Dessert Making

Desserts come in all shapes and sizes and can be cookies, cakes, pastries and pies. Each type requires a certain method of preparation. Some desserts do not need to be baked in the oven and need to be frozen or just kept in a cool place. When baking desserts, the stick butter is best to use because it does not contain the same amount of air that whipped, tub or soft butter contains. The ingredients should be measured accurately using measuring spoons and cups.

When you are making cookies, try to avoid handling the dough too much. Over mixing will make the cookies tough. Aluminum baking pans with a dull finish will brown the cookies just right. Pans with a darker finish will cause them to burn or brown them too much. The oven should be preheated for at least 10-15 minutes before you put the pan of cookies in to bake. When the cookies are baked, let them cool before removing them to a wire rack and let them cool completely before storing them.

Most cake and cookie recipes call for creamed butter. This means beating butter and sugar together until it has the consistency of thick cream. To do this make sure the butter is soft by letting it sit in the package on the counter. Beat the softened butter and add sugar gradually. You can do this with a wooden spoon, but an electric mixer makes the job much easier. Always sift the dry ingredients together before you add liquids or butter. This will make sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed. When you pour the batter into the cake pan, fill it about ¾ of the way, especially if the batter is thin. A thin batter will rise more quickly than a heavy batter.

Desserts using whipping cream, such as éclairs and cream puffs, are delicious, but not everyone can make them successfully. It is important not to crowd the dough into the baking pan, You have to leave it some room to expand so each éclair does need at least three inches of space around it in the pan. When they dough is a golden brown color, then you know they are baked. Although they can be kept for a day or two, it is best to serve desserts containing whipping cream on the same day.

When you bake a dessert and the pastry is dry, this means you let the water boil too long and therefore too much of the liquid evaporated. When the bottoms are soggy, this means you placed the filling on the pastry too soon and didn’t wait for it to cool. When the dough is not crisp enough for your liking, you didn’t bake the dough for long enough.