Easy Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake - It Can't Get Easier Than This!

Lack of peace and quiet, the pandemonium our house constantly is  - you have read about these and is all coming out your ears now. The kids now have holidays and are with their grand parents in our home town since the past few days. After all the excitement of packing and getting ready to leave with Granny, the son had cold feet at the last moment, but my 4-year-old daughter surprised us by waving away enthusiastically and gleefully (a little too much for my comfort!) from the train. The one who came home teary-eyed was me! 

"You got to teach them to fly'' was the amused hubby's philosophical remark on the silent drive back home. By the next morning I was excited about all that I could do in these few days without having to worry about the kids. Bake, blog, read up, catch a movie, a quiet dinner out with hubby.. oh yes!! In came the maid who does the dishes and washes clothes for me. She remarked how silent the house was without them.. Errr. yes its silent...am trying to sip and enjoy my coffee and reading my baking book as early as at 8 a.m. My other house help, the neighbor, the vegetable vendor - all of them had something along similar lines to say.. sighing and 'tching' too much and too often for comfort. Well!!

Though I have hardly been home, I find the house all too silent when we come back, not much to clean up after. For all the grand plans I had to bake and blog about, there is nobody to hover over my shoulders as I take the pictures and then give me a thumbs up after eating. Feels weird and disconcerting, is this a small glimpse of the empty-nest syndrome during the later years? Funny, am now not seriously looking forward to see the kids growing up fast now!

Watch my video! 

Did I just say I have nobody to bake for? Well, this is the time to bake a couple of batches of brownies for the brother's colleagues, my colleagues, my cousins, freeze some of it for the kids, make some cookie dough, make home-made cake and bread mixes. These can really help get things in the oven real fast. And the frozen stuff would be great to feed the kids when they come back, my son is surely going to have questions for me when he 'checks' my blog for what I have been baking while he was away! 

What freezes well, awaits and this one comes from my drafts which means something they have already eaten, sparing me the sad and incredulous ''You baked this while we were away?''  The joys of being a blogger Mom!

Here is a cake which is really easy, tasty, can be put together with minimum fuss, slices beautifully and can feed a good number of people too. The beginner's perfect entertaining cake? Not just for the baking part, but also decorating it - by just slathering on some cooled ganache, garnish with some bright cherries or strawberries and you can confidently let that party crowd in!

 Recipe from Citrus And Candy. Please weigh ingredients for best results

Unsalted butter - 150 grams, cut up
Brown sugar - 220 grams 
Good quality dark chocolate, chopped - 100 grams
Cocoa powder - 50 grams

Instant coffee - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Milk - 160 ml
Large eggs, 3 / 150 grams (without shell) at room temperature
Plain flour -170 grams
Baking powder - 1.5 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

 Salt - tiny pinch

Ganache : Recipe here. 

Method : Pre heat oven to 170 degrees C / 340 degree F.  Grease your bundt pan thoroughly.( I have used a  7.5 cup pan from Alda. Check out more of my baking product recommendations on my Amazon store  here) You could use baking spray or grease with ghee and dust with flour. Tap to remove excess flour. 

You could also use an 8'' or 9'' square tin lined with baking parchment, grease and flour the sides. 

Mise en place .

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt , set aside.

Take the butter, milk, cocoa, sugar, coffee and chocolate in a heavy saucepan.. Heat on low till the chocolate, butter and sugar melt completely and you have a smooth mixture.. You could do also do this in a large glass bowl in the microwave. Allow the mixture to cool. 

Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture  one by one and whisk to combine. Sift over the flour mixture and then gently fold it in. Scrape batter into tin and bake for 25 -30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Do not over bake. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
Invert the cake tin on the cake, then re-invert on the serving platter and pour the ganache. (Watch video above to get a better idea) 

If you end up with an overbaked slightly dryish cake, brush the cake with some simple syrup.

Heat 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and cool.

Watch my video How to make ganache 

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Easiest Dark Chocolate Brownies - Easy Baking For Beginners

Watch the video here. You can also subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Click to subscribe now!

Wish you a very happy new year! Hope this year brings some much needed harmony and peace to the world.  Progress, growth and everything else can come next.  Hope the worst is over and we get a better and safer world to live in.  Makes me think, it is now more important than ever to reinforce and instill values, tolerance, broad mindedness and humanity in our children.  And of course, live and love each day, count the blessings.  As these thoughts rule my mind today, I can't help but think how insignificant the next post or some bad pictures are while there are much bigger victories to be won!

