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By Lifestyle Reporter 
19h ago
Within a few weeks of being locked up, a lot of people were churning and churning their way to beautiful desserts, and it was brilliant.
However, when the cake is in the oven and the stack of baking bowls rises above the kitchen sink, it can seem less of a hobby and more of a chore.
Here, cookbook author and pastry enthusiast Grace Stevens shares some of her tried and true tips for weekend baking.
Choose what you want to bake earlier in the week.
This will give you time to select a recipe that suits your skill level and will give you and your family something to look forward to at the end of a long week.
Read the recipe.
Few things are more frustrating than the instruction to “cool overnight” in the last step of a recipe. Reading the recipe carefully will allow you to plan your time so that you can bake your creation and still have time to enjoy the rest of your weekend plans.
Make an accurate list of the ingredients you need and check that you have the correct size baking pans.
The ratio of fat and sugar in a recipe weakens the structure of a baked product. Ensuring you use the correct size can for your baked goods according to the recipe will prevent any accidental collapse.
Buy your ingredients well in advance to give yourself time to search for specialty ingredients online or in bakeries.
Although many of us are guilty of using cocoa powder when the recipe calls for Dutch cocoa powder, the two have different alkalinities that react with baking powder slightly differently and the wrong one can compromise the texture of your cake.
Make sure you understand the baking terminology in your recipe.
Whipping, whipping, folding, and slicing are all ways to mix, but they mean different methods in the sweet world of baking. With hundreds of different baking terms, you may need to ask a baker friend or research terms to find out what the recipe calls for.
Start with a clean kitchen.
Nothing is more treacherous than trying to precariously balance a cake pan filled with batter on the edge of your counter, and cleaning the cake batter off the floor is no fun for anyone. It is best to avoid any accidents and start with enough clean space to work.
Grease or line your cans before you start and preheat your oven.
All foods cook unevenly in a cold oven, and yeast, baking soda, and baking powder will react differently at different temperatures. Preheating your oven will help ensure that your cake rises as planned, not to mention it will make your kitchen warm in winter weather.
Measure your ingredients carefully.
Baking relies on chemical reactions between the ingredients in your recipe to achieve that perfectly light chewy cake or cookie. There is also a slight difference between dry and liquid cup amounts, so whenever possible measure by weight.
Host a bake with a friend.
A friendly game of “Who Baked It Best” is a great way to get motivated to go to the kitchen, a great way to socialize, and an easy way to learn from each other.
Bake a nostalgic recipe.
Baking is extraordinary because almost everyone you meet will have a happy memory of their mother’s cake, their grandmother’s cookies, or their aunts’ koeks sisters. The taste and smell of these delicacies are treasured memories and making one of these recipes for a family member is like serving them a happy slice of childhood. Literally.
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