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40 Hacks to Help You Bake Like a Pro

By,
Gourmandize
Get Out Your Measuring Cups 5/40

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Get Out Your Measuring Cups

Unlike in cooking, where you can often tweak and play with the ingredient amounts, when it comes to baking, your proportions need to be accurate. Why? Because baking is more about chemical reactions and turning wet and dry ingredients into fluffy, risen or expanded baked goods. If you don't have enough or too much of something, it could ruin the finished product.

The best way to avoid this is by using measuring cups and spoons. You might be able to adjust the amount of sugar in your recipes, and some baked goods will require more or less flour depending on the temperature and altitude of your home. But generally speaking, the closer you stick to the measures of approved recipes, the better! 


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Ingredients

  • 2 large water or soda bottles (empty)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Ready 2 large plastic bottles, cleaned and dried.
  3. Add 1 cup of flour to each bottle.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each.
  5. Melt butter, then add equal halves to each bottle.
  6. Add 6 eggs, 3 in each.
  7. Add 1/2 tbsp of baking powder to each.
  8. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to each.
  9. Shake the bottles thoroughly until the contents are well mixed.
  10. In one of the bottles only, add the cocoa powder.
  11. Beginning with the cocoa powder mixture, add a dolop of batter to the center of a circular
  12. baking tin. Do the same with the other mixture, placing the dolop directly in the center of the previous one.
  13. Continue with alternating additions of each mixture until all batter is used and the tin is full.
  14. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  15. Serve and enjoy!