Top 10 Tips for Beginning Bakers

Are you new to baking cakes?

1. Temperature -All ingredients should be at room temperature. That includes milk, butter and eggs.

2. Always Pre-heat! Turn the oven on for at least 15 minutes before you will be using it, so it has time to reach the proper temperature.
3. When Recipe Says “Cream” Butter & Sugar
   To cream butter with sugar, beat it at high speed on an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, or until it is fluffy. You cream the butter and sugar to dissolve the sugar crystals for one thing. For another you need to make it look like a "batter" so it will be all fluffy and nice before adding any of the dry ingredients
4. Wet and dry measurements aren't the same. Use dry measures for dry ingredients and wet measures for liquid ingredients. Measuring cups for dry ingredients come in individual sizes (1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup). You fill the cup completely with dry ingredient and level it off with knife. For liquid, simply pour to desired amounts line.
   
5. Unless otherwise stated, eggs used in baking recipes should be the large size.
6. When measuring sticky ingredients such as molasses or honey, lightly oil the inside of the cup first.
7. You must sift flour for cakes and powdered sugar (confectioners) when you're using it in icing. For cakes, sift the flour, measure it, then sift it again with the dry ingredients.
8. Melting Chocolate. Chocolate must be melted over low heat or it will burn.
   Double boiler method – Melt in heat-proof bowl over pot of boiling water.
   Microwave method -You can also put it in a microwave-proof container and heat on 70 percent power for 1 minute. It should still be lumpy when you remove it; keep stirring until it is smooth. If it is still lumpy, return it to the microwave and heat in 10-second increments at 60% until smooth.
9. Use the size of pans indicated in the recipe. When you change sizes, you change the thickness of the cake and the amount of time needed to cook cake properly.
10. Be Patient! Cakes should cool completely in the pan before being inverted onto a plate or cardboard round. Run a small knife between the cake and the sides of the pan first to loosen it.