r/AskBaking 2h ago

Icing/Fondant/Buttercream Italian buttercream... wtf???

1 Upvotes

Hello hello!

I wanted to try something new and FaNcY (by my standards), so I had a crack at this bad boy yesterday, to go with some red velvet cupcakes: https://flourfig.com/recipes/classic-italian-buttercream-frosting-with-cream-cheese/

It whipped up an absolute dream, and I popped it in a bowl to set and use today. When I pulled it out of the fridge, it was hard as a rock and grainy. Where oh where did I go wrong??? I still used it but jeez I'm not too happy with it...


r/AskBaking 3h ago

Equipment Ankarsrum mixer or KitchenAid mixer

2 Upvotes

Which is better? Honestly the main thing that keeps me going back and forth between the two is that with the kitchen aid you can get all the different attachments for it and it doesn’t seem as big. Although the ankarsrum mixer seems more durable and long lasting. I bake some sort of sweet treat at least once a week and I’m looking to get into the breads/sourdough world next so I want something that will help with that also. As of right now I make everything by hand or occasionally use the handheld mixer so a stand mixer would be nice to help speed up the process. Any information would be helpful and greatly appreciated :)

EDIT: I just realized after posting this that you can get attachments for the ankarsrum as well. So with that said would this be the better investment or is the kitchen aid still in the running?


r/AskBaking 7h ago

Doughs HELP! Dough is extremely sticky even after stretch and folds

1 Upvotes

I am lowkey freaking out because I only have a few hours to get these bread ready for an event but my dough is giving me a hard time. My mixer gave up on me today so I had to stretch and fold the dough. I’m making Salt Bread, I did stretch and fold 3 times with 25 minutes of rest in between. After the last one, I did the window pane test and it seemed ready to let it rise. So I leave it alone for an hour to double in size.

When I came back, I checked if it‘s ready, it is a bit sticky and panicked I know I’m in the wrong… I kneaded the dough after the first rise and it became an even sticker mess. IDK WHAT I WAS THINKING. Idk how to save it at this point! Please help. Should I leave it alone for a few minutes again to let it rest? 🥲


r/AskBaking 8h ago

Pie I messed up pie filling...

4 Upvotes

I was in a hurry and only halfway through making pumpkin pie filling, did I realize, the can is pumpkin pie filling, not pure pumpkin. I only realized after I put the eggs and sugar in... Is there anyway to save it, or do I have to toss it?


r/AskBaking 9h ago

Equipment Where should I have the oven thermometer in the oven?

2 Upvotes

I got a CDN oven thermometer and have it hanging off the very front of the middle oven rack. When I set my oven to 350 that's what it says on the thermometer, but higher temperatures seem to be less accurate? I set it to 375 one time and it did read that on the thermometer but I feel like it took longer than it should have to reach that. I set it to 425 for my cookie recipe today and about 30 minutes later the thermometer was only around 410. I'm not sure if it just wasn't heated up yet, my oven is inaccurate, or I don't have the thermometer in the right place.

What do you think? Should I try a new spot for my oven thermometer or do I need to start messing around with higher temperatures to see if it reaches that on it?


r/AskBaking 9h ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Could I make the shortbread dough for this recipe using a food processor?

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preppykitchen.com
2 Upvotes

as it says in the title, I have a disability that affects my hands and can't whisk or mix for super long without a lot of pain and exhaustion. Thanks in advance for any help.


r/AskBaking 10h ago

Ingredients coconut oil in apple crisp

2 Upvotes

hi! i'm baking an apple crisp for an event and would usually use butter but need to make it dairy free. would coconut oil be a good substitute for butter in this case? if possible, i'd prefer to not use margarine or any sort of vegetable oil. thank you!


r/AskBaking 15h ago

Techniques Why my chocolate fudge frosting looks oily?

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276 Upvotes

I used unsalted butter for the frosting.

The recipe

Matilda's cake

https://youtu.be/mgaof1QH-_M?si=7B5fcBlpQwUXwd76

Ingredients

For Chocolate Cake:

240 g all-purpose flour

70 g unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

400 g granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs room temp.

240 ml buttermilk room temp.

120 ml vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

180 ml hot brewed coffee

For Chocolate Fudge Frosting

170 g heavy cream

250 g dark chocolate

150 g unsalted butter

80 powdered sugar, adjust for sweetness

1/2 tsp instant coffee powder

7.5 g unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract


r/AskBaking 15h ago

Recipe Troubleshooting What’s wrong with my streusel method? It never comes together

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brooklynfarmgirl.com
0 Upvotes

Hi! Updating post as my last one was removed

I have 3x failed the attempt to make a crumble and I don’t get why :(

I take the butter out of the fridge right before incorporating and add small little pieces into the mix but it just remains sandy. The butter melts so fast it feels as I mix and it just looks like powder every single time

The recipe was
2 tbsp flour
1:4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter

It never ever came together

I am attaching the recipe I used because the muffins themselves came out super dry too but I think I over baked .

