Hints, Tips and Tools (1 Viewer)

The creaming method is essentially blending butter and granulated or caster sugar together and then adding additional ingredients to your mix one at a time in stages. This is an excellent baking method as it allows you to methodically go through a recipe and create your cake in stages. 1. Firstly, and most importantly, you would cream together your butter and sugar; you would do this by using a wooden spoon, a hand whisk or a kitchen aid. By mixing the butter and sugar together, you...

In order to ensure you have enough icing rolled out, you can use a handy trick. Get a piece of ribbon and place it on the end of you cake board (before using buttercream or jam etc.) then place the ribbon across the edge then up the side of the cake over the cake, down the other side of the cake and to the edge of the board as per picture 1. When stretched out, this will give you a rough idea of how wide the icing/fondant needs to be in order to cover your cake. Now see illustration 2...

I'm so excited to announce that my new book 99 Baking and Decorating Tips by Angie Fairbrother is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback format. (Cue happy dance!) I've wanted to write a book for a long time and created this one to help and assist those of you who need a little go-to guide once in a while. It's great for kids who are interested in baking, it's helpful to those of you that have an idea of what you're doing, and there is even stuff in there to help those...

Confectioners glaze is an edible varnish that can be painted onto sugar flowers, models and decorations to give them a shiny, high gloss finish. Although the glaze appears brown in colour, it does actually dry clear. How to use: To get the best results always apply using a paintbrush and ensure that you have a protective cover on your work surface for any spillage. If you do use paintbrushes either use very cheap disposable ones or if not then please see the following tip: How to...

How do you get rid of the big chunks of butter and flour in your scone mix? An easy way to remove the big chunks of butter and flour that have clumped together in your scone mix is to shake the bowl. The larger pieces rise to the top when you shake it making it easier for you to find. Once they appear, rub them into between your thumb and fingertips to turn them back into smaller breadcrumb pieces.

A hard bristle brush can be picked up from any store relatively cheaply, once washed and dried properly it can be used to make texture on your icing fondant. For example: 1. Indent green icing fondant to make grass strokes. 2. Dig into a light brown icing fondant to create sand grains. 3. Or press into any colour of your choosing to add a small pattern.

Yep, we've all done it, yes you know that fight with the clingfilm when you can't find the edge of it, or it's ravelled itself around the tube, and you spend ages picking at it or in the end, you get a sheet of it, and you have to waft it about, so it doesn't wrinkle! Well my lovelies, have no fear, as there is now a straightforward yet effective way of storing your clingfilm and all you'll need is your freezer! You see, by storing the film in the freezer, the coldness alters the...

Baking times define whether a brownie is gooey or not so if you want to add some extra scrumptiousness then try adding some Greek Yoghurt or Sour Cream to your recipe for an extra soft, moist bake.

If you don't have a cake template for the shape you need, then here's a tip on how to make your own. All you need to do is draw or trace the shape onto a clean piece of cardboard and then cut it out with a pair of scissors. Once you have the correct sized shape, place the template on your cake and cut around it carefully with a knife. If you don't have pieces of card, you could always use baking paper or drawing paper as an alternative. You can make triangles, waves, hearts, animal...

Most people will have a roll of kitchen towel in their kitchen, so you'll be pleased to know that not only will it wipe up your messes it can also come in handy for a quick decorating idea too. If you have a buttercream cake and would like a quick pattern design etched into it, then lightly press the kitchen roll into the cake when set. The design from the kitchen towel will transfer onto the buttercream, giving you an instant pattern. If you wish you can leave it like that or enhance...

If you are using nuts in your recipe, then cast your eyes over these quick tips. Chopped Nuts - The best way to chop nuts and give them a good texture is to cut them by hand with a large knife. Flavour - Slowly pulsing them intermittently in the food processor releases the flavour. Nut Paste - By placing your nuts on high speed in a food processor it releases the oils and creates a nut paste.

If you have ever had a problem with meringue, whether it be cracking, dense, or weeping. Here are a few tips that will help you perfect your pavlova and make a magnificent meringue. Chewy Meringue If you would like your meringue to be a little chewy, then try folding in a teaspoon of cornflour and a dash of white vinegar into your mixture before baking. Egg Whites Use egg whites at room temperature and mix them using a hand whisk or kitchen aid until the whites are thick and glossy...

To add colourful texture to your buttercream, just add coloured sprinkles to your mixture, which will give little pops of colour to your cupcakes or cake filling. Related posts: Choc Chip Tip

If you want to keep the moisture in cinnamon rolls, then try the following. Immediately after you have removed the rolls from the oven and transferred them to the counter, place a tea towel directly over the top of the tray or pan containing the rolls. The heat trapped will turn to steam, causing additional moisture to be re-absorbed into the rolls, thus making them fresher for longer.

I have put together a quick overview of some of the easiest and most straightforward tips that are worth checking out before your next bake. Here are five top tips to help you achieve Cake Baking Success! Oven – I say this time and time again, and I’ll say it again always, always, always (do you get my point 😊 ) pre-heat the oven and bring it to the optimum temperature before putting your cake batter anywhere near it. Once the cake is in the oven, step away and do not be tempted to open...

Here are a few tin tips to help with your baking. Using the correct sized tin in both width and depth is paramount when baking as this will affect your baking times, therefore, please ensure you read the recipe and use the required size. Remember: Deep Tins - Due to the depth of the cake batter these should be baked on a lower temperature for a longer period. Shallower Tins - As these are shallower and generally thinner they bake much quicker, therefore, bake on a higher heat for a...

Don't let the sandwich tins touch in the oven; if they do the cake batter will rise towards each other, giving you peaked cake layers when baked.

If you run out of Apricot Jam when covering your fruit cakes or you've forgotten to add one on to the shopping order then be advised that you can use an alternative! Regular jams can be used to cover the cake; however, due to their deep colouring, they can sometimes show through on white icing/fondant, therefore to prevent this from happening look to use marmalade instead. You can use the marmalade as is (if it is strand free) and the flavour actually mirrors that of the fruit contained...

If you've been eyeing up that lemon meringue pie recipe and you want to get the best meringue possible then have a read of this before you try it! For those of you that have had meringue or egg white mishaps then these tips are for you. Here's how to get the very best from your egg whites. Egg whites (also known as glair(e) or albumen) whisked or whipped at room temperature foam easily giving you a much better result when beaten. If grease from a bowl or yolk from an egg has entered...

When we are baking, we're sometimes unsure as to whether there is too much in the batter or too little so in order for you to save some time in the kitchen here is a tip to help you with your flavours. Method: 1. Prepare your batter and add the amount of flavouring you require. 2. Stir into your batter. 3. Take a teaspoon and scoop out some of the batter and place it into a baking/cupcake case. 4. You only require a small amount, like so. 5. Place the case into the microwave...