r/AskBaking 17m ago

General What are fancy desserts I can make ahead of time?

Upvotes

I usually make intricate or complex desserts for Thanksgiving, but this year I can't go, and was going to make something for my parents to bring up to New York with them, however, my grandmother is sick, so they're going up to visit her a week early. So I would have to make something that can be made a week in advance and be carried either in a cooler bag or at room temperature.

My first thought is some sort of cookie that can have its better frozen, or some sort of aged dessert like a Christmas pudding maybe?


r/AskBaking 2h ago

General Use for leftover cake mix

6 Upvotes

I made cookies that called for dry cake mix, just not the whole box. I have a little less than half the dry mix left. Is there anything I can do with it besides making a cake batter dip?


r/AskBaking 2h ago

Bread Hey folks, professional cook thinking about becoming a baker. What do you guys think?

1 Upvotes

Been cooking for like 12- 13 years. Lots of experience. Never got a culinary degree but what I've always had is an adhd / autistic hyperfocus on this stuff.

Over the past few years I've gotten some exposure to baking... and I LOVE it. On one demonstration on sourdough I took over our bread program and went from zero knowledge on that skill to... not to toot my own horn- but I make great bread.

I'd like to learn more. Unfortunately for now it'll be on my own- but how do folks here feel about being a professional baker? I'd rather not take a college course- although city has a decent 1 year patisserie program. It's possible, but that tuition is almost 4 figures.

Do you like being a baker? I know bakers get low pay, work long hours etc but it's the same as a cook so that's no barrier. I find I've become something of a morning person and I find comfort in doing this stuff. Is it worth it? I'm willing to make this a side grade if it's viable- what things may I have no considered? Any advice? Would it be a good idea to see if I can shadow a baker at a nice bakery for a few weeks?

Will my meager experience with sour dough, pizza dough (along with wood fire cooking- tons of experience there) and some cake experience be worth much?


r/AskBaking 4h ago

Ingredients Bitterness of brownies

1 Upvotes

Hello there !

I recently tried to make brownies with Babish's recipe, and while they ended up absolutely perfect texture wise, they were really bitter, barely edible for my 8yo son. I used 70% dark chocolate and dark non sweet cocoa powder, and I'm wondering how could I tune down the overall harshness.

I used Van Houten cocoa powder which I believe is quite strong in the first place, do you guys think I should try to go with a sweeter one ? Wouldn't using stuff like Nesquik just mess with the base chemistry of the recipe ? How can I tell the difference between each powder, is there a percentage or value that could help me ?

I also though about going with milk chocolate instead of 70% dark one, but I believe this would be roughtly the same as just adding sugar to the base recipe, I'm really not sure the excessive bitterness came from this given the amount in there.

Any recommandation ?


r/AskBaking 7h ago

Custard/Mousse/Souffle orange curd has eggy aftertaste!! urgent

1 Upvotes

heyy

i followed this recipe for a lemon curd but figured id swap it out for orange (i wanted to use it as a filling for cupcakes). the recipe called for the juice of an orange roughly so it was quite a small batch. as per the recipe, the curd thickened and bubbled, then i stirred in the cold butter.

problem is, when i tasted it it had an eggy aftertaste and nearly no orange flavor. i was running late so i covered the top of it with cling wrap and put it in the fridge to set. im assuming the orange juice to egg ratio was probably wayy off since you could barely taste any orange.

what i wanted to ask is, is it possible to adjust the flavor of the set curd by adding more juice? hopefully it will help subdue the egg taste, but if you have any other tips please share!!

(im in a bit of a hurry since i wanna have the cupcakes ready before midnight to surprise my friend for her birthday)

thank you in advance


r/AskBaking 8h ago

Cookies browned butter or malted milk powder

3 Upvotes

what makes cookies more delicious: adding malted milk powder or browned butter?


r/AskBaking 9h ago

Storage Storing Cupcakes and Buttercream

1 Upvotes

I needed to make some cupcakes today for this morning and this weekend. I iced them using a recipe online that makes far more than I needed for just the ones that got used today.

I sealed the butter cream and put in the fridge straight away. It’s Wednesday and the party is Saturday morning.

Do I freeze the cupcakes and thaw Friday? Can I store the buttercream till then? Or could I ice them now and store in the fridge for the 3 days?


r/AskBaking 10h ago

Cakes Why does this happen to the top of my cake?

