Useful baking hacks for total beginners

Have you been wanting to get into baking but don’t know where to start? Well we’re here to help. 

Baking is a wonderful skill to have that will last you a lifetime. Knowing how to bake a sweet treat can come in very handy for a Sunday morning treat, last minute parties, or if you want to create a thoughtful gift for someone special. 

Although the different measurements and multitude of ingredients that can make or break a well-risen cake may seem intimidating, there’s no need to fret! 

We’re sharing some useful hacks to help any novice in the kitchen. We’re sure these tips will come in handy in your future baking endeavours. 

Silicone baking mats

Rather than having to line your baking tray or cake pan with parchment paper and butter, invest in silicone baking tins. They’re reusable, non-stick and easy to use. They even come in a variety of shapes so you can make the perfect muffins or a larger cake. 

Ripening fruit

If you need some ripe bananas for banana bread or ripe apples for a delicious crumble but yours are unripe, try this tip. Place the unripe fruit in a paper bag and seal it up. If you do have a banana that’s ripe, place it in the bag with the rest of the unripe fruit to speed up the process due to the ethylene gas they release. 

Batch freezing

If you’re making a big batch of cookie dough but want to save some for the future, freeze the batter in individual cookie portions. This way, you can easily bake as many as you want when you feel like having a cookie, rather than having to defrost and use the whole batch.

Create your own buttermilk

If a recipe you’re using requires buttermilk but you don’t have any, try using vinegar or lemon juice instead. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar/ lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and let it sit for around 5 minutes so you create the acidity in buttermilk yourself!

Use an ice-cream scoop

If you're trying to bake a big batch of cupcakes or cookies that you want to be evenly sized, use an ice-cream scoop to keep them all uniform. This way, there’s no fighting over who gets the bigger sweet treat!