17 Family Baking Hacks to Try Now

In case you’ve been living in a Bundt-shaped hole, you’ll know The Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens…

So if you’re feeling inspired by the new series, the team at PromotionalCodes.org.uk have compiled the 17 best baking hacks for you to try with your family at home…

From blasting your ganache with a hairdryer to make it smooth and shiny, to scooping muffin mix with an ice cream scoop for evenly sized cakes, here’s some clever baking hacks that Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood would approve of…

17 Baking Hacks to Try

1. Use a syringe filled with icing to decorate cookies and cakes.
2. Brown sugar hard? Microwave it in a dish covered with a wet paper towel for around 20 seconds. Alternatively bake for five minutes at 300^o
3. If you’re cutting out cookies, dip your cookie cutter into the flour. This will stop the dough sticking to the cutter.
4. Try scooping muffin mix with an ice cream scoop. That way they’ll all be the same size.
5. Fill up your icing bag quickly and without mess by placing it over a cup or glass.
6. If you have unwanted eggshell in the mixing bowl, wet your finger, reach into the bowl and retrieve the shell.
7. If you’ve overcooked your cakes or cookies, shave off with a vegetable peeler or grater.
8. Use a paper plate to make a splash guard on your food mixer. This will prevent powdery and liquid splatters.
9. If you’re measuring syrup or honey, spray the measuring spoon or cup with cooking spray. They’ll slide off with no sticky messes.
10. Use a vegetable peeler to make perfect chocolate curls.
11. If you’re using frozen fruit in a cake or pie, coat it in flour first. It will remove some of the moisture and will stop it sinking to the bottom.
12. Let cookie dough rest for ten minutes before adding the dry ingredients. This creates cookies with chewier centres and crisper edges.
13. Give your ganache a smooth, glassy finish by blasting it with the hairdryer. Use a spatula to even out the melting chocolate.
14. Use cookie cutters to make the top crust of a pie.
15. If you’ve lost your rolling pin – or don’t have one – use a wine bottle instead.
16. Heat citrus fruit in the microwave for around 15 seconds to get more juice out of them.
17. If you’re baking a pastry case blind, don’t bother with expensive baking beans. Instead use rice or dried peas placed on baking paper.

Darren Williams from PromotionalCodes.org.uk says “We all love it when The Great British Bake Off hits our screens and it’s the one time of the year when us amateurs head into the kitchen to have a go at baking a cake.

“These hacks are for the occasional bakers who need a helping hand to create Bake Off-winning worthy cakes, muffins and pies.

“There are some shortcuts, tips to avert any disastrous bakes and a few hacks which will prevent kitchen chaos.”

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