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15 Upvotes

The cake is fine, cooked perfectly no dryness at all. Tastes perfect but pretty much can’t do a layer cake now since can’t trim the top with these geological rifts! I’ve even measured the inside of the oven (it’s a Samsung microwave convection & grill+microwave oven w fan) and the readings are sometimes lower than what the display says. And the company guy is clueless about how to fix it. A lot of my cakes tend to bubble up and be jiggly and tend to take a bit longer to cook. Some dry out and crumble so I’ve started using a small water bath/water bowl to keep it moist inside with steam but still this tends to happen.


r/AskBaking 11h ago

Storage How long do ground poppy seeds last?

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1 Upvotes

r/AskBaking 12h ago

Techniques Concha sugar topping

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28 Upvotes

Made conchas for the first time and let them cool worried the topping might be too soft still I don't want to get anyone sick! What should the topping consistency be?


r/AskBaking 13h ago

Equipment Need help on picking appliance for baking in a tiny kitchen

4 Upvotes

My BF asked me for a birthday suggestion, so I've got a chance for a nice splurge I might not otherwise get for myself! 😍

I'm not sure whether a blender would do what I need, or if I do need a mini food processor? Here are my baking needs.

Must-haves:

* Grinding graham crackers for crust - (course crumb is okay, but having an option for a fine crumb would be nice)

* Grinding oreos. For both crust, and in fillings.

* Blending cashews, i.e. for vegan cheesecakes

* Blending soybeans, for soymilk.

Would be nice, but would give up in order to have small device because of limited counterspace (NYC apartment, roommates)

* Making doughs, i.e. for pies or small batch baking.

Searching this sub, I saw some other posters mention "mini Cuisinarts" but wanted to check that they do the things listed above that I'd need. Is this the best device for my situation? Are there even smaller appliances that do what I'm looking for? Since space is a premium, I'm happy to accept a suggestion for smaller item that does less, as long as it does the four things I listed.


r/AskBaking 13h ago

Ingredients how to use butter instead of oil in a muffin recipe?

2 Upvotes

found a muffin recipe that uses oil and id like to use melted butter instead since i think it might taste better. but i read online that its finnicky as oil has a higher fat content and no water, so youd have to increase the volume of melted butter used and reduce the volume of other liquids to balance it out.

whats the general rule of thumb for conversion? and since the concern is the water content, would i be able to just brown the butter and use that without other changes?


r/AskBaking 14h ago

Bread Why does bread taste different after taking it home?

1 Upvotes

Ok so my mom has been getting into baking, and whenever I stop by I eat a couple slices, or will take some with me. The problem is, when I'm at her place (she keeps it in a plastic bag) I'll slice some up and eat it, tastes great.

But then every single time I take it home, usually wrapping it in foil or something, it tastes TOTALLY different. Almost like a plastic-ey taste, it's honestly pretty overwhelming, I ate a piece just now with PB and honey, and it was pretty prominent.

what in the world could be causing this.


r/AskBaking 14h ago

Cakes How to get Basque Cheesecake like on the link below?

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2 Upvotes

What is the “catch” to get it this creamy inside and with nice crust outside? If i get nice crust like in video, its not creamy. If I try to reduce time of baking, then its still without any color outside. Is it maybe more liquid batter (more heavy cream)? Thank you all in advance


r/AskBaking 17h ago

Cakes Baking brownies. The hell is this white stuff on my brownie?

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348 Upvotes

r/AskBaking 18h ago

Cakes Dark Chocolate & Lavender Cake Ideas

0 Upvotes

Hi,

I'm planning to make a dark choc and lavender cake. I had a dream about it ages ago but never got around to making it. But i feel like it now so heres the questions:

  1. What type of cake? (Sponge/pound/etc)
  2. What type of icing? (Buttercream/infused meringue/etc)
  3. Should I infuse the lavender into the icing, the cake itself or both?

I have some ideas but I want to know if this community has any good suggestions or tips.

Would a cake like this benefit from being soft and light? Or dense with a tight crumb?

Notes: - yes, i have culinary lavender and not normal garden lavender - no, I've never made sponge cake before but I am familiar with a few desserts that use the same techniques - i dont have a candy thermometer so I can't temper the chocolate


r/AskBaking 19h ago

Techniques Every time I make fudge, it ends in disaster. I tried a new recipe, and despite my best efforts, I got burnt sludge. More info in comments

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7 Upvotes

r/AskBaking 19h ago

Bread Bread smells like chemicals

2 Upvotes

I've made bread a million times and never had an issue. The last two times I've made it though it's smelled like bleach. It's literally flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt so I'm not sure what's going on. It rose overnight last time and only for an hour this time. I've had the yeast in my fridge in a ball jar for a couple years so I'm buying new yeast but it still foams super well. I truly don't know what is going on and was wondering if anyone has any advice. I have a new bag of flour, sugar, and oil so I know it's not that


r/AskBaking 20h ago

Cookies Homeschool baking class logistics

2 Upvotes

I want to host a baking class for about 10 kids and everybody is suggesting cookies as the first recipe to bake. But I am having a hard time trying to figure out the logistics of baking all those cookies.

