Nuts, due to their super high (good) oil content, tend to go rancid quickly when exposed to both heat and light. So if you aren’t going to use your nuts within a month of buying they are best stored in their original sealed packaging, or in an airtight container or bag, in the fridge (for up to 6 months) or freezer (for up to a year). Here  they will be protected from both heat and light and the staling process will be slowed considerably. Nuts stored this way can be used straight from the fridge or freezer.

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If you ever get your plain and self-raising flours mixed up (as sometimes happens to me) there is an easy way to tell the difference.

Simply put a little of each on your tongue, one type at a time. The one that tingles and fizzes is the self-raising flour, thanks to the baking powder in it.

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To stop the mixture sticking to your hands when rolling cookie or biscuit doughs make sure your hands are a little damp - the moisture will make sure all the dough ends up in the cookies and not all over your hands! read less

Generally, muffins are best eaten the day they are baked, but they do freeze well. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and then seal in a plastic bag or airtight container. Label and date and freeze for up to 3 months.

They are great to throw into lunch boxes straight from the freezer as they will thaw relatively quickly at room temperature ready for morning tea.

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All flours are best kept in sealed airtight containers, in a dry place away from light for up to about 6 months. Wholemeal flours, and those made from whole grains, can go rancid more quickly than the more refined flours, due to the fat content in the bran, so these are best kept in the fridge or freezer to extend their shelf life. read less

When measuring dry ingredients with measuring cups, rather than scales, the most accurate way to do this is to:

1. Spoon the ingredient into the cup
2. Use the back of a knife to level the surface with the top of the cup.

There is no need to tap the cup on the bench or force the ingredient into the cup unless it specifies 'firmly packed' (which brown sugar sometimes does). read less

Baking recipes often state that something is baked when ‘a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean’….but what does this mean? 
You will need either a cake tester, a thin metal skewer or a thin bamboo skewer. Stick it into the center of your cake, muffin, cupcake or slice. Take it out and then run it between your fingers to see if it is still sticky (don't just look at it!). If the skewer comes out clean it is ready - it should feel moist but not sticky. If wet batter is sticking to the skewer you will need to bake for a little longer – add another 2-5 minutes (depending on the 'wetness' of the batter) and then test again.  read less

Just thought I would show you what would happen if you forget to add your eggs in a basic cake recipe…these vanilla cupcakes have no eggs (by mistake!). Basically eggs are used to add structure, texture and richness to a cake mixture. With these cupcakes the mixture looked fine but there was considerably less of it and hence only made 8 cupcakes instead of the usual 12. Once in the oven it seem to rise as it usually does but with about 4 minutes left of baking they completely collapsed. Flavour wise they were quite nice but really were quite greasy due to the lack of egg to balance out the butter content. So, if a recipe contains eggs it really is important to remember to add them (or use the results to make trifle)! read less

When making pastry for a large pie or tart think about the shape of your dish or tin before you shaping it ready to be rested in the fridge ready for rolling.

For example, if you’re going to make a round pie, shape your pastry it into a disc. But if your tart tin is rectangular, it’s a good idea to shape your pastry into a flat rectangle. This way you’re not trying to roll your pastry into a different shape than you have started with and you’ve given yourself a bit of a head start – the pastry not only will be easier to roll (as it will be an even thickness) but you also won’t have to handle the pastry as much to get it to the right shape for your dish or tin, resulting in better pastry (because, as we all know, pastry isn’t great when you handle it too much!)

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I don’t know about you but I always seem to get my wings around the wrong way when making butterfly cakes! Here’s a simple method to make sure they are flying in the right direction…

1. Cut a shallow cone-shaped piece out of the top of a cupcake, leaving about a 1cm border.
2. Cut the piece of cake in half.
3. Spoon a little whipped or thick cream or mascarpone and then some jam into the hole to fill.
4. Arrange the two pieces of cake into the jam to from wings, top side up and round edges facing outwards.
5. Dust with icing sure if you wish.

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A thin or ‘runny’ cake batter can make spooning it into tins a little tricky, especially if you are making small individual cakes. Simply pouring it from a jug, instead of spooning it, will make this task a whole lot easier, not to mention quicker! read less

When making a tart where the pastry isn't blind baked first (such as a free-form summer fruit tart) sprinkle the raw pastry with a little almond meal or fine fresh breadcrumbs (usually about 2 tablespoons is a good amount) before topping with fruit and folding in the edges. The almond meal or breadcrumbs will protect the pastry and help it from going soggy once the juices are released from the fruit during baking.

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Always store your eggs in the fridge in an egg carton with the rounded end up. This will not only help them from loosing moisture and becoming stale quickly but it will also stop the eggs from absorbing other flavours from the fridge through their porous shells. 

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