New to the Kitchen - Baking Recipes For Beginners

Yes, You can bake a cake that is as good as any you have had, maybe even better. With the widespread availability of different types of baking mixes, making a cake is simple. Add oil, water, and eggs to the content of the package and stir until creamy. Pour in a greased and floured pan and bake in a 350 degree oven until done. Simple, yes. Imaginative? No. But if all you want is a cake for dessert, try one of the mixes. The cakes are good tasting, moist, and almost foolproof if you follow the package directions.

If you want something truly homemade, you can create your own masterpiece. You just need the basic skills. The important thing is to follow your recipe carefully. Baking is the science of combining ingredients in measured proportions to achieve a tender product with good flavor. Here is an easy one to start with. Even if you only have some very basic equipment, don't worry, I will talk you through it.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

First, gather your ingredients. Nothing is more frustrating than finding out half what through the mixing that you are missing an important ingredient. You will need:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup of sugar
1/3 teaspoon of baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup coco powder
2/3 cup soft shortening. It should be very soft but not melted. ( I prefer butter but stick margarine or a vegetable shortening is OK too.)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, crack them open and put in a small bowl until you are ready to use them. They should be at room temperature
Two cake pans, round are usually used but square ones are OK as well.
I would also suggest parchment paper, especially for beginners as it allows the cake to be removed from the pan more easily.
Prepare your pans. If you have parchment paper, set a pan on a sheet and trace around it with the tip of a sharp knife to get the size and shape. Use some scissors to cut out the shape. If you put a little smear of shortening in the pan first, it will help hold the paper in place. Set these aside. If you don't have cake pans you can use a loaf pan or a rectangle shaped pan. You need one or two pans that will hold the batter and have about a 1/2 inch room to rise up the sides.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You may want to line the bottom with foil in case some of the cake batter spills over while cooking. However, if you use the correct pans this should not happen. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle so the heat circulates well around the cake pans.

Use a sifter or a wire mesh strainer to sift the flour. Measure out 2 cups and sift again with all the dry ingredients. That is everything except the shortening, water, extract and eggs. If you don't have a sifter, don't panic. A good cook knows that the purpose of sifting flour with the dry ingredients is to mix them together and to break up any lumps. Use a fork or a wire whisk. Stir the flour vigorously. Measure out the 2 cups and put in a bowl. Add the other dry ingredients and stir well. You should not see any lumps in the dry mix.

Put about half of the softened shortening into the dry mixture. Use the fork to mash it into the flour mixture until it is as well mixed as you can manage. You should end up with tiny balls of flour. If you happen to have a mixer, you can use it for this step. Use a medium speed and just be sure the shortening is well mixed.

Now add about half of the water and the vanilla. Stir well with a spoon or again use the mixer. You will get a very thick batter. When it is well mixed add the remaining water, and eggs. Using the spoon or mixer on medium speed, mix the remaining ingredients well until you have a smooth batter that is slightly thick. It should look about like a soft pudding, but not runny. It takes about 2 minutes.

Pour half of the mixture in each pan. Here is a tip I learned from my grandmother. Tap each pan a couple of times on the counter. This will force any trapped air bubbles to the top and make your cake more uniform in texture. You will actually see the bubbles break the surface. Don't worry, you won't ruin the cake at this stage.

Place the pans in the oven on the same rack but leave room for hot air to circulate around them evenly. Close the door and check the clock. You want the cake to cook for thirty to forty minutes. The difference in timing is because every oven heats a little differently and at slightly differences in temperature. One of the keys is DO NOT PEEK. If you have an oven with glass in the door you can check that way. But try not to open the door to have a look. Each time you do your oven temperature drops about 25 degrees or more and then has to heat back up. This can cause uneven cooking and you could have a cake you think is done but still has portions that are not fully cooked. Yuk!

While the cake is cooking it is a good time to clean up and get ready for the next step. Cooling and then frosting. If you have a wire rack to cool the cake on that is great. If you do not, use a paper plate or a plate with a little wax paper or parchment paper on it. Be prepared for a little of the cake to stick to a plate while it is cooling. That is normal and won't hurt the final product.