I completed the Wilton Cake Decorating class series a couple of weeks into my first pregnancy. The classes were offered on Monday evenings at the Michaels in Aventura–not too far out of the way on my return commute to Edgewater from my job in Hollywood. Being new to Miami, the in-person classes were a fun (and delicious!) way to meet other people with similar interests and try something new. And it was through these classes that I fell in love with baking.
Cake Was My Gateway Drug
…And I’m not just referring to the sugar rush. Class on Monday evenings meant Sunday was baking day–and every cake was an opportunity to try something new. Equipped with an electronic copy of The Cake Mix Doctor’s 25 Best Birthday Cakes loaded into my Kindle, I set out to try as many recipes as I could. My inner high school chemistry nerd came alive as I experimented with different ingredients and created a few recipes of my own.
But the biggest rush came when I took my cakes to work on Tuesdays. The joy of sharing slices of cake with coworkers and friends and watching their faces light up was incredibly addictive. I was hooked.
Practical Baking Tips
Having babies and navigating the demands of mothering littles meant my much-loved baking hobby was put on pause for a while. But now that my kids are older, I’ve fallen in love with baking again. In honor of World Baking Day (yes, there’s a day for that too!), here are 3 practical tips and hacks I’ve learned along the way.
Measuring Flour
I was only a year ago years old–when I was learning how to bake bread–that I learned how to measure flour correctly. Using a cake mix as a base is super helpful when it comes to accurate measures of main ingredients, but too much or too little flour can significantly impact the outcome of baked goods. There are two ways to do this: by volume or by weight.
If you’re measuring by volume, you’ll want to fluff the flour before you spoon it into the appropriate measuring cup. Fill the cup with fluffed flour to overflowing, and then use the back of a knife to level off the flour. To measure by weight, press tare on a food scale to zero it out. Place a bowl on the scale and zero it out again, and then slowly scoop your flour into the bowl until it reaches the weight (in grams) called for in the recipe. One cup of all-purpose flour equals 120 grams. Here’s a blog post with a video that I found helpful.
In my experience, I’ve found it better to measure my flour according to the measure called for in the recipe. If the amount of flour is listed by cups, I measure by volume; if listed in grams, I measure by weight. Unless I’m making substitutions with different types of flour than what is called for in the recipe (more on that below).
Dietary Substitutions
Being gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan–or baking for friends who are–doesn’t mean settling for less than absolutely delicious baked treats! It just means pivoting and becoming familiar with alternative ingredients. Here are some simple substitutions for common ingredients you can try in your favorite recipes to make them GF, DF, or vegan:
All-Purpose Flour: To make your “regular” recipe GF, swap the AP flour out for a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum, like this one. This is a great substitution in recipes for cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, etc., but won’t work for yeast breads. When you substitute flour, I recommend measuring by volume. Some GF flours are more dense than AP flour, and the amount will differ if you measure by weight.
Butter: There are several good salted and unsalted plant-based butters/margarines on the market. If palm oil/palm kernel oil is a concern, this cashew milk butter is palm oil and lactose-free.
Eggs: One of the bakers I follow recommends a liquid egg replacer, aquafaba (chickpea water), or flax eggs. I have not personally tried this, but she notes that the final texture may not be as fluffy.
Milk: If cow’s milk is out, you can swap it for any other type of unsweetened milk
Heavy Cream: I didn’t know this until recently, but plant-based cream is totally a thing! It’s an easy 1:1 substitution for dairy cream.
Sour Cream: Opt for a plant-based sour cream or make your own!
Yogurt: Applesauce is one of a few ingredients that can be used in place of yogurt. Here’s a list of additional substitutions and the science behind them.
Baking With Kids
Kids love to bake–and I certainly can’t blame them! Both of my kids have helped me bake cakes, and they’ve been so proud. Depending on their age, they can help pre-measure, prep, and add the ingredients. They may get bored with the details, but that’s okay! Any way that they can help is a win for them and for you. My kids love helping me bake resurrection rolls. And this year, they were each able to make some on their own! Baking with the kids is a great way to make sweet memories together.