Here are some easy, rich, creamy, moist and extremely chocolaty brownies with a truffle like texture.  This is no snack with a glass of milk nor are these for the faint hearted.  This is dessert best enjoyed with some coffee or orange whipped cream.  With barely any flour here, these brownies vaguely reminded me of the Chocolate Idiot Cake , only these are even more idiot proof!  Just the kind of thing you can throw together at the last minute for a weekend dessert or party.  This is the easiest recipe for chocolate brownies a beginner can attempt as there is no risk of scorching or seizing the chocolate.  Enough said,  why not let these be your first batch?  I promise, if you adore chocolate, you won't regret! 

If you are an absolute beginner, please do drop by here before you begin.

Helene's Brownies - Adapted from David Lebovitz. 

• 
  
• Ingredients : Please weigh all ingredients. 
• 
  
• Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped - 200 grams / 7 ounces 
• Water - 60 ml / 1/4 cup 
• Instant coffee - 1.5 teaspoons (optional, but recommended especially if  using local brands of chocolate)
• Soft unsalted butter, cut into small pieces - 115 grams / 4 oz
• Sugar, powdered - 150 grams  
• Flour/ Maida - 16 grams / 2 tablespoons
• Almond meal / ground almonds - 2 tablespoons 
• Eggs - 192 grams / 4 large
• Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• 
  
• Method 
• 1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350ºF . Mise en place. 

• 2. Line an eight (8) inch square baking tin with baking parchment, leave an overhang.  (David uses a 9'' round spring form tin) 

3. Take the chocolate, water, coffee and butter in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Put it on low heat (on your gas stove is fine), stir constantly till the chocolate is melted and smooth. 

4. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the sugar.  Then the vanilla, almond flour and the flour.

5. Whisk in the eggs in 4 additions, making sure the egg is well combined each time. Remember you want to be gentle here, whisk just enough to combine. There is no need to work up a volume. The batter will be quite thin, almost pourable.

6 . Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18 - 20 minutes, until the center feels just about set. (this was at 20 minutes for me) . You won't see any wet batter on top and a toothpick inserted in the center must come out with a few moist crumbs attached to it. Let the pan remain in the oven as your check for doneness. Bake a minute or two more if the center looks wet.  The baking time depends on the pan size and your oven too. Err on the side of underbaked a little if you want a creamy center. 

5. Let cool completely, lift the brownies out of the tin (parchment and all) and cut into squares. 

Serve as is at room temperature or with a dollop of whipped cream. I liked these best the day I baked them. They turn more fudgy the next day, more like biting into a creamy bar of rich, buttery chocolate. 

Please Note :
Baking time : This probably will be the only slight glitch if you are a beginner.  As mentioned above, err on the side of under baking (by two minutes at the most), it may be gooey, but still good! Do note down the baking time so that you can adjust by a minute or two next time. 

David's note on Storage: The brownies can be frozen for up to two months, if well wrapped. Because they are quite moist, they’re somewhat fragile so pack them carefully if you freeze them.  If frozen, I would  prefer to simply bring them to room temperature rather than heating them in the microwave. 

I have not added nuts or chocolate chips as I wanted the texture smooth. Do add some if you wish.

Please do not go by the color you see in the pictures here, I am just plain terrible at taking pictures of anything chocolate. If you do try these, please take a moment to tell me how you liked them! 

How To Use Eggs In Baking - For Beginners (Video Post)

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Eggs - those amazing little things which are such a vital part of baking. Whole eggs, egg whites and egg yolks are used in different ways for varied results. Apart from lending flavor and richness, whole eggs work as leaveners and help bind the batter. Eggs whipped to a volume are the sole leaveners in foam cakes like genoise and fat less sponge. Egg yolks lend richness, emulsify and thicken batters and custards.

In some recipes, egg whites can be used to replace whole eggs if you want to lower the cholesterol in the bake. They are simply whisked with other ingredients to make tuiles and macaroons while they are whipped to peaks to make meringue cookies, pavlova, chiffon cakes, mousse cakes, ladyfingers, French macarons and more.  Magical right?

Here are some bits about eggs you may find useful. 

