Hotel group PR maven by day, baking blogger by night, Saadiyah Hendricks leads a double life visiting luxury locales while also making time to whip up delicious baked goods for us to drool over on Instagram. With the holidays fast approaching, we reached out to this baking boss to give her 5 major keys to achieving the perfect cakes, biscuits and brownies to share with friends and family this upcoming festive season.
A post shared by Sadie's Bubble of Yum (@sadiesbubbleofyum) on Dec 13, 2017 at 2:19am PST
Tip #1 – Baking Paper is a Lifesaver!:
Especially when baking cakes, there’s always a fear that once you turn it out of the cake pan, it will either break or get stuck to the pan. To save yourself from having a baking meltdown, line your pans with baking paper. This way you will never have your baked goods stuck to the pan and it is easy to transfer to your serving dish or plate.
Tip #2 – Don’t Overmix:
Baking is a science. So, for that perfect rise and desired texture, when adding your dry ingredients (flour, etc.) be sure to just fold until combined, as the rising agent, such as baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, loses its effect if overmixed. However, for other items such as creaming your butter, beat your butter for at least 5 minutes until it is pale and fluffy. It is therefore important to read and understand the recipe and then follow it correctly.
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Tip #3 – Use the Best and Freshest Ingredients:
Baking is such a beautiful thing, creating delicious treats either for a special occasion, a bit of a spoil or cheat day, so my advice is to use the best quality ingredients you can afford. This will ensure that your creation has the best flavour and texture. Also, ensure that your ingredients are fresh and within its shelf life. For instance, you shouldn’t use a raising agent such as baking powder and bicarbonate of soda nine months after it has been opened. There is, however, a quick way to test if it is fresh enough to use – stir ½ a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water – if it is fresh, it will immediately start to fizz.
Tip #4 – A Digital Scale is Your Kitchen Bestie!:
Going back to baking being a science, it is vital to accurately measure your ingredients and to do it as accurately as possible, I would highly recommend using a digital scale. There are affordable and reliable options available at most retail stores, such as Clicks, etc. We sometimes wonder why a recipe flopped, and inaccurate measuring is usually one of the main reasons, so save yourself and your baked goods by using a digital scale!
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I know this feeling all too well – finding a great recipe and with new-found energy and enthusiasm, wanting to give it a go, only to find out midway through that I don’t have, or even worse, do not have enough of one or more of the ingredients. Save yourself the drama of rushing to the store midway through and risking your baked treat by reading through your recipe, pre-measuring all the ingredients. This also adds a fun element to your baking because you’ll definitely feel like you’re on a cooking show with all your ingredients laid out in front of you.
For more baking tips, tricks and recipes visit Saadiyah's blog Sadies Bubble of Yum.
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