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I love baking and have picked up many useful tips from my mother, through trial and error and from research. This thread is for sharing tips for baking that most recipes do not include in their instructions. If you have learned any useful tips for baking please share, or if you have any particular questions or troubles while baking please ask. I may have a tip that I haven't thought to post yet.

Cheesecake:

Always bake cheesecake in a water bath!
I do not care what your instructions say, always bake cheesecake in a water bath! You do this by putting a large sheet pan with sides in the oven. Then place your cheesecake pan in the large pan. Fill the large pan with hot water so that the water level is around halfway up the side of your cheesecake pan. Bake as normal. Since water can only reach a certain temperature before boiling, a water bath insures that your cheesecake remains a constant temperature from every angle. However, you will need to check your cheesecake periodically while its baking to see if you need to refill the water.

Line your springform pan with foil.
This will prevent water from leaking into your pan and making your crust mushy. I would use extra wide foil. Do your best to cover as much of the bottom and sides of the pan as possible using a single sheet of foil. Water will do everything it can to find cracks to leak into.

When cheesecake is done baking it should still be wobbly in the center. Turn the oven off and leave the door open a crack. If your oven door will not stay open, use a wooden spoon as a door stop. Do not take the cheesecake out of the oven! Let is sit for an hour in the oven, water bath and all. This will help prevent cracks from forming in the cheesecake.

Do not use a high setting on your mixer when mixing cheesecake batter. It will fill the batter with air which will create bubbles as it is baking. If you accidently or for whatever reason cannot avoid mixing the batter on a high setting, let the batter sit a while before baking to let the air seep out of the batter.

Get all lumps out of your batter. Cheesecake batter should be incredibly smooth. Constantly scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl while mixing to make sure none of the cream cheese sticks anywhere. If you need to, run the batter through a blender before pouring it into your baking pan.

When you pour the batter into the baking pan do not scrape the batter into the pan with a spoon or spatula and do not scrape the beaters. This will add all of the lumpy stuff into your pan and you DO NOT want that in your cheesecake. Your batter should be smooth enough to simply pour with no assistance into the pan.

Do not use lowfat or any kind of substitute cream cheese. The texture will be off and cheesecake is all about texture. Indulge yourself a little.

Mix the cream cheese first. It will be much easier to get the cream cheese to a soft consistency if you blend it by itself before adding other ingredients. Letting it soften to room temperature first will quicken the process.

Cake:

I cannot stress enough how important it is to take baked goods out of the oven when they are just underdone. As they cool I promise they will continue baking. However, this does not mean your knife should be dripping with batter when you check your cake. I did say JUST underdone.

If you are layering a cake it is actually easier to flip your cake upside down.
Reason 1: you don't have to fiddle with flipping it out of the cake pan then flipping it right side up. You simply put a plate over the cake pan and flip it over once.
Reason 2: When your cake baked it created a mound in the pan. If you use the cake upside down you will have the flat bottom on top which gives you a level surface for the next layer. When you have reached the last layer of your cake, the flat bottom on top will give your cake a more professional appearance once it is iced.

Run a knife around the edges before flipping your cake out of the pan.
This helps loosens the cake and will decrease the chances of your cake falling apart.

If you decide to experiment and not use the suggested icing that came with your cake recipe please be careful.
If your cake is dense, you want to use a light whipped icing.
If your cake is moist and fluffy, you can use a richer icing (like cream cheese icing).
Do not use a rich icing on a dense cake. I made this mistake and although the cake tasted good and the icing tasted good, together it was too much and almost unbearable to eat.

I love you now! heart WONDERFUL tips!

My Tips:

-If you run out of vanilla when making a recipe that calls for a hint of vanilla such as chocolate chip cookies, rum or brandy can be used as substitutes.

-Make sure you use the right flour specified for a recipe and don't change it unless you have experience.
mm --Wheat flour can not be substituted for white flour without extra preparation.
mm --Bread flour should never be used for delicate pastries or cakes and vise-verse.
mm --All-purpose flour should cover most of your baking needs but if you bake specific things often such as bread or cakes, go ahead and buy the special flour for those (it's not that expensive)

-When using Honey or Syrup as a substitute for Sugar, make sure to cut back on the amount of liquids used:
mm --For Honey, use ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey in place of 1 cup sugar, and reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons. Unless the recipe includes sour cream or buttermilk, add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity.
mm --For Syrup, use ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid by 3 tablespoons to compensate for its liquid state.

