Baking Tips

Before you use eggs for baking, make sure you bring them to room temperature before using them.
To check if your egg whites are stiff, turn the bowl upside down after you've whisked them to form peaks. Nothing should drop out of the bowl.

Before you put a chocolate cake batter in the oven, check if it is of pouring consistency. Which means, it should form terraces as you pour it into the baking tin.
When a recipe calls for melted or softened butter, heat it under a low flame instead of using a microwave.
To check if a cake is done, prick a toothpick into it. It should come out clean.Castor sugar is not the same as ground sugar. Don't use them as substitutes. Castor sugar is fine granulated white sugar with a bit of starch added for binding.
When whisking mascarpone, make sure it is chilled and not warm. It tends to curdle very quickly.

If you wish to bake your cheesecake, use a well greased springfoam pan. That way it will come out easily. Let the baked cheesecake cool in the oven for a few hours
before you put it in the fridge to chill.

To make a meringue, make sure that your bowl is totally grease free.

If your cake collapses when its taken out of the oven, either you placed it under a draft of air or then you have used too much baking powder.
If you're making a cake with the creaming method, you need to add the eggs one by one, and keep beat them in between. If the eggs are added fast, they will curdle.

If you substitute self-rising flour for all-purpose flour, eliminate the baking powder.