• One large egg weighs 48 grams (without shell), one egg white 30 grams and the yolk 18 grams. Since the weight of eggs may vary even within a given grade, weighing them is the way to go.  We do not have any kind of grading here in India, so all the more necessary. If a recipe does not mention the size or weight of eggs, you can take the above mentioned weights.
• Unless otherwise specified, eggs should be at room temperature when you use them for baking. Take them out of the refrigerator about an hour ahead if needed.
• If a recipe ingredients list has 'Eggs, separated' it means you will be using the whites and yolks separately. Separating eggs in order to get clear egg whites and neat yolks comes with practice. 
• In recipes where you need to whip egg whites to a volume, it pays to be paranoid about separating eggs without a trace of grease. In other cases you can get away with pretty decent results as it does not matter. 
• Whites do not whip stiff enough and to the best volume if there is yolk or any other kind of grease. This will affect the texture of the cake or cookies which is not what we want of course.
• Whipped egg white is the sole leavener in some bakes like Queen of Sheba Queen Of Sheba and Almost Fudge Gateau 
• You can separate eggs quite easily at room temperature, but it is easier to separate them when they are cold. If the egg whites are cold, you can warm them by putting the bowl of whites in warm (not hot) water. Warm whites are OK for whipping.
• While separating eggs for whipping whites, it is better to have a few more eggs than you think are needed.
• You don't need fancy tools to separate eggs, messy hands are good enough. OK, egg shells (no messy hands) if you are dexterous enough to juggle the yolks between two shells.
• Whites first!  Given a choice I would prefer to whip whites at right at the stage needed. If you will be using the hand mixer for making the batter as well whipping whites, it is better to whip the whites first and then mix the batter. Unless you have an extra set of blades, it would be very annoying to stop in between to clean and obsessively wash the blades halfway through the recipe. You will need to have everything else ready before you do this as the whites lose volume quickly. 

• Older or aged egg whites supposedly work better in recipes like French macarons. The eggs in this case can be separated a day or more ahead and refrigerated covered. This is specially useful where sugar is not used in the beating step to stabilize the whites.
• Cream of tartar : This whitish powder helps stabilize whites and also avoid over whipping. The ideal proportion according to Rose Beranbaum is 1/8 teaspoon for each white, use more and the whites won't whip! If you do not have cream of tartar, try using fresh lime juice in the same quantity. 
• Storing: Egg whites can be refrigerated for a few days. Supposedly freeze well for at least one year! Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. I may not want to risk meringue or chiffon cake with them, but should be good enough for macaroons? 
• Egg yolks may also be frozen, but with 1/2 teaspoon sugar per yolk stirred into them to prevent them from becoming sticky. But you must remember to subtract this sugar from the recipe later.
• 2 egg whites replace 1 whole egg in recipes which allow the substitution. 
• Using yolks : You can use them for home-made custard, fruit curd and baked custards in a hundred flavors. I am so tempted every single time I separate eggs!
• Egg whisked with a bit of water and then brushed on breads and other bakes gives them a gorgeous golden color. This is called egg wash.

Egg Substitutes: Unashamedly I admit,  am quite biased about using eggs in baking as I love the taste the texture it brings! You can bake without them too using appropriate substitutes.  But you may not be able to substitute in all recipes or replicate the texture. So be careful, better to try egg less recipes rather than trying to substitute in one with eggs. 

Common egg replacers : Depending on what role the egg has to play in the recipe - make it rise or bind or just provide richness and moisture, you can try substituting. So you can't obviously bake a genoise or an angel food cake or chiffon cake without eggs.

Commercial egg replacers : Ener-G  and Orgran are two brands I have read about. These supposedly work great. 

Cornstarch : 2 tablespoons cornflour mixed in 2 tablespoons warm water to replace one egg is something I have used a couple of times in cookies and pancakes. 

Flax seed : 1 tablespoon flax seed powder mixed in 3 tablespoons warm water, let sit till it is viscous. This replaces one egg.  It has a nutty taste so use in a recipe with nuts. 

Yogurt : 1/4 cup thick yogurt in place of 1 egg. Works in breads.

Fruit puree, pureed tofu and vinegar are other substitutes commonly used, but within parameters again.

Be sure to check these  links when you want to try eggless recipes or substitutes.

