I have never baked before - what are your top tips?

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

I have bought muffin tray, baking sheet, wire cooling rack, baking powder, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla essence.
And those paper fairy cake things - do you bake the mixture inside them, inside a muffin tray?

Have in cupboard currants, butter, choc drops, easy cook oats, nuts and cheese (cheese scones only thing I've ever baked). Oh, and toddler cookie cutters and rolling pin!

Also have mixing bowl, whisk and scales.
DO NOT have baking sheets (what are they? Will foil do?) and DO NOT have electric blender whisking thing so will be doing it all with spoons, whisk and fingers. In a hot country.

I don't have sweet tooth so never bothered before but now I am mum to toddler feel I ought to attempt it - things he can join in with even better ( he is mad on Peppa Pig whose mother is always baking).

Just use the 4/4/4/2 method as in 4oz or 115g each of butter, sugar, and self raising flour and 2 eggs and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Always cream butter and sugar then add eggs then fold in flour a dash of milk to get the consistency and you are done.
This will make 12 small fairy cakes or 8 medium sized muffins or a 8 inch Victoria style sponge.

You can add the zest and juice of half a lemon to make lemon drizzle leave out the vanilla.
Substitute 15grams of flour for cocoa powder for chocolate cake and add some chocolate chips.
Substitute 15grams flour for Desicated coconut then cover with raspberry jam and more coconut.

Lakeland has now shared this thread on their Facebook page!

Well, nearly all my baking gear comes from there and the only reason I didn't mention them was that the OP said she was in a hot country, presumably not the UK!

Always double check you've actually turned the oven on before going to make yourself comfy while you wait. I've been caught out by that so many times in the past few months thanks to my baby brain.

... and remember to listen out for the timer. Burnt cake isn't as tasty.

Rather than buying vanilla extract/essence all the time, make some vanilla sugar instead. It's really easy - just bung a couple of vanilla pods in an old, lidded, jar (they can be previously used) chuck in enough caster sugar to fill the jar, shake and leave - it's useable any time from about a week of making, and just top up sugar as necessary. The flavour is much more subtle too, particularly when doing cookies or biscuits.

I use vanilla bean extract from Waitrose, it's very concentrated so lasts ages and has the seeds in you so get the lovely speckles. I do the vanilla sugar thing sometimes too, just pop it in the packs of caster sugar, but haven't got one in at the moment, after a couple of years it had got so dried out I chucked it away and haven't got round to replacing it.

What others have said: Muffins are easy and you don't need a mixed or any whisking. you normally start with two bowls - one with the 'wet mix': eggs / oil / yoghurt all mixed together, the other with the dry mix: flour and sugar, baking powder etc. then tip wet into dry mix till it's come together but it can stay lumpy, don't over beat. half-fill the paper cases that you put in the muffin tin and pop in the over. There are a gazillion recipes out there, for example this one:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1737/choccherry-muffins

just substitute your preferred ingredients. Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the flour for a chocolate base. they're also great to make with toddlers in tow as they can help stir at various stages and the baking time is not as long as with 'big' cakes.

Be aware that American recipes frequently use a lot more sugar as UK ones.

This is so great thank you all!
The breakfast bars were a bit damp and crumbly at the base because I used silicone muffin things so they were deeper than a bar made in square cake tin but still vv nice.
Going to make fairy cakes and peanut butter cookies next.
When a recipe just says mix the ingredients is it always ok to use electric whisk? When do you use the electric folding paddle thing and are there times when a spoon is better ie making cookies?

Is it breakfast with you, Trucks? ie are you over my way????

If the silicon loaf tin makes things too deep, only cook / mix half quantities, so it is the same thickness as in a square tin, iyswim?

I would use a spoon for muffins, and and for mixing in raisins, glacé cherries, chocolate spots etc at the final stage - ie not use electric mixer for things I want lumps in!

I've never used anything other than the whisk attachments.

Oh, and most of my biscuit recipes say beet sugar and butter with electric whisk, and then fold in rest with spoon or table knife.

Hullo all,

We're going to move this to food in a mo so these excellent tips don't go poof after 90 days.

And while I'm here, made these the other day - probably one of my most successful baking adventures, and dead easy.

Ooh they look amazing.
nextphase not same time zone as you, am 6 hrs behind UK.
Thanks for the beating and whipping tips sounds rude!