Baking With Your Kids

Baking is easily one of my favourite hobbies. There is nothing quite like it. When you get all of the ingredients exactly right and the cake rises perfectly in the oven, but by far one of the biggest fun times when baking is when you do it with your kids.

I’m a father of ten year old twin girls and from a very early age both my wife and I have always involved the girls with everything we do in the kitchen, whether that be cooking a meal for dinner or making sandwiches for lunch. Without doubt, the one thing the girls have loved doing more than anything else in the kitchen is baking a cake or cupcakes. It really has created so many wonderful memories for us as a family.

As well as being fun, baking with kids is also a very important life lesson that they will be able to take into adulthood. It will give them the ability to cook and hopefully they won’t starve when they flee the nest.

Here are a few tips so you can bake to perfection and this article Top 10 Tips For Cake Bake Success has many suggestions that will help you bake the perfect cake.

1. Sticking to the Recipe

When baking it’s very important that you stick to the recipe and all the ingredients that are added are the correct measures. You may think you can improve the recipe with your creativity but don’t forget the recipe you are using is a tried and tested recipe to give you a perfectly baked cake every time.

2. Following the recipe steps

This is also as important, like not changing the ingredient measurements, follow the instructions as they are written. For example when baking eggs and butter are better for baking if left at room temperature for a time before you start baking your cake.

3. Air in your cake

If you want light and fluffy cakes then try to generate as much as possible. For example, mix the butter and sugar until it is light and creamy and has changed colour. Sifting the flour and all the other ingredients will also create air in your cake.

4. Ovens

All ovens are different but generally gas ovens heat quicker and will reach the desired heat quicker than an electric oven so electric ovens will need more heating. Electric ovens tend to give a crisper outside finish whereas a gas oven will tend to make a moist cake.

A good way to check the temperature in your oven is perfect is by using an in oven thermometer so you are baking your cake at the optimum temperature.

A very important part of the oven is when your cake is baking, don’t peek too often. The more often you open that oven the more air that will get in and the cake will sag.

Finally on this section all recipes have cooking times. Yes ovens can be a little different but as a rule of thumb the timings of the recipe will be right. A good way to check just prior to the finish of the cooking time is the cake will feel the same on the edges or the middle.

So there are my experiences of baking with my kids and some some tips for baking the perfect cake. Do you have any suggestions? I would love to hear in the comments below.