Classic baking methods

Classic baking methods 🎂 🍰 

•Creaming method

    This type of recipe will say things like “cream” the butter and sugar or “beat the butter and sugar till pale and creamy”. Cakes made using this method will first cream the butter together with the sugar, and then the eggs are added one by one, and finally the flour (which is usually added alternatively with a liquid).

To cream butter, start with softened butter. Literally beat the butter in your mixer until it changes colour and becomes lighter or pale. The butter will eventually lose its buttery taste and become creamier.

Why is this such an important baking technique? Creaming the butter with sugar not only helps the sugar to “dissolve” into the butter and be spread evenly through the batter; it also aerates (adds air) to the butter – giving a lighter texture to bakes.

•Hot milk method

      This type of recipe calls for the butter and liquid to be boiled together before being added to the flour. Cupcakes and old fashioned hot milk puddings are made using this method.

•Separate eggs

       There are nifty little gadgets specifically made to separate the egg yolk from the egg white on the market. But if gadgets aren’t your thing, you can do this perfectly well by hand.

Firstly, wash and dry your hands. Then, set out three clean and dry bowls. Crack the egg gently on a flat surface or on the rim of a bowl, as close to the middle of the egg as possible. Turn the egg out into the first bowl. Use your fingers to gently lift the yolk from the white and transfer the yolk to the second bowl.

Crack the second egg into the third bowl, remove the yolk and add it to the first. Add the egg white to the bowl of whites. Cracking each egg into a bowl of its own first is a good idea. That’s because if you do accidentally break the yolk, it won’t run into the egg whites that you’ve already separated.

Keeping the yolks and whites completely separate is very important if you need to whip up the egg whites. This is because any yolk (or fat) in the whites will prevent them from whipping up fully.

Tip: Chilled eggs are easier to separate. If a recipe asks for separated eggs, separate them straight from the fridge and then let them come to room temperature before using.