top ten baking tips!

my top ten baking tips!

chocolate cake

So excited to share my top ten baking tips, acquired after more than 30 years of serious baking in my kitchen!

Baking, versus cooking, definitely requires more patience, precision and overall adherence to recipes. While a “Sunday sauce” or chicken soup will not suffer from a little more of this or that (and may even benefit as a result), a cake will not be as tolerant.

I have found, over the years, that the most successful bakers are the ones that truly enjoy the process – not just the end result. If you’ve ever rushed through a recipe, only to have it not come out “quite right”, you know what I mean. Baking can be a great joy and lots of fun, but not if you feel unorganized and stressed. And you can definitely “up” the enjoyment factor in your baking if you’re set up and well-prepared right from the start.

Here are my “top ten” tried-and-true tips – the ones that have seen me through pretty much everything I’ve ever baked. I’m so happy to share them with you:

1. For most recipes, you can assemble your dry ingredients in advance – the leavening agents in baking powder, for example, are not activated till you add your liquids. So early in the day, or even the night before, measure/mix the dry ingredients – cover and put aside till ready to use (and make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh!).

2. Using ingredients at the proper temperature is critical to making sure they are well-incorporated. Butter, with few exceptions, is typically used at room temperature. Make sure you’ve factored in the time  you’ll need to take it out so it’s ready to use when you start (this can vary depending on the season and how hot/cold your kitchen is). Same with eggs. Whether you use them separated or not, they beat up significantly better at room temperature (here’s a favorite “butter” tip!).

3. Greasing and flouring pans (see this post on how-to) can be done in advance. Just keep the pans in the refrigerator till ready to use.

4. Proper measuring is critical to successful baking. Personally, I am a huge fan of weighing vs. measuring (read here) and love my scale for that reason. It minimizes the number of bowls and utensils I use and is far more precise and consistent.

kitchen scale

That said, if you prefer to measure, always use dry measuring cups for things like flour and sugar and liquid cups for – well, liquids. To measure dry ingredients, use the scoop-and-scrape method for the most accurate results – scoop the cup into your ingredient and sweep a knife across – do not pat or tamp down. For liquids, hold the cup up to eye level and pour.

measuring flour

5. When beating ingredients (like sugar or milk) into eggs or egg yolks, always whisk the eggs/yolks first to break them up and emulsify. This will facilitate the blending of additional ingredients and eliminate “yolk burn” – those tiny hard bits that form when you add ingredients to eggs without whisking first.

6. When using sticky or viscous ingredients such as molasses, honey or corn syrup, spray the inside of your measuring cup with a non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam). It will easily pour right out and clean-up will be that much quicker.

7. Try doubling your recipe and freezing half for a later date. Most baked recipes double beautifully and don’t require much more effort or planning. Cakes, cookies, and basically anything with a high butter content freeze really well – and what is more impressive than taking out a delicious, home-baked treat to serve at the spur of the moment (or for that unexpected bake sale/meeting/visitor/thank you)? Once you’ve done this a few times and grow accustomed to having a freezer stocked with goodies you will never bake “just one” of anything again.

butter cookies

8. Make sure you know the accuracy of your oven’s temperature. An oven thermometer is inexpensive and let’s you know just where your oven is at.

9. One of my favorite baking tools is my mini-loaf rack. Often, a pound cake or tea bread recipe is more than I need for the occasion – a friend coming for tea or a thank you for a neighbor. Here’s an easy conversion that yields several small loaves for the price of one: a recipe calling for a 9×5 loaf pan will yield three mini loaves, and one using an 8×4 pan will yield two. These mini loaves freeze well and are so nice to have at the ready.

10. I came across this muffin/cupcake do-ahead tip over 20 years ago and it is, hands down, my favorite: line your tins with foil cups. Follow the recipe, fill the tins and place the unbaked muffins in the freezer. When frozen, pop them out and store in ziploc bags. Note the item, oven temp and baking time (as well as the date) on the bag. You can now make as few or many freshly baked muffins as you like – a lovely treat on a weekend morning or after school. Pre-heat the oven according to the recipe, place the frozen muffins in the tins and bake for 10-15 minutes longer than suggested. Fill the empty cups half-way with water to ensure even heating.

mixer

What are some of your favorite “tried and true” tips? Please share!

