6 Most Common Baking Mistakes

Having the right recipe in your hands will not automatically make you great with desserts.

Bad experiences and mistakes teach you a tip or two that can’t be learnt otherwise.

Amateur confectioners may have a knack for creating new desserts, but they often lack the mastery of handling different kinds of situations.

A good chef will know how to control damage in case of a mishap and set things right if something goes wrong. One little mistake can make your specialty taste average on a bad day. It’s better to be aware of such mistakes and be careful next time.

Here are a few common baking mistakes that people make.

1. Not Preheating The Oven Before Baking

If you think preheating the oven before placing your batter in is an extra step in the procedure which can be easily avoided, you’re wrong. It’s absolutely essential to preheat the oven before baking otherwise it messes up the chemistry of the process.

If you forgot to preheat the oven before the batter was ready, wait for a while till the oven heats up. Otherwise your cookies or brownies could turn out to be a complete disaster!

2. Being Careless While Setting The Timer

The saying timing is everything couldn’t be more apt here.

Over-baking your dessert can make it crusty and taste bitter whereas an undercooked cake will still be wet inside. In order to bake it to perfection, carefully set the timer on the oven.

It’s quite possible that you lose track of time while the batter is in the oven. It’s advisable to set an alarm on your phone as well so that you’re reminded to check on your dessert wherever you are.

3. Mixing The Wrong Ingredients

Getting confused between baking powder and baking soda is fairly common among beginners.

The likeness of the name does not in any way suggest similarity of function. Each ingredient plays a very different role in the baking process.

Running out of one and using the other as substitute is rather a recipe for damage.

4. Failing To Grease Your Pans Properly

It’s a great loss to have a perfectly baked cake stuck to the pan because it wasn’t greased properly. And again, not everything can substitute the lubricant you’re intended to use: butter.

Switching to cooking spray for greasing your baking pan is a bad idea. The best option is to use butter and flour. The effort may be a little more but it’s worth a shot.

5. Not Adding Right Quantities Of Ingredients

Maintaining the required ratio of ingredients in a cake mixture is an absolute necessity.  Accuracy of measurements is crucial for creating a sweet balance and a fluffy sponge. Scooping out heaping cups of flour is the wrong way to measure. Gradually filling the measuring cup and leveling it to drop off the excess is a step you must not miss.

6. Skipping Sifting Ingredients

Sifting is also very important while mixing ingredients. While some ingredients like flour are finely powdered so it’s not as risky to not sift. But lumpy chunks found in cocoa powder and grinded sugar make it necessary to sift before whisking the mixture together.

Are You Prepared To Try Out New Dessert Recipes With Our Food Ingredients?

Divine Specialties is a Southern California provider of wholesale food ingredients and retail cooking supplies. We have the finest quality of chocolate that make the most irresistible desserts. Our online chocolate store stocks cake supplies, nuts, chocolate coating, couverture chocolate and much more. Check out our products and shop right here.