noob wants to get into baking, advice/tips please

tinktinktinkerbell

i really want to get into baking, cakes, cupcakes, biccies, etc etc etc

now, im somewhat of a noob, i took food technology at school so im not a total noob lol but some advice would be nice

so......

equipment, now im after some silicone stuff (i really can not take the clinking, scraping noises of kitchen ware *teeth cringe*) so the stuff has to be silicone and it has to be on the cheap (this is MSE after all ) am i right in thinking that the pound shops are the best places for things like this? what stuff will i need? i really dont have anything in for baking other than a chopping board (told you i was a noob :rotfl: )


any good recipes, bare in mind im a step ahead of a total dim wit when it comes to baking so be gentle, nothing too difficult lol

and i have to add the things i dont like so are reluctant to use

any kind of fruit (mainly dried things, saltarners, raisins, other dried fruit)

nuts

oh and to add, i dont have electric things like whisks, mixers etc so everything will have to be done by hand

many thanks to anyone that can help

mummyroysof3

hi, im a newbie to baking too, i started by making twinks hob nobs, flap jack and muffins there are some great recipies at the begining of the grocery challenge threads. I bought a silicone muffin tray and a square tray, you would still need to put a baking tray under them though otherwise they wobble all over the place. hth

MsHoarder

Equipment: TK Maxx often have slicone bakeware, but you might be better getting some plastic mixing bowls, a wooden spoon and standard metal baking trays/cake tins as silicone bakeware is expensive. You don't really "clink" or "scrape" them as such, I'm always careful not to damage mine.

For recipes, my easiest is fairy cakes. You will need a fairy cake tin and some cases (from the baking section). To make 6:

2oz unsalted butter
2oz sugar (granulated is fine)
2oz self-raising flour
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. Put 6 fairy cake cases into cake tray
3. Soften butter (10 secs in microwave at 25%/low works fine)
4. "Cream" butter and sugar together (mix until smooth)
5. Sift flour into same bowl and mix
6. Add egg and mix
7. Using 2 desert spoons, put 1 spoonful into each case
8. Bake for 12-15 mins, until golden brown and cake bounces back when pressed
9. Leave in tin for about 1 min then put onto cooling rack or onto a square of kitchen towel
10. Icing can be made from packet instructions, or just sprinkle some icing sugar on top. Alternatively, melt a knob of butter and mix in icing sugar until it goes "grainy". Then add a splash of milk and mix until smooth again.

If you want something more interesting, add a teaspoon of vanilla essence, chocolate chips or liquor just before putting into the oven.

Also, a hand whisk is a very handy tool for baking, it massively speeds up the mixing stages and will let you make whisked cream etc. I just have the basic Argos one.

kinkyjinks

tinktinktinkerbell wrote: »

i really want to get into baking, cakes, cupcakes, biccies, etc etc etc

now, im somewhat of a noob, i took food technology at school so im not a total noob lol but some advice would be nice

so......

equipment, now im after some silicone stuff (i really can not take the clinking, scraping noises of kitchen ware *teeth cringe*) so the stuff has to be silicone and it has to be on the cheap (this is MSE after all ) am i right in thinking that the pound shops are the best places for things like this? what stuff will i need? i really dont have anything in for baking other than a chopping board (told you i was a noob :rotfl: )


any good recipes, bare in mind im a step ahead of a total dim wit when it comes to baking so be gentle, nothing too difficult lol

and i have to add the things i dont like so are reluctant to use

any kind of fruit (mainly dried things, saltarners, raisins, other dried fruit)

nuts

oh and to add, i dont have electric things like whisks, mixers etc so everything will have to be done by hand

many thanks to anyone that can help

:wave: Hi Tinks, glad to see you up here. As far as I remember there is a new bakery magazine just come out. Reason I'm telling you is that they are 'giving away' silicone cupcake cases with the first edition, which is only 99p. Personally, I've only had success with silicone cupcake cases, everything else has failed miserably . There's usually a good supply of the silicone bakeware at Home Bargains or B+M, as well as Poundland.

Equipment wise, a good sized bowl or 5, a decent set of scales and a wooden spoon are my basic essentials. Glasses etc can easily be turned into effective cookie cutters.

Mummyroysof3 gives a good suggestion about starting with the twinks hobnobs. They are a huge hit here and you need nothing more than a piece of greaseproof paper for your oven shelf if you don't have baking trays. The fairy cakes are a good starting point too. Baking your own cakes etc is only limited to your imagination really. Plain fairy cakes can easily be turned into tasty choc buns by swapping 1 oz of flour (25 gms) for 1 oz of cocoa.

Also, baking cakes allows you to get some sneaky but VERY tasty veg inside you, like in a carrot cake (I know you don't like a lot of veg, hence the suggestion). Stork marg works really good for most baking too, so no need to buy butter unless you were making all butter shortbread for example.

You've definitely reached the right place for baking ideas as most of the OSers have a wealth of experience. If you look at the sticky for the grocery challenge, there are loads and loads of baking recipes there. Until I looked there I'd never have guessed that I could turn my Weetabix crumbs into a delicious cake.

