Cooking Is A Skill I Have, Baking Is A Science I Know

Monday 21st August 2017 - Saffron

I spend my life in the kitchen, whether I’m creating my next fabulous bake or trying something new to feed my 4 fussy kids its often a lot of fun and mess!

This weekend I was joined by a group of ladies for a Caking and Baking cupcake baking & decorating party.

Most of the lovely girls could cook but none of them were confident bakers and they didn’t understand the difference.

The answer is simple….. Science!

Cooking is a skill most of us can learn, a recipe can be tweaked and changed to suit your tastes.

Think about making a pot of chilli, if the recipe asks for mushrooms and you don’t like them (blugh slugs!) simply miss them out, the dish will still taste awesome.

If you prefer a milder chilli use less chilli powder, you’ll still get the flavour without the heat. Once you understand the basics you really can wing it.

Baking is different, baking is a science.

5 extra grams of flour will make your cake too dense, a little less baking powder (or a little too much) will affect the rise.

The temperature and length of baking will spoil your bake. One of the main questions I get asked is ‘why has my cake sunk?’ and the answer is usually down to temperature and time, if you reduce the heat increase the time.

Think of your cake like a balloon, the baking powder and the flour need to bind with the eggs and the butter to create a solid structure if you remove it too early it will deflate.

Once you understand the science you can then begin to play with flavours and recipes but the basic rules always remain the same.

Cooking is a skill I have. Baking is a science I know.