark and white chocolate to see which one I preferred visually. I then went through my baking cupboard to see what other decorations I could use to keep with the theme. Once decided, I stripped the Candy Canes of their wrapping and bashed them in a food bag to make them into smaller pieces. For the remainder of the decorations, I finally decided on Reindeer Sprinkles, Chocolate Dots (I picked out the red and green ones from the tub) and then...

If you are having trouble with a buttercream cake and need to hide some of the flaws you are experiencing, here are five ways you can hide, disguise or enhance your imperfections. How to cover flaws and imperfections on a buttercream cake. 1 Pipe roses on the cake to cover it. 2 Cover the exterior in chocolate curls. 3 Add sprinkles to the buttercream in various areas around the cake. 4 Strategically place dragees or pearls in the flawed areas and make them part of the pattern. 5 Give it a naked or rustic vibe and add yourself a topper or decorations of your choice to enhance it. And there you have it 5 simple ways to make your buttercream cakes look beautiful. Basic Baking and Cake Decorating Hints, Tips and Tools...

To help keep your cake in place when using buttercream or frosting, you can stick a piece of double-sided tape to the turntable and then place your cake board on the top. This will keep the board in place and stop the board and cake from moving while you buttercream. Or if you don't fancy sticking the board to the turntable, you could always use a non-stick mat, silicone mat or piece of black anti-slip mat to hold the cake and board in place instead. Either way, it won't move. Basic Baking and Cake Decorating Hints, Tips and Tools Recipes and Guides Tutorials

A cake comb is a decorating tool with a straight edge or ridges (teeth) that allows you to apply patterns or straight edges on a buttercream or frosted cake. There are multiple ones to choose from, and the results you can get from them are endless. Not only can they create patterns or straight edges, but they can also be used for cutting dough and incorporating ingredients together, so you don't have to get your hands dirty. They are usually made from metal, plastic, and acrylic and help create ripples, lines and texture to your cakes. When using them, ensure you have a thick coating of buttercream on the cake so that when you scrape around the buttercream/frosting, it won't drag into your cake. Other names they are known by are...