Versatile Kitchen

Eggless Cooking

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Jamie Oliver's Peach Clafoutis - Easy, Homey, Delish!

Its not everyday that you stumble upon a recipe which is super easy to make, does not have a load of fat, barely any flour, comes together in 10 minutes and bakes in 15.  A simple yet satisfying homey kind of dessert you want to eat when you crave something sweet. Made with the most basic pantry staples, this clafoutis is something I could easily fall into the habit of making. On a busy week day or on a lazy weekend, this is one of the easiest desserts you could bake. A scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream will make this good enough for company too! 

Ever since I baked Tartine's Clafoutis, I have been trying more recipes of this French dessert. That was a slightly more substantial one, but delicious nonetheless! The custard lover that I am, clafoutis with lesser flour is a welcome addition to the dessert repertoire.

I don't normally stock canned fruit, but now I think its not a bad idea to have a can or two to bake desserts like this on a whim. Store cupboard versions as Jamie calls them. Seasonal fruit like cherries, berries, plums or even apples should work good. I know you have heard this before  I would anytime prefer eating fruit fresh to those cooked to any degree. But since fruit does add appeal to dessert, I like baking in ramekins as it reduces the baking time drastically. You could bake the clafoutis in a large oven proof dish, but then the fruit will be quite mushy. You could even skip the fruit and make a plain version, so what if we can't then call it a clafoutis? 

Peach Clafoutis. Recipe here

Ingredients: To make about 8 half cup servings

Canned peaches, drained - 200 grams ( 1 small tin, I used Del Monte)

Salt - a tiny pinch

Eggs - 144 grams / 3 large

Whole milk - 450 ml (3.5 - 4% fat)
Caster Sugar - 100 grams 

Plain flour - 24 grams / 3 tablespoons

Butter - 50 grams  (I skipped this)

Confectioner's sugar - for dusting on top

Ice cream or whipped cream to serve (optional)

 Method 

• Pre heat oven to 220 C / 425 F.

• Lightly butter 8-10  half cup /120 ml capacity ramekins. Cut the peach halves into 3 pieces each. Arrange two of these pieces in each of the ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large tray, spaced about an inch apart.

• Take the sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in a medium sized bowl. Whisk lightly to combine. We do not want to introduce air by vigorous whisking. Slowly whisk in the flour a tablespoon at a time. If there are any tiny lumps, rub between your fingers to smoothen. (Eeks? Please tell me if you have a better way to do this!) 

• Warm the milk so its barely warm (think you are warming milk to set yogurt in summer), this was 106 F on my thermometer. Err on the side of the milk being less warm than it being hot as the eggs may curdle. 

• Whisk the warm milk gently into the egg mixture. Pour it over the peaches in the ramekins.  The ramekins will be 3/4 full. 

• Bake about 13-15 minutes or till the custard is set but has a slight wobble when you shake it. To test, check at 13 minutes. Let the ramekins remain in the oven. Shake one ramekin gently to see if looks set but has a slight wobble like jelly. If it looks runny, bake 2 minutes more. If in doubt, err on the side of under baking. The clafoutis will puff up a bit and then deflate. 

• Remove the tray from the oven. Carefully transfer the ramekins on to a cooling rack. Let cool completely. Though this is eaten warm with a dusting of confectioner's sugar, I like clafoutis best at room temperature. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream or cream. 

Please note:

The original recipe uses 3 tablespoons sugar in the batter and 3 tablespoons dusted on top. I have used more and all in the batter.

You could use lesser sugar if using more fruit as that would make the dessert sweeter. Jamie uses a 400 gram can (almost double). I have used less fruit as I like it to be more of custard.

Do not use powdered sugar in the batter as it will clump. 

If baking the clafoutis without fruit, fill the ramekins 3/4 way up. Check at around 15 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the baking dish / ramekin.

Even if you have never baked custard before, this should be easy enough to try. Very little effort, safe and good as long as you do not over bake. From inspiration to the table in 30 minutes, don't you think this is worth a try?

Baking For Beginners - A Few Basics And Some Simple Recipes

''Nothing says HOME like the smell of baking does!''

Welcome to the deliciously enticing, magical world of home baking!

Since you are here, hope I am right in assuming you want to take your first steps into the world of baking? Before you make any assumptions about me or my 'expertise' let me assure you, am certainly not one!  I just am a learner at a different stage of learning.  Hopefully, I should be able to take you through the most basic of the baking basics.

