Bloggers share 50 baking blunders & tips

We had such fun learning about your blunders and also your tips when it comes to baking at our #bakingSOS Twitter party this month.

The party was sponsored by Whitworths Sugar. Their new website features tasty recipes, hot tips and a new Baking SOS guide, including advice from Whitworths’ baking expert Kate Moore. See some of Kate’s tips here.

Over to you for your horror stories and some solutions too.

Disasters

I didn’t wait for choux buns to get dry enough, filled with cream, result a disaster. @makimka25

Accidentally I used Chemistry-mad son’s copper sulphate tainted baking powder. Guest v polite about blue-flecked scones. @maidinyorkshire

Taking my time making and icing a cake then picking it up to put it in a tin to then drop it on the floor, messy @pixie_rees

I made millionnaire’s shortbread once for a kids’ party that simply did not set, it oozed into a puddle! @laura_howtocook

My worst kitchen disaster had to be setting fire to my oven gloves getting something out from under the grill.  @mummybird

Flour Do’s and Don’ts

To make self-raising flour, add 1tsp of baking powder to each 110g of plain/general purpose flour. @Sweet2EatBaking

I so often put the wrong flour in when baking, really should label the canisters with labels that don’t fall off. @_cathyj_

Once made a lovely loaf of bread only to chuck it in the bin after realising my flour was out of date @theSpicyPears

Too much!

Once mistook teaspoon for tablespoon when making a lemon cake. Had to be eaten with very sweet custard as it was a bit tart. @lklepixie

I made peppermint buttercream but added 2 tbsps instead of tsps. It was awful my buns tasted like toothpaste. @fabfortymum

Eggs

I’m quite good at baking but my mistake happened when I forget to add the main ingredient … eggs in the sponge cake! @CoxeeFoxy

Last time I made cupcakes I forgot to buy eggs so I made them without, let’s just say they didn’t turn out very nice. @V82CHRIS

Burnt offerings

I have been known to put the cakes in the oven and then quickly check the computer – burnt cakes. @astrongcoffee1

I was preparing a cake for my mum. It was in the oven and I went to take a bath and fell asleep. Oops! Burnt it! @KayAdeola

I made a birthday cake and my cake tin leaked everywhere! Burnt sponge on oven! @ali991

Sugar, sugar

I was baking my son’s birthday cake and was cutting it into shape, tasted a bit and realised I had forgotten the sugar. @sweet_tweet42

1^st attempt at cupcakes with my son went very wrong – he opened the icing sugar, BOOM we were smothered. @HertsChick

Brown sugar adds a lovely toffee-ish flavour to baking – yum! @SonyaCisco

Forgetful tales

I often decide to halve or double a recipe but then forget halfway through. @jhowze

Made a very flat cake, then the following day I found the butter I’d been softening still in the microwave. @knittymummy

Where do I start? Forgetting to add the yeast in bread dough is probably the worst baking blunder I’ve made. @amyamadea

Biscuits booboos

Another one of mine is placing biscuits too close together on baking tray and ending up with one huge tray biscuit. @janglitz

My #bakingSOS is that no matter what type of biscuit I bake the minute they cool to room temperature 5-10mins they’re as hard as rock!! @rosiecorriette

Ovens

You need to know your oven.  Makes all the difference.  I hate baking in other people’s ovens lol. @Melaina25

Opening the oven before the cakes have risen. @Sarah_Ly1

Another one of my blunders is having the stove too high when baking honeycomb. BURNT L @mummybird

Always preheat oven, it does help!! @_cathyj_

Icing

Runny icing, very hard to get icing perfect! @Miamoos_mummy

To become a master piper, make sure your icing mixture is soft and hold your bag straight. @WhitworthsSugar

My blunder was runny cream cheese icing – L note to self don’t use low fat cream cheese! @Lady_Briggs

Timing

Use a timer that can come with you all around the house and garden unlike the oven timer.  @Over_A_Cuppa

I forgot to set the timer and the cake burned. @MFM_Lichfield

Set a timer a few minutes before, just in case they are cooked sooner. @_cathyj_

Laugh out loud

Has anyone ever taken out electric whisk … whilst it’s still on and got covered in cake mix lol. @janglitz

A baking tip for you (based on experience) ..Don’t poke a wooden sp0on in the food processor whilst it’s on …!  @crazywithtwins

Lemon meringue wasn’t set or baked properly, looked like it was going for wee when I cut into it. @MummyVsWork

My biggest disaster was the time I mistook curry powder jar for mixed spice in date and walnut loaf. @bev_metallica

I often manage to come up with an interesting dish by confusing two recipes on the same page usually when I have my little helpers! @greenmumsdevon

Great tips

Always stick a skewer in your cake to check if cooked!!  Should come out clean! @tinkypen

Don’t assume you cannot do impressive children’s birthday cakes.  Loads of free tutorials online.  Have a go! @kateonthinice

Back to the meringues, don’t forget you can add food colouring to make them look pretty. @b_fly77

If baking a US recipe, super-fine sugare = caster, all –purpose flour = plain, US large eggs = UK medium. @Sweet2EatBaking

As my mum says, fingertips only when mixing flour and butter. @veggieexperience

Don’t sprinkle too much icing sugar rolling out sugarpaste, it dries it out. @MaisonCupcake

Need softened butter but still in the fridge.  Use a cheese grater and grate it. Voila!  Instant softened butter. @Sweet2EatBaking

Small ice cream scoops are great for biscuits.  Chilling the dough in the fridge stops them spreading too. @SussexMummy

Good scales and measuring cups/spoons make such a difference  @sianytweet

 

The last words

The only blunder that I have is that I don’t really bake.  Need to get some equipment and ingredients in. @charliechinuk

Not a kitchen blunder more a force of habit!  How do I stop making cake mixture so tasty that I have to lick the bowl!?! @VicWelton