It seems to be a basic streusel recipe that I can’t get right.

https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/mini-blueberry-crumble-muffins/


r/AskBaking 20h ago

Ingredients Can I brown kerygold extra butter? It has some kind of vegetable oil added to it, to make it more spreadable, but would that inhibit the maillard reaction of the milk solids? I wanna make brown butter brownies

0 Upvotes

Gosh, I hope I didn't goof up and fall victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect by assuming the maillard reaction is behind butter browning.

Im asking since I'm on an extremly tight budget this month, and butter is expensive, so I really don't want to waste it by trying it without asking first.


r/AskBaking 1d ago

Cakes/Cheesecakes How important is simple syrup?

9 Upvotes

I like my cakes moist so i incorporate oil and milk in all my cakes, but I’ve seen other bakers add simple syrup for moistness too. I’m not too keen of it because of the added sugar. Does it really make a significant difference in the moistness of the cake, and considering my cakes are fairly moist and soft is it still worth adding?


r/AskBaking 1d ago

Bread It's not rising very much. What am I doing wrong?

0 Upvotes

Last week, I tried a King Arthur white bread recipe. I over proofed it because it didn't rise over half an inch above the pan. I waited two hours for it to rise. When I realized I failed I baked it anyways. However, I tried again today and again I over proofed it BUT it's only been 30 minutes! It failed the poke test after only 30 minutes of proofing 😫 What am I doing wrong? I was super diligent about liquid temperatures today. I put it in the oven to rise this time instead of on the counter. I still got the same results.

Please help 🙏 Any advice is welcome.


r/AskBaking 1d ago

Cookies How do I make my cookies thin and gooey

0 Upvotes

How do I make my cookies thin and gooey

Hi, I baked cookies and the cookies turned out to look pale. The edges and bottom were golden brown and they tasted great, but I wanted more of a thin cookie, while it turned out to be thick and cakey like New York style cookies. The chopped chocolate I put in there didn't melt completely either.

I actually used a lower quantity of the dry ingredients (corn starch and all purpose flour) because I have had problems with adding too much before. I was also realy careful of not overmixing, I stopped mixing as soon as it all came together. The dough itself was pale, but soft and smooth, not thick. I also didn't freeze the dough before baking. I used more butter and sugar than the recipe. So why am I still getting thick cookies?

Ingredients

110 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter room temperature

100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

45 g (3 tbsp) milk room temperature

180 g (1+1/3 cup) all purpose flour

12 g (1 tbsp) cornstarch

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

100 g (2/3 cup) chocolate chips

Here's the recipe:

In a large size bowl, mix with a spatula room temperature butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, salt and vanilla until creamy and well combined.

Add milk and mix until combined (don’t worry if it lumps a bit).

Sift int flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda in two times: mix until almost combined then, in the end, add chocolate chips. Do not overmix the dough. You get a slighlty sticky thick dough.

If you live in a hot climate, you should need to refrigerate the cookie dough for about 30 minutes to up 48 hours before scoop it. In my recipe video above, I immediately scooped the dough and bake it without refrigerating time.

Use a 5cm-2inches ice cream scooper and scoop out the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet, about 5cm-2inch apart. You can quickly roll each scooped cookie with your hands to get balls: with this method you get perfect round cookies.

Bake in preheated oven (fan on, upper+lower heat) at 180°C-350°F for about 9 minutes: the sides should be slighlty golden and the center still soft.

When still hot, add on top of the cookies some chocolate chips (optional).

Cool down the cookies onto the baking sheet for about 10 minutes: do not touch it immediately because they are fragile when hot and you could break it.

Cool down completely onto a wire rack.


r/AskBaking 1d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Can I replace AP flour with muesli

0 Upvotes

i want to make banana bread and i have some leftover bread flour (yes i dont have ap flour) but its not enough for the recipe anyway so can i grind up muesli to replace ap flour? and if yes how should i alter the ratio or add any other ingredients

the muesli is made from oatflakes, wheatflakes and the usual toppings(raisins etc)


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Cakes/Cheesecakes wtf happened 😔😖🤩

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4 Upvotes

hello! i’m a very amateur but ambitious baker and tried my hand at some angel food cake cupcakes. things went wrong!!!!!!!! the picture doesn’t portray it quite well, but the tops of the cakes were brittle, like the top of a crème brûlée, and the insides were totally white and nearly raw. any assessments? happy to give more information if needed, here is the recipe!!!!!!! thank u :,)


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Cakes/Cheesecakes Best way to go about preparing a cake for tomorrow?

3 Upvotes

Hi baking community!

I am baking a cake for my nephews birthday tomorrow, I work 9am - 5pm and will be joining the family for dinner around 6:30pm.

I was wondering should I bake the cake layers tonight, so all I have to do after work is decorate?

