Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › Cake Decorating › Baking Help
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Baking Help

post #1 of 13
5/20/10 at 8:21am
Thread Starter 
I need general Baking help. I cant bake to save my soul. I never have been able to.

I have been decorating for some time now (as a hobby), but I generally order prebaked plain cakes from a local bakery or have my sister bake them for me (she can bake but cant decorate, so it works well for us, lol).

Anyone know of a site like this one that is solely for baking and not decorating? Or a beginners info site? I have been trying to self teach for a while, but nothing ever turns out right.

about a week ago, I tried to make a yellow cake from the betty crocker cookbook, and then made buttercream frosting. The frosting turned out great (no surprise) but the cake tasted like stale bread. icon_redface.gif and its not just cakes. two nights ago I made c. chip cookies from the tollhouse recipe and they turned out like rocks! They are very light in color, just browned on the bottom, but you can almost break a tooth when you bite into one!

so - am I a lost cause?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 13
5/20/10 at 8:23am
Are you following recipes exactly?
Are you measuring your ingredients correctly?
Are you creaming your butter and sugar long enough?
Are all of your ingredients at the correct temp?
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 13
5/20/10 at 8:36am
Check to see that your baking powder is fresh, too. I had several cakes come out very badly, until I bought a new can of it, and now everything's ok. Best of luck!
Marianna
"I know my own mind...and it's around here somewhere!"
Reply
Marianna
"I know my own mind...and it's around here somewhere!"
Reply
post #4 of 13
5/20/10 at 8:43am
Why not just use mixes? If there is a problem making those, then you KNOW something is wrong...either with your oven or pans, or something along those lines. There is no shame to using mixes, especially if your goal is the decorating!
Lynda
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"...Thomas Jefferson
Reply
Lynda
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"...Thomas Jefferson
Reply
post #5 of 13
5/20/10 at 8:46am
Don't be afraid to use cake mix. They will taste better than some old pre-made cake. There are a lot of ideas for enhancing cake mixes. If you are a beginner, that is a good place to start. I have a degree in Home Economics and I have NOTHING against Pillsbury or DH even though I am a good baker.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 13
5/20/10 at 8:53am
Don't be afraid to bake the cake for shorter times than the recipe calls for. Dry and tasteless sounds over baked
I know grammar, syntax and I can spell -- I just can't type!
Reply
I know grammar, syntax and I can spell -- I just can't type!
Reply
post #7 of 13
5/20/10 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info! I am going to check out that blog.


Cake mixes dont taste that great to me, usually (and I have issues with those too, lol) .

The cakes I buy from the bakery are baked that am, so they are fresh and taste great...but it would be nice to not have to order them - KWIM?

How old it too old for baking powder?
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 13
5/20/10 at 9:54am
If your sister is a geat baker then get together with her with duplicate ingredients and one recipe.
Together (but seperate) make the same recipe. Follow her lead, watch and learn from her. You may learn all sorts of tips and tricks!

Just remember, no one cooks/bakes the same...My grandma always said, you can give ten cooks all the same recipe and end up with ten different dishes!
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 13
5/20/10 at 10:05am
Wise advice, Jewels! One just needs to look at recipe photos submitted on sites like Allrecipes to know that no two recipes turn out the same!
Lynda
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"...Thomas Jefferson
Reply
Lynda
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"...Thomas Jefferson
Reply
post #10 of 13
5/20/10 at 10:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovely_me

How old it too old for baking powder?



It should have an expiration date on the can.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 13
5/20/10 at 10:35am
I baked, just not with consistent results. I still sometimes have a goof!!! But, I can pretty much nail it now.

Start off by doing some research, I know it sounds geeky, but baking is truly a science.

A couple good books that I used, and found at the public library are:

The Art of the Cake: Modern French Baking and Decorating by Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat

The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Cake Love by Warren Brown

These will really help you to understand baking, as they go into the properties of ingredients on down to how to properly measure them.

Good Luck

thumbs_up.gif

cakeymom
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 13
5/20/10 at 10:50am
About the baking powder: depending on where you live, it might fizzle before the expiration date. I live in a very humid area and, although I hadn't had it for all that long, it was kind of lumpy. It doesn't cost that much to replace, so it might be worth a try, anyway. But it might be the pan, too. I have pans that I simply can't use for baking (especially those black-lined ones)!
Marianna
"I know my own mind...and it's around here somewhere!"
Reply
Marianna
"I know my own mind...and it's around here somewhere!"
Reply
post #13 of 13
5/20/10 at 4:38pm
For help with learning the how's and why's of baking: www.joyofbaking.com

HTH
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cake Decorating
Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › Cake Decorating › Baking Help