When making cheesecakes or frostings using cream cheese it’s a good idea bring the cream cheese to room temperature before you start. If you use it straight from the fridge it will be far more difficult, and take a lot more beating or processing, for it to become lump-free, smooth and creamy. Also make sure you scrape the sides and base of the bowl often and add any liquid ingredients gradually to ensure it remains really smooth.

 

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Small batch baking recipes often require less than one egg to be used. Here are some useful tips to help portion your eggs.

Eggs used in BakeClub recipes are 59-60g/2oz eggs (with shell) and are sold in a 700g/1lb 8oz carton.

• With the shell removed weight of the whole egg = 52g
• Approximately ⅔ of the weight of each egg is the white = 35g
• Approximately ⅓ of the weight of each egg is the yolk = 17g

When using recipes that specify less than 1 egg always whisk the whole egg together before measuring out the quantity required.

If a recipe calls for just egg yolk/s or egg white/s the remainder of the egg can be portioned and frozen in ice cube trays for use later on as required (whisk egg yolks with a good pinch of salt before freezing). Once frozen, transfer to a snap lock bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge. Use egg whites for meringue and Swiss meringue buttercream, and egg yolks in custard, curds or to add extra richness to your cookies and cakes.

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If you don't have buttermilk on hand when a recipe asks for it (or only need a small amount which doesn’t warrants buying a whole carton), you can simply make your own version!

Add 3 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to 1 cup (250ml/9fl oz) of full-cream milk and stir well. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before using - you’ll notice the milk will curdle and thicken. It’s perfect to use in in place of milk in any bakes like scones, banana bread and muffins to add a little flavour tang!

The only thing to be aware of is that this mixture will be thinner in consistency than commercially made buttermilk so when using more than 125ml (½ cup/4fl oz) use 1 tablespoon less of your homemade buttermilk for every 125ml (½ cup/4fl oz) in the recipe so that the consistency of the batter isn't affected.

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If you want to save time when baking, it’s a great idea to use your digital scale’s ability to 'zero' the reading.

By pressing the 'tare' button after each ingredient you can measure as many as you need, one after another, into the same bowl.

It is a brilliant method to use for one-bowl mixes… And then there’s all that washing up it will save you!

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Baking powder is the simple difference between self-raising flour and plain flour. If you only have plain flour in your pantry, you can make self-raising flour by adding 2 teaspoons baking powder to every 150g (1 cup/5½oz) plain flour. Before using, make sure you sift this mixture a few times to distribute the baking powder through the flour evenly.

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Some recipes, like those for sponge cakes, ask you to whisk the egg and sugar mixture until it forms a ‘ribbon trail’. But what does this actually mean?
The best way to check if you have reached the point of a 'ribbon trail' is to stop whisking, lift the whisk out and wave it across the top of the mixture. If it leaves a ribbon trail that lasts for 2-3 seconds before it disappears into the mixture again, then it is ready. If not, just keep whisking until this point is reached.

Another way of checking is to slowly draw a figure eight over the surface – if the start of it is still visible by the time you finish it, then the mixture is ready!

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When lining a shallow tin, such as a Swiss roll tin or slice tin, the simplest way to ensure that the base and all four sides are lined is to take a single piece of non-stick baking paper that is about 8cm larger than the base of the tin. Grease the tin so the paper will stick and then smooth the paper over the base to cover, pressing it into the corners. Then make a cut from one of the corners of the paper towards the centre just to the point where the paper meets the corner of the tin – this cut will allow the paper to sit neatly in the corner. Repeat with the remaining three corners. read less

Some like ‘em crisp, some like ‘em chewy. If you fall into the chewy camp with your meringues it is easy to make sure they have this hard-to-resist texture by taking them from the oven as soon as they have finished baking and cooling them at room temperature. For crisp meringues, turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and leave them in the oven to cool.

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When making a pie or tart there is no need to grease the tin before you line it with pastry – the high butter content in the pastry will naturally stop it from sticking to the tin.

If you grease your tin, the pastry is more likely to slip down the sides/shrink during baking leaving you with a tart case that with very short sides and not much room for your filling.

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