If you’re in need of a shortcut or two to help you turn out perfectly presented, freshly baked treats in super-quick time, you’re not alone. The internet is full of tips or ‘hacks’ to make every aspect of life easier, and baking is no exception. Here are five of our favorite tips to make you look like a pro:
Freeze Cookie Dough for Fresh-Baked Cookies in Minutes
From last-minute treats for unexpected visitors to simply having warm, oven-fresh cookies whenever you like with zero effort, there are lots of benefits to freezing cookie dough. Choose a day when you’ve got the time and motivation to make a big batch, and stock up so you’ll have plenty for weeks to come! Dough will last up to 3 months in the freezer. There are three main ways to go about it:
- Freeze individual portions or balls of dough which can just be placed straight on a baking tray and popped in the oven. If you’re cooking from frozen your cookies will need a couple of extra minutes on the timer.
- Freeze a big log of shortbread dough to thaw when you want it, slice and then bake.
- Freeze a big sheet or disk of dough already rolled out – simply thaw then ready, cut into the shapes you want and then bake.
Keep Clean with a DIY Whisk-Guard!
If you’re tired of cake batter splattered all over your clothes and kitchen, there’s a simple step you can take to prevent a mess when using an electric hand-whisk. Simply make two holes in a paper place and pass your whisks through them before connecting to the machine. The plate will act as a sort of lid for your mixing bowl and catch all the batter which would otherwise have coated you and your work surface!
Get Perfectly Even Cupcakes Every Time
Do your cupcake batches always end up with a mishmash of sizes and shapes? It can be difficult to spoon cake batter into cupcake cases evenly, and you’ll almost always get some variation in the amount of mixture in each case. You can change all that by using an ice cream scoop sprayed with a little non-stick cooking spray. The non-stick coating stays on the scoop throughout, and you can be sure of getting an even dollop of batter into every cupcake – genius!
No Butter? No Problem!
Run out of butter and need to whip up a cake or bake with no time to pop to the shop? Did you know that you can swap butter in your recipe for the same amount of avocado? You’ll need to increase your wet ingredients very slightly to compensate for the fact that avocado won’t melt like butter does. Doing this swap is a great way to reduce the amount of fat in your baking and create a tasty treat that’s (slightly) healthier than usual.
Create Beautiful Biscuits & Chic Cakes
For those trying to reduce their sugar intake or if you’re all out of frosting, you can make an elegantly decorated bake using just a sprinkle of icing sugar. Apply a piece of lace or a paper doily to use like a stencil, and simply dust the icing sugar over the top. When the stencil is removed you’ll be left with a delicate and pretty pattern which is a really clever way to get a great decorative design on your cookies without frosting.
