where it won’t matter. For example, butter for
melting can be cold or squidgy. But butter
for a cookie is best when it is cold or cool
and pliable – around 15°C (60°F) (lest you
get a super spreader). In frosty kitchens,
quickly zapping butter and sugar/flour in the
microwave or leaving them in a warm place
before baking can help avoid a frigid batter. In
summer, chilling the flour before mixing can
help a dough be easy to roll, not painfully melty.

4. The final bake-temp (do do do doo)

Despite decades of bakelore telling us to test
the doneness of cakes with skewers and touch,
and even listening (pfft), I use a digital probe
thermometer every time. You can be confident
that cakes and yeasted buns/doughnuts are
done when the internal temperature sits in the
93–98°C (199–208°F) zone. And you don’t
have to pull apart or dig at a precious bake
or doughnut, sacrificing it to the ‘is it baked?’
gods. The probe also provides a visual clue if
there is any lingering wet batter on the end.

With cakes, a few moist crumbs are okay.

Yeasted bakes will usually show a gummy
moistness that dissipates after cooling (ever cut
open a loaf of bread straight from the oven?).

Optimal testing position is to insert the probe
on a slight angle so the point hits the internal
centre of the cake. Don’t poke it all the way
through – you’ll end up with a higher read if
the point is near the crust or tin.

Re-use baking paper when you can, or re-usable

non-stick baking mats. For cookies I prefer the
slight ‘grippiness’ of paper to control the spread.

After cookie baking, the paper can be wiped
down, folded and stored away to be used again.

Don’t waste it, scrape it! Use a flexible plastic

spatula to scrape as much as you can out of a bowl.

When you have bought lovely ingredients and spent
precious time baking, you want to incorporate
every last spoonful everywhere you can!

Dough it the night before
Wherever I can, I will let you know if you can
make components the day before. This is the
approach we used at Beatrix Bakes – crusts rolled
and frozen, custard made and chilled and fruit
roasted and ready for an early morning assembly.

We toasted nuts the day before to avoid having
to wait for them to cool for baking. Buttercreams
can be whipped and chilled (even frozen), and
then softened according to the recipe instructions.

Prior preparation helps you chip away at small
goals to reach the big ones with swan-like calm!
Water bathing
Water makes things look distorted. So, my tip is to put
your fingertip on the base of the water-bath tray and
fill to the first joint – the one closest to your fingernail.

Use your senses
Your baking instincts are the ultimate utensil.
If you sense the cake or cookie is colouring too
fast, listen to your inner baking genius and turn
the oven temperature down a smidge. If you
feel the raw pastry becoming warm under your
rolling pin, get the pastry in the fridge to chill.

You will almost always be right about the perfect
adjustment. Be present and watch, listen, smell
and touch. Listen to your baking instincts. They
are almost always right.
sweet
spot
too cool
too hot near tin