-For some recipes like cookies, Applesauce and Bananas can be used to substitute butter/oil and eggs respectively!

Inspired by xena I looked up a table for common baking substitutions.

Ingredient = Substitution

1 tsp Allspice = 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ginger + 1/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp Arrowroot starch = 1 Tbsp flour OR 1 tsp cornstarch

1 cup Baking mix = 1 cup pancake mix OR 1 cup easy biscuit mixture

1 tsp Baking powder = 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar OR 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 cup buttermilk (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup)

1 cup Beer = 1 cup nonalcoholic beer OR 1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup Brandy = 1 tsp imitation brandy extract + enough water to make 1/4 cup

1 cup Bread crumbs = 1 cup cracker crumbs OR 1 cup matzo meal OR 1 cup ground oats

1 cup Broth (beef or chicken) = 1 bouillon cube + 1 cup boiling water OR 1 Tbsp soy sauce + enough water to make 1 cup OR 1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup (packed) Brown sugar = 1 cup white sugar + 1/4 cup molasses (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup) OR 1 cup white sugar OR 1 1/4 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

1 cup Butter (salted) = 1 cup margarine OR 1 cup shortening + 1/2 tsp salt OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil + 1/2 tsp salt OR 7/8 cup lard + 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Butter (unsalted) = 1 cup shortening OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil OR 7/8 cup lard

1 cup Buttermilk = 1 cup yogurt OR 1 Tbsp lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup OR 1 Tbsp vinegar + enough milk to make 1 cup

1 Tbsp chopped fresh Chervil = 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp Chicken base = 1 cup canned or homemade chicken broth or stock (reduce liquid in recipe by 1 cup)

1 ounce Semisweet chocolate = 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate + 4 tsp sugar OR 1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips + 1 tsp shortening

1 ounce Unsweetened chocolate = 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa + 1 Tbsp shortening or vegetable oil

1/4 cup Cocoa = 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

1 cup Corn syrup = 1 1/4 cup white sugar + 1/3 cup water OR 1 cup honey OR 1 cup light treacle syrup

1 cup Cottage cheese = 1 cup farmer's cheese OR 1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup Cracker crumbs = 1 cup bread crumbs OR 1 cup matzo meal OR 1 cup ground oats

1 cup Half and half cream = 7/8 cup milk + 1 Tbsp butter

1 cup Heavy cream = 1 cup evaporated milk OR 3/4 cup milk + 1/3 cup butter

1 cup Light cream = 1 cup evaporated milk OR 3/4 cup milk + 3 Tbsp butter

1 cup Whipped cream = 1 cup frozen whipped topping (thawed)

1 cup Cream cheese = 1 cup pureed cottage cheese OR 1 cup plain yogurt (strained overnight in cheesecloth)

1 tsp Cream of tartar = 2 tsp lemon juice OR 2 tsp vinegar

1 cup Creme fraiche = combine 1 cup heavy cream and 1 Tbsp plain yogurt and let stand for 6 hours at room temperature

1 Egg = 2 1/2 Tbsp powdered egg substitute + 2 1/2 Tbsp water OR 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute OR 1/4 cup silken tofu (pureed) OR 3 Tbsp mayonnaise OR half a banana mashed + 1/2 tsp baking powder OR 1 Tbsp powdered flax seed soaked in 3 Tbsp water

1 cup Evaporated milk = 1 cup light cream

1 cup Bread flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tsp wheat gluten

1 cup Cake flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 Tbsp

1 cup Self-rising flour = 7/8 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Gelatin (granulated) = 2 tsp agar agar

1 tsp dry Ginger = 2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp minced Ginger = 1/2 tsp dried ginger

1 cup Hazelnuts = 1 cup macadamia nuts OR 1 cup almonds

1 cup Honey = 1 1/4 cup white sugar + 1/3 cup water OR 1 cup corn syrup OR 1 cup light treacle syrup

1 tsp Lemon juice = 1/2 tsp vinegar OR 1 tsp white wine OR 1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp Lemon zest = 1/2 tsp lemon extract OR 2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Lime juice = 1 tsp vinegar OR 1 tsp white wine OR 1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp Lemon zest = 1 tsp lemon zest

