Tricks for Treats

Getting the right look & consistency in a cake can be tricky business. It really can be trial & error even when you have a recipe. Different things can affect the outcome of your baked goods. For example, I had to adjust a lot of my recipes when I moved because I moved from a home with a traditional oven to a home with a convection oven. All of my cooking times had to be adjusted and I had to work with the recipes to regain the qualities I had achieved before that made them my favorite recipes to begin with.


Sometimes my friends & neighbors will ask me for little tips and tricks. I’ve decided that every once in a while I’ll share some here. I have 4 of them for you today:

1. When separating eggs it is best if they are cold, but when beating egg whites it is best if they are at room temperature. (Tricky little suckers)

2. If you need to soften a stick of butter faster just cut it up and let it sit for 10 minutes.

3. If you are filling and frosting a cake, be sure to chill the cake after you fill it. It will make the frosting process go a lot easier.

4. Frosting a cake is best done when you make it a two step process. First use a thin layer of frosting to seal the crumbs. Refrigerate it before doing the final (thicker) frosting layer that will create the final look of your cake. (This is a tip for all of you that can’t seem to stop little crumbs from ending up on the outside of the frosting and messing up that nice clean look you were going for).

I hope this helps somebody out there!



-L