Baking Tips

Perfectly simple buttercream without the grit!

When making frosting for your next layer cake, beat together the confectioners sugar and butter with a pinch of salt, then beat HOT whipping cream or half and half into the mixture.

Just pour half a cup or so of cream into a microwave-safe bowl, and zap it until it scalds (just bubbles up--keep an eye on it!).

Then gradually add the hot cream to your sugar/butter mixture until it's of spreading/piping consistancy and add vanilla or other extract.

The hot cream helps dissolve the sugar crystals, and because of the increased fat content, your frosting won't separate.

Sure, it's more fattening, but who ever dug into a perfect birthday cake in order to lose weight?!

Keep it moist and light!

If your cakes are tougher and drier than you'd like, you're probably beating the batter after you've added the dry ingredients.

Absolutely beat the heck out of sugar and butter (eggs, too, unless using beaten whites); but if you beat the flour--particularly all-purpose flour--you'll develop the gluten, leading to a tough, dry result.

Cake flour doesn't contain as much gluten to begin with, but unless a recipe specifically calls for a lot of beating once you've incorporated the dry ingredients (usually only thin batters require it), try folding them into the creamed liquid ingredients. Your cakes will have a finer crumb and a moister texture.

Small but Sweet

While sharing tapas with friends the other night, I pointed out that small plates and miniature foods have gained in popularity. This is especially true of desserts. Cupcakes (and mini-muffins) have never been hotter, but tiny pastries and flans are equally popular in upscale restaurants.

One small, rich bite ends a meal as beautifully as a slab of layer cake or a wedge of pie a-la-mode. Our bodies (and psyches) know the meal is over as soon as the sweet treat is swallowed. So the next time you're thinking about making an apple pie, dust off your muffin tins and make apple tarts instead. Make mini-cheesecakes in mini-muffin tins--or try serving up creme brulee in kiddy-sized custard cups. Downsize your cookies and, of course, don't forget about the cupcakes. Your guests will thank you, your waistline will thank you, and you'll be the trendiest baker in town.

Put a little sugar on it

Next time the top of your tart, cookies or cake is a bit too brown or cracked, just put some confectioners sugar into a sieve and shake, shake, shake it all over the surface. There's not much that won't look prettier with a snowy dusting of powdered sugar.

Add flavor!

Always use pure flavoring extracts in your baking (especially important in uncooked fillings and frostings, where the fake odor of vanillin will be obvious). There are lots of pure extracts available aside from vanilla: lemon, orange, anise, almond and peppermint are easy to find in your supermarket.

Next time you bake sugar cookies, white frosting or yellow cake, jazz it up with some flavor. If your recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla, use ½ teaspoon of vanilla and ½ teaspoon of lemon or orange extract. Then add the grated rind of a lemon or orange to really punch up the citrus taste. Or, next time you bake a white layer cake, use half vanilla and half almond extract in the batter, then sandwich the layers together with raspberry jam. Frost with vanilla or chocolate icing and slap some sliced almonds around the sides of the layers: classic and delicious.