1 cup Macadamia nuts = 1 cup almonds OR 1 cup hazelnuts

1 tsp Mace = 1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup Margarine = 1 cup shortening + 1/2 tsp salt OR 1 cup butter OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil + 1/2 tsp salt OR 7/8 cup lard + 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Whole milk = 1 cup soy milk OR 1 cup rice milk OR 1 cup water or juice OR 1/4 cup dry milk powder + 1 cup water OR 2/3 cup evaporated milk + 1/3 cup water

1/4 cup chopped fresh Mint = 1 Tbsp dried mint leaves

1 cup Molasses = 3/4 cup brown sugar + 1 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup Ricotta = 1 cup dry cottage cheese OR 1 cup silken tofu

1 Tbsp Rum = 1/2 tsp rum extract + enough water to make 1 Tbsp

1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips = 1 cup chocolate candies OR 1 cup peanut butter or other flavored chips OR 1 cup chopped nuts OR 1 cup chopped dried fruit

1 cup Shortening = 1 cup butter OR 1 cup margarine minus 1/2 tsp salt from recipe

1 cup Sour cream = 1 cup plain yogurt OR 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar + enough cream to make 1 cup OR 3/4 cup buttermilk + 1/3 cup butter

1 cup Sour milk = 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup (let stand 5 minutes to thicken)

1/2 Soy sauce = 4 Tbsp worcestershire sauce + 1 Tbsp water

14 ounces Sweetened condensed milk = 3/4 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup water + 1 1/8 cups dry powdered milk (bring three ingredients to a boil, stir frequently until thickened, about 20 minutes)

1 cup Vegetable oil (for baking) = 1 cup applesauce OR 1 cup fruit puree

1 tsp Vinegar = 1 tsp lemon or lime juice OR 2 tsp white wine

1 cup White sugar = (see xena's suggestion) OR 1 cup brown sugar OR 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar OR 3/4 corn syrup

.25 ounce Yeast (active-dry) = 1 cake compressed yeast OR 2 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast

1 cup Yogurt = 1 cup sour cream OR 1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup sour milk

Converting pounds to cups
I found this answer online and yes I have run into this problem before. European recipes tend to use pounds instead of cups and it can be very frustrating.

There is no answer in general because a cup is a unit of volume and an pound is a unit of weight. You need to know the density of what you're measuring - to make an extreme example, a cup of lead and a cup of feathers have exactly the same volume but are drastically different in weight!

This confusion between volume and weight in traditional imperial measurement units has probably arisen because of the term "ounce". It is used to describe both a unit of weight and a unit of volume (the "fluid ounce"). But as already stated, these are not equivalent.

For water 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 8 ounces weight = 0.5 pounds.
So 2 cups water weighs 1 pound. But this only works for water.

Sugar is almost the same so 2 cups sugar weighs approximately 1 pound.
But for flour you have 4 cups per pound.

Yay! I inspired someone! biggrin

*cough* I see someone visits Allrecipes too! rofl I love that site!

I almost forgot to add this very important tip!

NEVER USE OLIVE OIL FOR BACKING SWEETS!!!

I can not stress that enough!! gonk I used to have this teacher in Highschool, he was a sweet old guy everybody loved and one day he decided to bring us all homemade brownies. After all, how hard can a box of Betty Crocker be for a chemistry teacher with a doctorates?

Well he didn't have veggy oil so he substituted olive oil and we never looked at brownies the same way again! emo

Learning your oven

Ovens are unique and can be extremely finicky. You could be following a recipe perfectly but if you don't know how to make specific adjustments for your particular oven you could still end up burning and under baking things.

The first couple of times you use your oven, check the food regularly and make a mental note if it seems to be cooking faster or slower than the recommended time in your recipes.
If your oven is baking way too slowly you may want to try increasing the suggested baking temperature by 25 degrees.
Likewise, if it is baking way too quickly you may want to decrease the temperature by 25 degrees.

I always recommend setting your timer around 10-15 minutes less than the minimum suggested baking time in a recipe (especially if this is your first time baking this particular recipe). When you check it, if it is still underdone, add 2-3 more minutes to your timer. It is always easy to add a few extra minutes to baking time, but it is impossible to salvage burnt food.

I learned I need to set the temperature of my oven 25 degrees less than the recommended temperature of almost every recipe AND bake for the minimum baking time.