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21 Comments

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  4. The Lucky Wife @ The Saturday Evening Pot on February 15, 2012 at 11:01 am

    Great info! I would love to bake more when my children get a little older and I have a little more time.

    I’m embarrassed to admit that I am just now paying a visit to some of those who shared in our SITS day with us (back in December). With two young children, it has just taken me some time, but I really wanted to stop by to say thank you for sharing with us on that day. I’m so glad you enjoyed the Ask The Chef post. I hope that you were able to find some recipes to try as well.

    Following you on Twitter. Working on something exciting there and would love to include some of your tips!

    • sheri silver on February 15, 2012 at 1:41 pm

      Thanks so much! Would LOVE to work with you – and I totally get being “time challenged’!!! 🙂

  5. Catherine on July 21, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    Hi, I just found this post today!
    I love the idea of freezing the muffins unbaked, ready to pop in the oven for when you need/want them. I have a question… This might sound stupid! When you say, pop them out – do you mean pop them out of the foil cups or pop them out of the baking tray? Do you cover them in cling film when they are freezing, or do you not cover at all and allow to freeze and then put them in a Ziplock bag? Really liked your tips. Thanks, Catherine

    • sherisilver on July 21, 2018 at 8:37 pm

      Not stupid at all! Place the foil liners in the muffin tins and fill with your batter. Freeze. When frozen, pop the unbaked muffins – in their foil liners – out of the tins and then put in the ziploc. You don’t need to cover them as they’re freezing. Let me know how it works out and thanks for your comments! 🙂

      • Catherine on July 22, 2018 at 7:40 am

        Thanks a million for responding.
        It’s a brilliant idea, will try it and let you know w it works out

  6. Elaine on May 24, 2020 at 1:50 am

    Thanks! Needed to know if I could prepack the dry ingredients! You saved me!

    • sherisilver on May 24, 2020 at 8:22 am

      Oh great! This is probably one of my most used tips over the years. I’m so glad it saved you! 🙂

      • Aiko on December 13, 2020 at 6:37 pm

        Hi, is it okay if I prepare the dry ingredients “a day before”? Or it’s already too long?

        • sherisilver on December 13, 2020 at 7:41 pm

          YESSSSSSS! I do that all the time – you can even do it a few days before. Liquids activate the leavening ingredients so you don’t need to worry about putting the dry ingredients in advance! It’s a lifesaver!

          • Aiko on December 13, 2020 at 9:38 pm

            Thank you so much Ma’am



          • Deb on September 10, 2021 at 8:37 am

            Thanks Sheri! I was hoping I could pre-measure my dry ingredients a few days before (along with preparing and refrigerating my buttercream in advance). Baking 165 cupcakes for my son’s upcoming wedding and this will definitely save me time on baking day!



          • sherisilver on September 10, 2021 at 9:56 am

            Oh my goodness! Congratulations and good luck! What a good mom and SO glad I could help!!!! 🙂



          • sherisilver on September 10, 2021 at 9:58 am

            Oh wow! Congratulations and what a good mom! So glad I could help!! 🙂



          • Gaylynn on August 8, 2022 at 9:00 pm

            Thanks so much. I enjoy baking but as we all do, need to save time. The night before is perfect!



          • sherisilver on August 9, 2022 at 8:10 am

            I’m so glad to hear that. I think so much around enjoying baking is being organized so that the process doesn’t overwhelm! 🙂



  7. Lucinda on May 27, 2020 at 6:42 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing tip number 1 that was what i was actually looking for but the other tips are really helpful too.
    Thanks a million and you have great recipes too

    • sherisilver on May 27, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      Oh yay! It’s a good list and one that’s saved me numerous times over my many years of baking Thank you so much for writing! 🙂

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Hi! I'm Sheri!

Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!