Being a self taught home-baker, I know it can be fairly daunting when you wish you could bake or just start baking. If its of any consolation to you, I started with no help, almost zero internet access and a hyper-active toddler in my arms.  Predictably, my first few attempts were total disasters.  But since then, I have managed to learn a thing or two, have churned out a handful of decent bakes. (Between you and me, I still have my fair share of disasters. Why, I could actually write another blog about my disasters and almost-there-bakes!)

Allow me to share with you the little I have gathered along the way.  I would also like to share some simple recipes that have worked well for me.  Please take these recipes as just a guide for the techniques that are used.  Feel free to try recipes which are similar.

I believe that a methodical approach will help you feel more at ease.  So I would suggest you go through all of the feature posts to familiarize yourself with some basics before you begin your baking journey.  Better informed, you are bound to make a better start.

All that I have written in these posts and my blog in general is only my understanding of the recipes, techniques and process.  Do feel free to correct me in case of any mistakes, I will be glad to make any changes that are necessary.

I often get e-mails about suggestions for baking classes.  In my opinion, classes can just about give you an idea unless you join a full fledged baking /culinary school .  Its entirely up to you again to actually learn.  Read up, practice, watch the wealth of videos on the internet and you are good to go!

Getting the hang of baking takes some time, effort and patience.  But take heart, if I can do whatever you can see here, so can you.  Keep at it, you will get there soon!  Then again, I keep reminding myself too, that this is a journey with so much to learn and explore.  Rest assured, it will be eminently enjoyable, the high you will get out of this is best experienced!

Update! - My new video channel for beginners! I am attempting to put these posts and more in video format. I am terribly camera shy, but go ahead and laugh at my first few videos ( I will laugh with you)!  Please do subscribe to my videos for updates. You can also subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Click to subscribe now!

Here is the trailer for you

THE BASEST OF THE BASICS - Boring but necessary!

 








Introduction To Baking - For The New Wannabe Bakers - Video here
How To Use A Convection Microwave For Baking Video here
Baking Gadgets And Paraphernalia - Must Haves And Nice To Haves! videos here and here
Basic Baking Ingredients - Part 1
Basic Baking Ingredients - Part 2 
Common Basic Baking Terms - Part 1 
Common Basic Baking Terms - Part 2 
Common Basic Baking Terms - Part 3 
Basic Baking Conversions Chart video here
Preparing Pans For Baking - A General Guide
How To Line Cake Pans video here
General Baking Prep - Simple Things To Do When You Bake


RECIPES - Now comes the interesting part!!

I know its extremely tempting to try that frosted dark chocolate cake as your first bake for that birthday next week, but hold on!  If you ask me, starting with simple recipes, moving to those which  require more by way of technique will be the best thing to do.  I know from experience that nothing truly motivates a new baker like a successful bake does.  And the key to learning better is largely continuous practice.

At the cost of sounding like that stern teacher of your school days, here are some recipes you could attempt, preferably in the order given.  Again, these are merely suggestions, feel free to try similar ones you may come across.  These may not go on to be your most favorite recipes ever, but will certainly be some easy ones you could successfully attempt.  Hopefully these will help.  Before you ask, yeast and breads only after you are completely at ease with your oven and baked a few cakes at least.

SIMPLE BAKES

Double Chocolate Granola 
Peanut Butter And Chocolate Chip Granola video here
Pioneer Woman's Potato Parcels 
Chocolate Buttermilk Cookies 
EVOO And Yogurt Loaf Cake 
Easy Cocoa Brownies - And Some Brownie Point(er)s !
Orange Biscotti
Cinnamon Cornmeal Biscotti 

BREADS : Baking bread is joy, but be sure you know if your are using good yeast before you begin.  Since baking bread involves more variables for success, this is better done once you are comfortable with basic baking process and your oven.  Try the no knead ones, then the ones that need kneading.  

Know Your Yeast!
Yeast Bread Basics 
Dough Rising Bucket 
No Knead Pizza
No Knead Focaccia 


EXTRAS : Little things that make a difference - good vanilla extract for instance.  Take up that brownie or cake a notch with these easy dessert sauces!