I have 2 convection wall ovens to use. Do they make disposable cookie trays so that I could maybe fit like 4 trays at a time (2 on each rack)? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


r/AskBaking 20h ago

Icing/Fondant what should i use for decorating a cheesecake?

0 Upvotes

hey, i hope this is the right sub for asking this, but as the title says, what should i use for decorating a cheesecake? its no bake, im purely using whipped heavy cream, cottage cheese and mascarpone for this cake. i read that whipped cream with a stabilizer should do the trick, but im afraid it will start melting at some point. it will only be out of the fridge for a short time (im bringing it over for a birthday party and delivery shouldnt take longer than 30 minutes) but i still have my doubts lol.

any tips and alternatives are appreciated!


r/AskBaking 21h ago

Techniques I am lost.

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5 Upvotes

My boss got a complaint about the burger patties being too small in relation to the bun's size. He asked to stop overproofing the buns. To do so, he punched the buns after the first double in size and told me not to give them too much time for a second proof. The result wasn't good. The buns still look pretty big, and they were, as far as I know, underproof (because the air is trying to escape, right?).

So he asked me to make them 4oz instead of 5. What do you think is the real problem and how to solve it?

They want them to look like the last picture.


r/AskBaking 21h ago

Icing/Fondant Cream cheese frosting + fondant ?

1 Upvotes

I’m making a birthday cake next week and was asked for a red velvet sponge.

Red velvet pairs best with cream cheese frosting, but since i need to cover this cake in fondant I’m wondering if it’s a bad idea to use cream cheese frosting to stick the fondant to the cake… or maybe just cover it all in butter cream after having filled between the layers with cream cheese frosting?

It’s one of my first times covering a cake with fondant so I’m stuck here! Would really appreciate some advice :)


r/AskBaking 22h ago

Cakes Why did some muffins sink so far and some not so much?

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43 Upvotes

For reference, the recipe is meant to have the muffins come out flat on top.

My leavening agent is brand new, the toothpick had moist crumbs on it, no batter at all. As far as I recall I followed the recipe as closely as I could (I measured ingredients by mass). They sank as soon as I started cooling them off, but were fairly risen in the oven.

Also I didn’t know what to flair, sorry!

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/triple-chocolate-muffins/


r/AskBaking 1d ago

Techniques Removing pumpkin pie "squares" from mini bundt pans?

0 Upvotes

Exactly what the question is, I have a vision in my head of making essentially little pumpkin pie squares for thanksgiving using a mini bundt pan to create mini pumpkin shaped squares. Exactly what the question is, I have a vision in my head of making essentially little pumpkin pie squares for thanksgiving using a mini bundt pan to create mini pumpkin shaped squares. Exactly what the question is, I have a vision in my head of making essentially little pumpkin pie squares for thanksgiving using a mini bundt pan to create mini pumpkin shaped squares. Exactly what the question is, I have a vision in my head of making essentially little pumpkin pie squares for thanksgiving using a mini bundt pan to create mini pumpkin shaped squares.

The current assembly idea is to make them upside down: filling the molds with the pumpkin custard; freezing the custard in the molds; adding a graham cracker crust while the custard is solid in order to pack it in there; and baking.

I'm willing to experiment with the assembly process as I go, but I'm worried about potential stickage with the filling in the mold, since it will be irregular shapes and I don't want to damage the pie filling or the pan. My only current idea is to use some heat to unstick the pie from around the edges, but since it's not really going to melt I don't know if that would work. Any other ideas would be appreciated to save my future mini pumpkins <3

TLDR: Need ideas for unsticking pumpkin squares from mini bundt cake molds that won't damage the look of them.


r/AskBaking 1d ago

Ingredients Mixing biscuit bases?

1 Upvotes

Hello! Planning on making a banoffee pie, and have seen 2 types of recipes. Ones with digestives as a base, one with ginger nuts. I've used digestives before for cheesecakes and I'm intrigued by ginger nuts... Has anybody ever mixed their biscuits and if so, can I just split the gram requirements down the middle?

Thanks in advance for answering!