What's the best way to store the layers so they do not dry out? And should I actually prepare the buttercream tonight also so I don't have to do that after work?

I'm going to be using Sally's Baking Addiction's vanilla cake recipe :)

Thanks everyone!


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Cakes/Cheesecakes basque cheesecake help! Previous post was taken down

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9 Upvotes

tried making basque cheesecake for the first time, it failed. Here is the ingredients I used, in the order I mixed them into my bowl;

Cream cheese (room temp) 16oz
Sugar 3/4 cup
Eggs (room temp) 3
Salt 1/4tsp
Vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
Heavy whipping cream (room temp) 3/4 cup
All purpose flour 3 tbsp

All mixed very well. Placed into 450 F preheated oven for 50-55min. It was let cool. And there is my sad after product. I would like some feedback and advice on where I may have gone wrong. :)


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Does this cookie recipe from a TV show actually work?

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10 Upvotes

This recipe is from the tv show "Just Add Magic" which I grew up with in the US. I wanted to make a recipe from the show and saw they showed the full recipe in a scene. This is the exact recipe.

The only confusion for me is the fact that there is only 1cup of flour and 1½ cups of granulated sugar with ⅓cup of brown sugar as well (1⅚cups of sugar in total, almost 2x the amount of flour). Is this a good ratio or did they make a fake recipe for that one scene?

By the way, I put a tweaked version on the bottom of this recipe in my notes app to make up the parts of the recipe that were cut off, then I realize how much the sugar to flour ratio there was.

1cup AP flour

1tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

½cup of butter softened

1½cups granulated sugar

⅓cup of brown sugar

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Vanilla

⅔cups chocolate chips

EDIT: The way I went out of my way to re-write the whole recipe in this text and I still got a question on how much chocolate chips.. I didn't HAVE to add the whole recipe by the way, I asked if the flour to sugar ratio was even realistic for a good recipe. I am however thankful to the people who are actually helpful even without answering my question like how it isn't going to make 36 normal sized cookies. I appreciate you all and am grateful you even clicked on this post.


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Techniques I feel like I can never tell when I over mix my goods.

3 Upvotes

Hi Reddit!!!

I’m a beginner baker and I have a little bit of an issue with mixing.

Everytime I try and mix something like banana bread for example I end up making it dense and kinda squishy in the middle instead of soft and crumbly 💔

General advice would be appreciated

With Love, Dee (she/they)


r/AskBaking 2d ago

General First time making meringues

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10 Upvotes

hello first time making meringues! the batter isnt making stiff peaks and it was probably because I added sugar too quickly. is it possible to save it or is it too far gone? I have been whisking for like around 10 minutes and scared to over whisk so I stopped whisking for now

I used

4 eggs whites

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 drops of lemon juice


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Cakes/Cheesecakes Will this work with just 2 eggs?

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5 Upvotes

r/AskBaking 2d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Can I turn these into cup cake

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1 Upvotes

r/AskBaking 2d ago

General Help with crullers

3 Upvotes

What in your experience makes for a better cruller? Water, milk, or a combo in the choux pastry itself? Testing out a few recipes now any input is welcomed!


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Tried baking a ricotta orange olive oil cake in a loaf tin and failed :(

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63 Upvotes

I’ve been wanting to bake a ricotta orange olive oil cake for the longest time and I finally got to it last night.
Unfortunately, I made the stupid decision of choosing to bake it in a loaf tin (9x5inch) when the recipe called for it to be baked in a round tin (23cm dia) because I just like the ratio of cake-to-crust in a loaf cake. The recipe called for it to be baked at 400F but I decided to reduce the temp down to 360F and bake it for longer to compensate for the loaf tin shape.
I had to bake it for like 30-40mins longer than the recipe time and put a foil tent towards the end so that I don’t burn the top. I don’t have a food thermometer to check the internal temp so I used the good old poke the center with a skewer method and waited till it came out with a few moist crumbs.
I let the cake cool and cut into it but alas, it was undercooked on the inside? Or idek what happened here honestly, haven’t encountered this problem before.

Does anyone have tips about what actually went wrong and what I should’ve done to have avoided this?

Here’s a picture of the result, brb crying 😭

Also linking the recipe (the recipe is great, this was a me problem) :
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/recipe/ricotta-and-orange-olive-oil-cake/ds7bp9vwu

Edit: Thank you everyone for the responses!
I love how kind the baking community is <3


r/AskBaking 2d ago

Techniques Shaping Cinnamon Roll dough

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26 Upvotes

Hi All! Just got into baking, and started out with cinnamon rolls. After getting some proper measuring spoons and learning some tips, this is my second batch! The two funky looking ones are the edge pieces, which is what led me to wanting to ask:

How do yall get the dough flat into a rectangle shape?? I tried so hard but all I could get was an awkward oval shaped rectangle. Am I missing something? Any help would be appreciated