Phew, for me that has turned into an essay length post :rotfl:

Aarons_mummy

My very easiest recipie you require a spoon, scales, microwavable dish and a tin opener

Line the bottom of your microwavable dish with fruit of your choice pineapple, strawberries, mandarins I have all used and they've all came out well I suppose you don't have to use fruit but it makes it nice, I use tinned fruit, cheaper and just as yummy!

4oz plain flour
4oz butter
4oz caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar ie. beat it until it's a smoothish mixture
Add the 2 eggs and beat in
Add the baking powder and half the flour and beat it in (makes it lighter as has lots of air in).
Add the other half and gently fold it in
Lastly add the milk and mix in gently
Pour the mixture over the layered fruit
Cover the dish in clingfilm and cook in the microwave for 6-8minutes depending on your microwave.

When you stick a knife through the middle it should come out clear (not covered in cake mixture).

Tip up onto a dish and leave to cool. It'll take 5 minutes to make the mixture. It's so simple and yummy.

I always have one on my cake stand

TRYINGTOSWIM

I am getting addicted to baking again. I would say its worth spending a few pound,possibly a tenner in total,which is about the same as a few packs of shop bought cakes which wont taste anything like your own.
tesco value/argos value range electric hand whisk will cost about £4 and worth every penny.
asda have some baking stuff in their sale,I bought a pack of 6 cookie cutters for 97p on Saturday.
silicone tins from b&m,pound shop etc.these are the only ones I've bought and are fine. get 2 sandwich tins, a loaf tin..
cake cases are £1 for 200 in pound shops ,and you can get a baking tray there too for £1.
a cheap set value/basic scales will cost about £2.
you can use an old sweet tin for storage but b&m have lovley cake tins,you dont need this of course but I love mine.

next hit the library.. get a basic baking book, and also look among the kids section as they often have basic recipe books.
I treated myself to the hairy bikers mum knows best book this week reduced from £20 to £6 in whsmith and it has some really simple but very tasty biscuits amongst other very simple recipes.

And most of all enjoy it. I love having my cake tin full of nice biscuits etc and it certainly gives a very smug warm feeling when someone says they taste nice.
good luck

rosie383

I agree with the above posters. Baking is a lovely thing to be able to do.
Personally, my essentials would be a set of cheap scales (think they had some in poundland), a bowl and, if you can afford it, a really cheap electric whisk. Mine was the smart price type from asda for about £4 and it still works great and gets used almost daily.
Silicon moulds are great, and definitely go to poundland for them. Can't go wrong at those prices.
If you can't get scales, then just use recipes that use cups as measures. Does the job.
Get yourself a bag of flour ( about 42p for smartprice)
Bag of sugar
Cheapest marg that's suitable for baking ( Asda's own brand seems to be cheapest at the mo)
Eggs.
These are all you need for wee buns, cake whatever. Personally, I would go for wee buns, traybakes, hobnobs, rather than trying to make cakes. Less chance of mistakes. Or try bread. Buy yourself a bag of bread mix from Lidl for 69p and make your own bread. All you need is a bowl and baking tray.
Then whatever else you want for a few recipes to get you started. You would be amazed at how easy and incredibly yummy Twink's hobnobs are. You really can't go wrong with them.
Enjoy yourself. And remember, if you have a few disasters along the way, don't tell anyone except us!!!! If your biscuits are weird, cover them in a bit of melted dark choc ( samrt price of course). For any bun/ cake type disasters, a bit of custard and everyone will love it! They don't need to know!

5850matty

My wife bought me the "primrosehill cupcake" book for Christmas and they have some really great cakes there and they are so easy to make and everyone loves them !!

bees**knees

The Be-Ro recipe book is a great 'tried and trusted' recipe book - ideal for starting baking.
Cheap to buy (£1.50)and recipes that work. The Be-ro website is also worth a look as it has 'basics' sections.

http://www.be-ro.com/f_about.htm

Scroll down the page for info on how to purchase the book.

kinkyjinks

valbuk wrote: »

The Be-Ro recipe book is a great 'tried and trusted' recipe book - ideal for starting baking.
Cheap to buy (£1.50)and recipes that work. The Be-ro website is also worth a look as it has 'basics' sections.

http://www.be-ro.com/f_about.htm

Scroll down the page for info on how to purchase the book.

I totally agree with that, the Be-ro book is a great starter book. My best book purchase for cakes is my newest one, Cakes by Pam Corbin (river cottage). I've had it less than a week and my tins are still full, not because the kids don't like what they are filled with but because I keep filling them up.

calleyw

valbuk wrote: »

The Be-Ro recipe book is a great 'tried and trusted' recipe book - ideal for starting baking.
Cheap to buy (£1.50)and recipes that work. The Be-ro website is also worth a look as it has 'basics' sections.

You can also get it in Morrisons for 99p.

need to get a new one as mine is wrecked.

Yours

Calley