MY BAKING HACKS!

I learned long time ago that baking is lots of fun; however, is also a strict science. I don’t get as creative when I bake as I do when cooking.
 
I also follow the recipe, no matter how many times I made it. Why? The phone ring, someone’s at the door, or I could get distracted by something and I may forget what I need to do next.
 
To prevent confusion, before baking, I align all ingredients in front of me to the right and as I use them I move them to the left. If I still have an ingredient on the right, it means I haven’t use it yet.
 
BUTTER:
Always have your butter at room temperature before baking a cake. Avoid the rush of placing it in the microwave. The problem is, the microwave will not soften the butter as the recipe request, but instead will start to melt it, leaving you with parts that are still solid and parts that are melted. The easy thing to do is to remove it from the fridge/freezer and let it sit for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. That will do the job and the cake with be great. OR FOLLOW MY FRIEND ESTELLE's HACK: "Put boiling water in a glass to heat the glass. Dump the water and flip it over a stick of butter. Soften in few minutes". Thanks Estelle!
 
MEASURING SOLIDS:
Spoon flour into your measuring cup. Then sweep across the top of the measuring cup with the flat part of a knife or spatula. Never tap it to accommodate the flour or sugar and never press it down either.
 
EGGS:
Eggs are just like butter you must have them at room temperature before starting to bake. However, depending on what you are making, if you have to use the yolk and the white separately, eggs are easier to separate when they are still cold. For example, if you are making meringues, you will need just the egg whites and no matter what you do, must ensure that no part of the yolk get mix with the white.
 
BAKING PANS:
Resist the temptation to just butter your baking pan in a rush. Take some time to cut parchment paper, spray the pan, line it with the paper and then spray with non-stick oil with or without flour again.

LEVELED CAKES
To prevent cake disasters, after you pour the batter in the baking pan, tap the pan on your counter top to get rid of any bubbles and to ensure that it will bake evenly.
 
Finally, whatever you do, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR until your cake has been baking for at least ¾ of the recommended baking time. The cool air will hit the cake and will make it collapse in the middle. Once this happen, it won’t come back up flat. Trust me it will happen, smile.