Vanilla beans and Homemade Vanilla Extract video here
Vanilla Bean Sugar
Chocolate Ganache 
Really Easy Butterscotch Sauce  video here
Dulce De Leche 
Making Caramel And Caramel Sauce
Creme Anglaise - English Custard Sauce

TECHNIQUES : Whipping cream, melting chocolate, whipping egg whites and more. 

  
One Easy To Melt Chocolate 
How To Whip Cream  


I have updated just a few recipes here, will soon be doing more.  This section will always be work in progress and will be constantly updated.  Please feel free to leave your comments, feedback and suggestions on this section.

Hope to hear from you!

General Prep For Baking - For Beginners . Video Post

Sheepish me with yet another feature post for beginners! I think I am on the verge of exhausting all that I would like to tell to a new entrant into the baking world. And that for me is one minor victory!

In the simplest recipes for beginners, I will in all probabilities be tempted to write a few of these at the beginning of each recipe. Thought will put it all together so that you won't need to read the same things over and over again. Some general tips, some preparation tips. Ideally that's how it will work best.

Assuming you read up on the basics before you begin.

STOCK UP ON ESSENTIALS: First most important thing. These essentials include a good convection microwave or an OTG, basic baking ingredients, gadgets and tools. Its really not enjoyable to begin with buying each ingredient and tool every time you want to try a new recipe. Start with basic stuff, build as you go.

We can't hope to 'make do' without these basic things and still expect decent results. No, the old aluminum cooker tin may not be the best size, you can't 'give a shot' using that box of cocoa from last year as it will otherwise go waste. Remember, apart from wasting that cocoa, you may end up wasting other ingredients too. More important, your time, effort and the possible disappointment.

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO BAKE : I have a dozen recipes swimming in my head every time I want to bake. Zero in on that one recipe you want to try today or tomorrow. This will help you gather ingredients in case you need to buy things like eggs, cream, fruit, whole milk etc. Having a recipe in mind and the ingredients for it at home is half the prep done.

Chose simple, do-able recipes when you begin. Do read reviews of recipes where possible to see what others who have tried it have to say about it.

PRINTOUTS : Take a printout of the recipe(s) you want to try. If halving a recipe, halve the ingredients and then print it. Make note of any conversions, including oven temperature. A baking chart is of great help here. Underline anything you need to quickly spot in the text. Like dimensions, consistency etc.

Have a pen handy. Its much easier to tick off ingredients you have already measured, take hasty notes. No hassle of navigating screens, locks or smudging your iPad screen with butter. Particularly useful with kids running around when you would have measured the flour and dumped the baking powder on it. One loud thud and two screams later you are not sure if it was the soda or baking powder or both that's sitting on the heap of flour.

You can also make your notes about the baking time, proofing time for breads and any variations you want to try next time.

READ RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS : Before you even begin baking preparations, read the recipe at least twice thoroughly, the notes, updates too if any. This will help you understand the procedure, make sure you have the pan you need, the tools, all ingredients you need. If in doubt about techniques, watch a video which demonstrates the technique, it really helps.

In chocolate recipes which need cocoa, most likely the flour will be sifted with the cocoa. But in some recipes, the it may be mixed with hot water or warm butter for an intense cocoa taste. An 'oops' loud enough to scare the neighbors is still not going to help separate the flour and cocoa at the last minute. So do read recipes carefully.

PREPARE YOUR PAN : Use a baking pan of the size recommended in the recipe. Prepare your pan and keep it ready before you proceed with the recipe. You could do it the previous night if that helps. More on lining pans here. 

PRE-HEAT OVEN: Pre-heat your oven ahead. Its better to keep your oven waiting rather than the batter. An oven thermometer  of course helps to know if your oven has reached the desired temperature. Invest in one.

WEIGHING INGREDIENTS: Weigh the dry ones first, then the sticky and wet ones. Butter first, eggs next and so on. If weighing egg whites, weigh them after the dry ingredients, before you weigh the yolks or butter. Drop them in squeaky clean bowls, using really clean spoons. Remember egg whites for whipping need to be totally free of grease. Or you will end up washing the weighing bowl once in between.

Mise En Place: The French phrase for putting everything in place. Lining up your ingredients on your counter before you begin. Though its a little unlikely that someone will film us baking, it certainly helps carry on with the procedure (what a word!) without unnecessary interruption.

