Before you begin
Ensure eggs and butter are at room temperature.
To warm eggs quickly place in a bowl of warm-hot water.
To soften butter quickly use a microwave or conventional oven. Microwave – cut into even size pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl, uncovered, in 20 second bursts on Medium-low/Defrost. Conventional oven – turn oven to 120C, cut butter into even size pieces and place in a metal bowl.
Position oven racks before turning oven on:
Top of oven – for high temperature cooking and quick cooking
Middle of oven – use for moderate temperature cooking
Bottom of oven – use for low temperature and slow cooking
Baking biscuits
Always start baking biscuits with trays at room temperature (if cold place in preheating oven for 30 seconds).
Drop spoonfuls of dough 5cm apart so the biscuits don’t run together. Use a small ice cream scoop or spoon to “drop” your biscuits on the sheet so that the biscuits bake evenly and in the same shape.
High-liquid batter spreads more than stiff dough. If you’re pressed for time, mix ingredients, refrigerate, and bake later.
For softer, chewier biscuits, bake just until they begin to brown.
Increase spread of biscuits with low oven temperature.
Decrease spread of biscuits with high oven temperature.
If cooking one tray at a time, make sure the shelf is positioned in the centre of the oven or just above. When baking two trays, place one just above the centre, with the second tray underneath. Swap the trays half way through baking. This will ensure biscuits are all cooked evenly, and similar in colour.
Allow the biscuits to cool on trays for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. This allows the biscuits to firm a little so they will not break.
Biscuits are best stored in a tin. Alternately line the base and top of an airtight container with foil, this helps keep the biscuits crisp.
Baking cakes
The cake mixture should only fill 2/3 of the tin, allowing it room to rise. Leftover cake mix can be used to make muffins – fill muffin holes one-half to two-thirds full (bake in a preheated oven at the same temperature called for in your cake recipe, reducing baking time by a third to a half).
Don’t open the oven door or disturb the cake until it has finished rising and is partially browned, or your cake may sink.
When your cake is done if it’s “springy”, the top will spring back when pressed lightly in the centre and slightly shrink away from the sides of the pan (use this technique for sponges). Or use a skewer, push the skewer gently through the thickest part of the cake, to the bottom of the tin. Remove the skewer slowly – if the skewer is clean the cake is done; if the skewer has uncooked mixture on it, cook the cake further.
To achieve a marbled effect in a cake, dollop the various coloured mixtures into the cake pan, then pull a skewer through the mixtures. The same technique can be used to get marbled icing.
Why cakes fail
If your oven is too hot:
Your cake may have tunnels and cracks
Your cake may set before it fully rises and may be uneven
Your crust may be too dark
Your crust may burst or crack
If your oven is too cool:
Your cake may have coarse, dense or heavy texture
Your cake won’t set fast enough and will fall
Your crust may be too light
If your oven temperature is uneven, your cake may be uneven.
Preparing cake tins
Cake tins need greased and floured to prevent the mixture from sticking to the tin. Even non-stick surfaces need a light greasing. Use cooking-oil spray, or melted butter or margarine.
To grease and flour cake tins – take a cake tin, smear the insides with butter (a small amount on greaseproof paper). Then add flour, tap it at the sides such that the insides of the cake tin is completely covered with flour. Turn it upside down and tap at the sides to remove excess flour. Take care that your fingertips do not touch the insides. Every part inside the cake tin must be completely greased and floured.
Lining tins
Cover the base or base and sides of a cake, slab or loaf pan with waxed or non-stick baking paper to prevent the baked goods from sticking, lightly grease the pan or tray first, this helps to hold the paper in place.
Lining square cake tins – Cut a piece of greaseproof paper by first measuring the length and width of the tin and then adding twice its depth. Centre the tin on the sheet of paper, then make four cuts from the paper’s edge right up to the corners of the tin.
Grease the tin and fit the waxed paper inside, folding and overlapping it at the corners. For the base paper, cut a square out, again using the tin as a template and fit it in the base.
Lining round cake tins – Grease the cake tin, cut a strip of greaseproof paper slightly longer than the circumference of the tin and 7.5cm (3 inches) higher. Fold it back about 2.5cm (1 inch) along its length, then snip it at an angle at intervals up to the fold.
Now press the paper around the sides – the snipped edge will overlap on the base of the tin for a snug fit. Finally, cut a circle out – using the tin as a template – to fit over the snipped paper over the base.
