Baking Tips with Kandy Shepherd


Baking tips with Kandy Shepherd

 

I’m sharing here wisdom that I gleaned from my pre-author “day job” as a magazine editor-in-chief, both in Australia and the UK. Most of the magazines I worked on had food content, some more than others.

 

I was fortunate enough to work with the most wonderful home economists, chefs and food stylists. They were responsible for recipe creation, testing and food photography. As editor, I was generally office bound, but tried to spend as much time as I could with the food teams, jumping at any chance to attend a shoot. Along the way I observed, asked questions, and learned a lot from the experts.

 

 While there are certain things I cook without a recipe, where I use whatever is in the fridge and the pantry. With a dash of this and a dash of that, it usually turns out fine.

 

But I also love seeking out recipes to try something new and different. From my foodie friends I picked up some tips:

 

• Read a recipe all the way through before you start—and ideally before you go shopping.

 

• Check you’ve got the ingredients required—or what you can safely substitute.

 

• Many recipes give time estimates for both preparation and cooking times. It’s a good idea to take heed—and to watch out for that “chill for two hours before proceeding” sometimes hidden in the “method”.

 

• If you’re attempting something ambitious for a dinner party or family occasion, try the recipe out in advance, so you’re not running around the kitchen, red-faced and flustered in the kitchen and asking yourself, “Why the heck did I decide to do this?” when the guests start to arrive.

 

• Do what the experts do and have everything weighed out, measured, diced and sliced on hand and ready to use before you actually start cooking.

 

Some favourite tips I picked up related specifically to baking—something I really enjoy. (Blame my sweet tooth.)


 

Working on large-circulating magazines, we’d often get readers phoning in to ask where they had gone wrong with the recipe. Sometimes they’d made substitutions that simply didn’t work. We explained that baking involves chemical reactions between ingredients to make, for example, cakes rise. Substitute with something else and the recipe might not work. (Please don’t ask me about how disastrous it is for a recipe with an actual mistake in it to make it through the proof-reading process and into the reader’s hands!)


 

• In baking, it’s important that ingredients are weighed and measured accurately—using either standard size measuring cups and spoons or a digital scale. With dry ingredients like flour, spoon the flour into the cup and level across with a flat blade. A measuring jug is good for liquid ingredients.


 

• All ovens aren’t the same and correct baking temperature can be vital. Learn to know the quirks of your oven. You can test its accuracy using an oven thermometer.

 

• Mixing muffins needs a light hand—ten stirs should be all it needs to blend wet and dry ingredients together.

 

• For cupcakes to come out of the oven looking the same size, measure exactly one-third of a cup of mixture for each cupcake. Takes a little longer but works so much better than the haphazard dollop here, dollop there method.

 

• Same goes for loading cake pans for layer cakes. Measure the batter so the same amount goes in each pan.


 

• Decorating a cake with those tiny silver balls or small sweets? Place them accurately on the cake surface using tweezers.

 

• Ensure all ingredients are fresh, especially baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and baking powder.  The tin lurking at the back of the pantry with a pre-historic use-by date might not give best results.


 

• Try not to “taste test” so many of the sweet treats you’ve made that the serving plate is half empty by the time guests arrive. Er, that advice is just for me!

 

Do you have a favourite baking tip to share? I’d love to see it!

 

 


Kandy Shepherd is a best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her heartfelt, passionate stories are set in exciting locations around the world and are published in multiple languages. Kandy believes in love-at-first-sight and real-life romance—she and her husband of many years decided to spend their lives together after three days! She loves it when readers tell her that her books make them laugh and make them cry. Kandy lives near Sydney, Australia with her husband and numerous four-legged friends.


Connect with Kandy Shepherd over the web:


Website        Facebook        Twitter 


Instagram                  TikTok





Kandy Shepherd has a new book out this month:

The Tycoon's Christmas Dating Deal



HIS CANDY CANE CONTRACT


The loss of her parents makes working the holidays difficult for event planner Marissa. But planning a party for tycoon Oliver is an offer she can’t refuse. The problem? Oliver—her childhood crush!—needs her to be his fake date… Following his beloved grandfather’s passing, Oliver’s dedicated to giving their family manor the farewell it deserves. But his grieving grandmother is 
convinced that Marissa is his girlfriend, and why shatter her dreams? Yet as the festivities ramp up, the terms of their deal blur. Is their chemistry real or just a trick of the twinkle lights?


Buy on:




26 comments:

  1. Those look so good. I love cake but I'm diabetic so I try not to partake too often.

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad you're able to enjoy cakes sometimes, Mary.

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  2. Like with many things, it's a good idea to read the directions before you start. I don't try a lot of new recipes as I'm a very picky eater, and most recipes have things in them I won't eat.

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    1. Totally understand, Liz, I have certain dislikes myself!

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  3. Thanks for the tips. I have a very sweet tooth and try not to bake too often.
    And a big YES to read the recipe completely before you start.

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    1. I love to bake, but also love to eat too much of my sweet treats! . The three desserts I picture here were made for birthdays, shared with others, and were demolished very quickly!

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  4. Thanks for the yummy tips and the book sounds good

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Christine, I hope you enjoy the book if you get a chance to read it!

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  5. Gracias por las reseñas. Te mando un beso.

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  6. Your advice tips made me smile. You could have been addressing them all to me. I'm a haphazard cook at the best of times. Those cakes look mouthwateringly good.

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    1. So glad the tips were helpful, jabblog. Those three cakes were really delicious, took forever to make and were utterly worth it!

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  7. What a treasure trove of baking wisdom! Your insights from your time as a magazine editor really shine through, especially the emphasis on accuracy and preparation. It’s so true that baking is a science, and even small changes can lead to big differences in results. I love your tips on measuring and the importance of knowing your oven—those are game-changers! Thanks for sharing your expertise; these are definitely helpful for both novice and experienced bakers alike. Happy weekend. I hope it's a happy one for you. I’ve just posted something new, and I'd love to hear what you think. Please give it a read! https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/10/the-social-media-trap-of-judging-relationships-by-one-sided-narratives.html

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    Replies
    1. Hi Melody, I'm so glad you found the baking tips useful! I read your blog with interest.

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  8. These are fantastic baking tips.
    I learned some of these the hard way, I must admit.
    I wish I knew sooner how important was measuring in baking.
    When you're cooking, something you can just improvise...but in baking you better be as precise as a chemist conducting an instrument.
    Thanks to Kathy for sharing these and thank to you for sharing this book with us.

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  9. my mother in law loves cooking and baking:D

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  10. good recommendations.....
    wish to try recipe and read the book

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  11. These are great tips. Knowing our oven and how it heats makes a lot of sense to me. Reading the recipe through first is key- I agree it can save us from a lot of stress. Thanks for all the excellent advice. Wishing Kandy the best with her latest release!

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  12. Looks delicious.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  13. What a great collection of practical baking tips! It’s clear from your experience as an editor and working with food experts that you’ve gathered a wealth of knowledge. I especially love the advice about reading the recipe thoroughly beforehand and preparing everything in advance—it really takes the stress out of cooking and baking. It’s also so true that testing out a new recipe before a big event can save you from last-minute chaos. I’m sure these tips will help both seasoned bakers and beginners alike!

    I just shared a blog, please let me know what you think: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/11/why-duex-float-portable-monitor-is-game-changer.html

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  14. These are great tips! I've gotten caught a few times not reading a recipe before I started, only to find out later how long it would take, or that I needed to do a step that required ingredients to sit overnight.

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