We all have tips and tricks when it comes to recipes and baking.
So I’m racking my memory, and here are some baking tips and tricks I won’t do without:
1. Accurate and consistent measurement is the key to baking. Pre-measure the ingredients before using them. Note that measuring cups actually make a difference. Use dry or liquid measuring cup as appropriate.
For instance, 1 cup of flour in a dry measuring cup will measure 1 1/4 cup in a liquid measuring cup. Reason? The liquid measuring cup is designed such that you can’t level off the contents. The Novice Chef offers a lengthy explanation on the difference between dry and liquid measurement cups.
Another option would be to use a kitchen scale.
2. A lot of recipes call for eggs at room temperature in order to produce soft cakes. To warm the eggs quickly, put the eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
3. The best containers to use for whipping egg whites are solid copper containers. These produce a chemical reaction with the eggs, which results in a stiffer and lighter foam. Perfect for meringue and sponge cakes. If you don’t have a copper bowl, glass or ceramic is fine. Plastic or wooden containers, meanwhile, have porous surface that attracts grease, which is known to deflate egg whites. Aluminium causes the egg whites to turn slightly grey.
You can read about the type of containers to use for whipping egg whites and other useful hints in eHow.
4. Add just a small amount of ground almonds to a cake. Almonds have a high oil content that keeps the cake moist. Ground almond can also be used as substitute to flour; this cuts down in carbohydrates, is gluten free, and tastes good!
5. There are various ways to tell if a cake is done. There’s the skewer test, wherein you insert a skewer, usually a toothpick, in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, you know the cake is done. If the toothpick still has crumbs or traces of wet batter, the cake’s not finished cooking. The cake should also feel springy and pillowy when pressed with a finger, and the sides should pull away from the pan.
I’ve read somewhere that people do a “smell taste,” although this doesn’t help me at all because I can already smell the cake even before it is completely done.
You can read all these ways on knowing when a cake is done in The Kitchn.
6. For frosting that is too thick, stir in a little milk until the mixture reaches the right consistency.
7. This goes to recipes in general. When you’re Googling recipes online, always check for reviews and see if the recipe comes from a reliable source. There’s so much recipes available online nowadays, and not all of them works. This saves a lot of time and money.
8. Don’t toss away leftover baked goods. Instead, turn them into a new dish. Use leftover bread to thicken soups, make French toast and bread pudding, and as breadcrumbs for chicken breading, croutons, and binder in meatloaf and meatballs. Leftover fruit mince can be folded in yogurt of vanilla ice cream.
9. Lastly, put a slice of bread in a jar of cookies to keep the cookies fresh and soft. I only recently learned this! Cookies absorb moisture from the bread, which keeps them fresh. The best bread to use is white bread since it will not transfer its own flavour on the cookies. A slice of bread also works for de-clumping and softening brown sugar in an airtight container. The sugar should be soft the next morning (or the next day).
Here are mine. What are yours? 
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