To line a heavy fruit cake tin – Cut a double strip of greaseproof paper slightly longer than the circumference of the tin. Fold back 2.5 cm (1 inch) along its length and snip this at intervals, cutting at a slight angle to the fold. Grease the tin then press the paper around the sides – it should sit comfortably around the sides of the tin. Finally, cut a double circle of paper – using the tin as a template – to fit the base and press into place. Brown paper is then tied around the outside of the tin, to protect the cake during the long, slow cooking.
Halfway during the baking process, cover the top of the cake with a double sheet of greaseproof paper to prevent burning.
Baking and cooking terms
| Boil | To cook until liquid is so hot it forms bubbles |
| Broil | To cook directly under a heating element |
| Chill | To place in the refrigerator to lower a food’s temperature |
| Chop | To cut into pieces with a sharp knife or chopper |
| Combine | To mix ingredients together |
| Cream | To beat until smooth, soft and fluffy |
| Cube | To cut into 1/4-inch cubes |
| Cut | To mix a solid fat into a flour mixture with a pastry blender, a fork or two knives |
| Dice | To cut food into 1/8-inch cubes |
| Dot | Drop bits of butter or cheese here and there over food |
| Drain | To pour off liquid |
| Flour | To coat greased pans or dishes with a fine coat of flour. Shake out extra flour |
| Fold | To mix gently by bringing rubber scraper down through mixture, across the bottom, up and over top until blended |
| Fry | To cook in hot fat |
| Garnish | To decorate a finished dish with colorful food to make it look pretty |
| Grate | Rub against a grater to cut into small shreds |
| Grease | To spread the bottom and/or sides of a pan with shortening to prevent sticking |
| Grill | To cook directly over a heating element or hot coals |
| Knead | To fold, turn, and press dough with heel of your hand in order to develop the gluten and make dough more elastic |
| Ladle | To dip and serve liquid with a ladle |
| Melt | To heat until it liquefies |
| Mince | To chop or cut into tiny pieces |
| Mix | To stir foods together |
| Panfry | To cook in fat in a skillet |
| Pare | To cut off the outside skin, as from an apple or potato |
| Peel | To pull off the outer skin, as from a banana or an orange |
| Pit | To take out the seeds |
| Roll | Flatten and spread with a rolling pin |
| Saute | To cook in small amount of fat in a skillet |
| Scald | To heat milk just below a boiling point. Tiny bubbles will form around the edge |
| Shred | To cut into very thin strips |
| Sift | To put dry ingredients like flour through a sifter or sieve |
| Simmer | To cook in liquid over low heat so bubbles form slowly |
| Stir | To mix round and round with a spoon |
| Toss | To mix lightly |
| Well | A hole made in dry ingredients in which you pour liquid |
| Whip | To beat with a rotary egg beater or electric mixer to add air |
Flour types
Chlorinated or high ratio flour, also known as Hong King flour, is special cake flour that is able to hold large amounts of liquid. This gives the cake produced a very soft crumb and a light, moist, fine texture. They are also sweeter, have greater volume and a longer shelf life than cakes made with standard flour.
High grade or “strong” flour. Also called Baker’s Flour is made from semi-hard wheat and has a medium to high protein content. It is used for making bread.
Pastry flour has a high protein content and should be very white and free of any bran particles to ensure a good pastry product.
Self-raising flour is made by combining flour with baking powder or a similar chemical aerating agent. These are sifted together many times until they are thoroughly combined and the baking powder is evenly distributed through the flour. This kind of flour is perfect for making pikelets and scones
Standard or plain flour, also called soft flour, is made from soft wheat varieties and has a low protein content. It is used for making cakes and biscuits as it gives the baked product a tender texture. Cake flour for traditional cakes should be very fine, white and clean. This enables it to hold more liquid.
Wholemeal flour contains all parts of the wheat grain. It is used in various baked products, including cakes, biscuits, slices, scones and muffins.
Cake flour has a lower protein level and the least amount of gluten of all wheat flours, so delivers a delicate and tender crumb and crust. It’s ideal when making sponge cakes, genoise, and some cookie batters. Cake flour has a creamy colour and should be refrigerated or frozen to retain freshness. It can be purchased from specialty food suppliers and fine food outlets. Alternately, if you can’t find cake flour and your recipe calls for it, substitute plain (all purpose) flour, simply subtract two level tablespoons of flour for each cup of flour used in the recipe.
Store flour in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you wish to keep it for a longer period, it is best to store it in a freezer.