INGREDIENTS : All ingredients at room temperature unless specified otherwise. Use good quality fresh ingredients for best results. I prefer weighing for ease and accuracy, better results.

BUTTER : If your recipe needs butter at room temperature or very cold butter, you will need it to be just at the right temperature when you use it. For chilled butter, you can weigh, cube and refrigerate even a couple of days ahead.

When you want your butter at room temperature, be careful before you take it out of the fridge especially in summer as it will turn too soft too soon. Have all other ingredients ready before you get the butter out. Better to wait for a few minutes for the butter to soften and then use rather than having butter too soft. In case your butter gets too soft, pop it in the fridge for a couple of minutes till it feels right. Use immediately.

EGGS : Use fresh eggs. Whisk the eggs, weigh and then use. Simple brownie recipes, easy chocolate mousse fillings involve mixing in eggs into the chocolate butter mixture. Even if you think a few grams here and there will not make a great deal of difference to the end product, crack the eggs into a bowl and then into the batter. Imagine - all that effort and chocolate going to the trash can because of one bad egg. We all learn the hard way!

When we are talking about eggs, avoid adding an extra egg or skipping the yolks in an attempt to get a lighter texture. It may not always work unless this variation is specifically suggested in the recipe.

If the recipe calls for cold eggs, you would need to put them in the refrigerator a couple of hours perhaps. If the eggs are cold just out of the fridge and you need them at room temperature, then keep them out for an hour or so. Or put them in warm water (not hot) for some time.

INSTANT COFFEE : This gives a better, more intense flavor when dissolved in hot liquid. If the recipe has milk or water as one of the ingredients, it should be fine to heat a tablespoon of the liquid, dissolve the coffee. Cool, mix with the rest of the liquid and use as specified. Coffee works great in chocolate recipes as it heightens the chocolate flavor.

EGG WHITES: If the whites are meant to be simply whisked into the batter , you don't have to be paranoid about washing the bowl and spoon 5 times. In recipes where you need to whip egg whites, its always better to have all the ingredients and pan ready, oven heated. First whip the egg whites and keep aside. You can then use your mixer blades to beat the eggs or creaming the butter without having to stop mid way to wash the beaters thoroughly and dry them. Unless of course you have an extra set of blades you could use.

DRY INGREDIENTS : I like to always sift dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices like cinnamon, cloves etc. Sifting aerates the mixture and also helps even distribution of salt and leaveners.

SUGAR : Unless you use good quality caster sugar,  it helps to have a jar of powdered sugar. Weigh and use equal weight of it (do not measure as the volume will differ)

STICK TO THE RECIPE LIKE SUPER-GLUE : Do not try to make substitutions and changes to the recipe or procedure. If you want to bake an egg less cake better to follow a recipe for egg less cake rather than trying to use a substitute for eggs in another recipe. It may or may not work.

Don't even think of  beating / whipping the batter 'really well' or adding a 'bit more' of baking powder for a lighter cake. It may turn out to be disastrous.

PREPARING WELL AHEAD : Toasting and chopping nuts, shredding dry coconut, chopping dark chocolate, powdering sugar, cutting out liners for your pans. These can be staples ready to use. Weigh dry ingredients needed for the recipe ahead, store in zip-lock pouches with labels. All of these pouches can go in another large pouch with a label thrown in of course. Now you won't procrastinate so much, it won't take you so long to bake that cake whenever you can spare the time. I do this when I need to start early and finish baking early.

BE CONFIDENT, NEVER CARELESS : Even if you have made the same recipe a few times successfully, you still have to be careful every time you bake it (Don't remind about over-confidence and failed bakes please!) Unless you are Nigella Lawson, throwing things together carelessly may not give you the same results the next time!

THE FLIP SIDE OF BAKING: Baking is more often than not, sugar, fat and refined carbs. Its takes little time for baking to go from hobby to obsession. Not-quite-there bakes are something, but please do not force yourself or your family to eat things which are ' just edible'. Save those calories for something eminently edible.

Down the line, halve or quarter large recipes to see if its to your liking before baking large batches. Share some or freeze extra for later use. Space out sweet, savory and healthy bakes. When you want to desperately bake something try a new granola recipe or crackers or some biscotti. These are relatively low in calories and fat and can be eaten over the next one or two weeks.

And if you are a blogger, write another feature post to take a break from the sugar and fat :D



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