HOW TO BAKE CAKES

A beginner’s guide

Home baking is undergoing something of a revival. This is partly due to fact that more and more people want to know exactly what they are eating, and if you make your own cakes, you do! Also, even in hard economic times, we want to treat ourselves now and again, and it is far cheaper to make your own, good quality, cake rather than buy from the supermarket. Perhaps most importantly, making your own cakes is very satisfying and straightforward: it is something for which you don’t need expensive, specialist equipment, or years of training, and everyone can do it in their own home.

In this short-e guide you will find basic information on cake making. There is guidance on what certain terms mean, what equipment you will need, essential ingredients, and step-by-step instructions on the fundamental methods: creaming, rubbing in, whisking and melting. And you’ll find the recipes to go with them so you can make:

A Victoria sandwich

Cupcakes

Fruit cake

Cherry cake

Scones

Gateau

Swissroll

Flapjacks

Muffins

Time for tea!