Basic baking kit

[RooDaisy]

I posted recently about falling out of love with cooking and wanting to get my mojo back, as part of that I really want to turn my hand baking.

I don't think I have any of the kit so wondered if someone could tell me what the absolute basics are that I'll need to bake something like a lemon drizzle cake?

Sr flour butter suggar eggs. 444/2 eggs. I make all cakes like this and play about- lemon zest and some jiuce in mix then more juice with sugar drizzled on. Swapping half flour with almond flour, plus an oz of cocoa plus chopped up naice choc makes a gorgeous fudgy choc cake... add another few oz of mixed dried fruit and or nuts, a tsp or so of mixed spice is a fruit cake, or drop alayer of marzipan halfway up the mix for a disgracefully sweet simnel affair... etc
I only started baking whdn I realised it is hard to go wrong and that the world doesnt end if it does and you can usually still eat it anyway. Playtime!

Can bake, can't spell!

Thanks MrsW, 444/2? Enlighten me, please. Like I say, I'm a total novice.
I've not got a blender or anything, is it possible to do it all by hand?

444/2 means 4oz of each dry ingredient to half the amount of egg which would be 2 in this case get some pretty cake tins and at least 2 recipes you think sound gorgeous and give that a go, once you've pergected the bake you can play around with decorating

Yes it's absolutely possible to do basic baking by hand.

A mixer makes things easier, and a food processor comes in handy if you want to chop nuts or crush biscuits, but really not essential.

Decent scales / cup measures etc; a seive; a bowl; a cake pan and a spatula should do you right.

I have no mixer either, but usually cop out and buy mixes! Aldi and Lidl occasionally have mixes like carrot cake. They turn out great.

A few weeks ago I got cake mixes in bottles at Kirkstall Abbey market. They were gorgeous, and I'll be dishing
them out for Christmas too! They have a website if anyone's interested: www.bottledbaking.co.uk

A loaf tin and liners that fit it. Takes the hassle out of preperation.
A wooden spoon and a spatchalor. Plus elbow grease.
Scales are really useful and can be got cheaply. Americans cook using cups, so you can get a set of cups and just google recipes. A cup is 250ml roughly, you might have one at home that will do the trick, if you use a straight sided cup (like a mini mug) it is easier. Choose one method and use that.

Sorry! Yes - 4 oz of each flour butter sugar, 2 eggs. Mix the sugar and butter in a bowl - it seems like it wont work but keep squashing until they mingle then beat it til you are bored. Then put the eggs in. This is the bit that really looks wrong; it will look like curdled sick but keep beating until it is more or less smooth( a handful of flour can help but you dont really need it). Air bubbles will be popping up a bit so mix in the flour (etc) as gently as possible to keep that air in. If you are using almond flour or cocoa etc, a tsp of baking powder will help give it a bit of oomph. If you use fruit, add it in at the last stage and if you mix flour into the fruit stuff so itis lightly coated then itwon't sink (it probably will!).
A noraml size cake tin (i line with cheap baking paper liners from the poundshop cos i am lazy but I am sure you could just generously butter the tin), about 20 minutes at180 ish. Just keep checking and it is done when itis just thinking about cracking and a skewer or thin knife comes out cleanish.

Oh yes: if you dont have scales then buy some that the bowl can stand on apparently the weight of the eggs broadly matches the weight of each of the other 3 ingredients so you can estimate buy scales!

Don't use fridge cold butter you will exhaust yourself trying to mix it. Get it out the fridge a couple of hours before or use a butter dish.
Muffins are dead easy you just have to give the ingredients a quick stir.

Really simple muffins

In a big bowl or saucepan:
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
half to two thirds of a cup sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup of bits (chocolate or dried fruit or nuts or whatever)

mix

In a different bowl :
half to two thirds of a cup of oil
2 eggs
1 cup liquid (milk or juice and water mixed a bit of alcohol is ok)

mix

stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix a brief mix. Divide evenly between 12 muffin cases.
bake at gas mk 5 for 24 mins

Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions. I'm going to buy some scales and ingredients and give something a go this afternoon.

I'll let you know how I get on

Is it recipes you want or utensils and equipment?

IMO the basic equipment you need are:
Scales
2 x 7" sandwich tins
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
2lb loaf tin (for lemon drizzle cake)
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Baking parchment (not greaseproof paper)

Basic ingredients you need are:
Self raising flour
Baking powder
Caster sugar
Eggs (at room temperature)
Butter (softened) or Tub Stork

Thank you nickname

That's exactly what I was looking for. Next question, what recipes would you recommend?

I got the Mary Berry book out of the library but I'm not a fan tbh.
I'm on the BBC good food website at the minute

I've just watched the video on how to make a lemon drizzle and I think I'm going to be able to manage.
I'll check back in later or tomorrow

The Mary Berry Baking Bible is excellent. Also, anything by Delia Smith. They are both great for inexperienced bakers. Delia explains the why as well as the how, which is great when you aren't sure.

You need to master a basic Victoria sandwich because you can then vary it to make lemon/orange/chocolate cake.

If you are making the Mary Berry lemon drizzle traybake you will need a traybake tin measuring 12 x 9". This cake is a massive winner in my family and at work.

If you want to make a ridiculously easy lemon drizzle loaf cake this is my favourite recipe ever:

Easy Lemon Curd Cake
Cake Topping
5 oz SR flour 2 tbs granulated sugar
4 oz caster sugar 2 tbs lemon juice
4 oz Stork margarine (in a tub)
2 eggs
2 heaped tbs lemon curd

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 (160 deg C fan)
2. Line a 2 lb loaf tin with baking parchment
3. Mix all the cake ingredients together and place in the tin
4. Bake for 45 minutes
5. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then mix the topping ingredients together and pour over the cake
6. Cool in the tin for a further half hour before turning out.

I made this for a church fund raiser recently and the local WI chair asked me for the recipe (preens)

Key points for successful baking:
The tins must be the right size
The oven temperature must be correct
Measure your ingredients exactly
Don't overbeat a mixture once you have added the flour because it develops the gluten and the cake won't rise

Happy baking

The book from the library is a bake off book so I'll keep an eye out for Delia and Mary ones.

I bought all the kit today, went with the Jane Asher stuff from poundland and have just put the lemon drizzle in the oven.

Wish me luck

My camera is crap but here's the photo
It looks lovely. Just hope it tastes as good.

Here's a better pic

Can you tell I'm chuffed myself

Brilliant, well done.
Today lemon drizzle cake, tomorrow the world

Looks perfect

Haha. Thank you Pestilence

Thanks nickname

I've just tried a slice and it's lemony and moist but has a slightly weird smell that I can't quite describe. I can't put my finger on what it is. I'm wondering if the egg I already had in was possibly off?

I've put it back in the oven for 10 mins, I'll probably mess it up but if I do, I'll make another one tomorrow.

Had in the cupboard I mean

Me again! I don't know whether it was just my nose lost but the cake smells fine today and passed the taste test!!

What shall I make next?