I haven't baked cakes since secondary school. So...................................

[Mhamai]

What equipment do I need?

I get so flustered when I see all the shape thingy's and cutting thingy's and tins and wot not. Can someone advise me on the bare basics?

TIA

I'd say a loaf tin, 2 sponge tins preferably spring form style, a baking tin or two for cookies or brownies,and perhaps a cupcake tin.

Spring form style? Arghhhhhhhh I'm breaking out in a rash aleady!

Also a hand mixer if possible, a mixing bowl or two, scales and measuring spoons.

The spring form tins just make it easier to release the cake but really any round sponge tin will do.

A wire rack is useful for allowing your cakes and cookies to cool.

Good good, these are things thank God that don't sound so alien. What about those things for icing or am I getting too adventerous?

I'm also curious falcon, does it work out any cheaper to bake your own. I've become more and more underwhelmed by the cakes and biscuits in the Supermarket. Unfortunatly most of my bakerys are in the City centre.

If you've just started to bake I wouldn't say they are necessary, I don't have any at all though may purchase some in the future.

The cakes will take perfectly fine with the icing just spread on rather than piped on, I'd only advise purchasing them at the moment if you're very particular about presentation.

what do you want to bake first though?

personally if I hadn't baked for ages I'd start with something easy .. get Susan Reimer's Book muffins fast and fantastic

after which you will need

this mixing bowl is de riguer

a wooden spoon

a muffin tin .. 12 deep small cakes (it's the bigger one, the smaller ones are fairy cakes) .. try your local pound shop

muffin cases ... any supermarket / pound shop

a meausuring jug .. you have to have your traditional glass one

after which start building into cakes and buy the tin you need by the recipe you want to try

It can be cheaper to bake your own, not always but even if it isn't I think the often superior taste makes the added expense worth it.

If you buy your ingredients in bulk particuarly flour and sugar you'll save a lot.

I think things like fairy cakes, brownies, tray bakes and cookies are probably the best value but I haven't really calculated the costs, however for only a few ingredients you could have a huge batch of cookies.

weighing scales

measuring spoons

whisk (hand mixer is great but not essential)

couple of sandwich tins

and/or

a traybake tin

I make loads of tray bakes (much easier to cut up into squares) so if I had to choose between sandwich tins or a tray bake tin I would go traybake, although of course you can't make a victoria sponge in a tray bake tin which is obviously a bad thing

spatula

I only have a plastic measuring jug, does that mean I have to hand back my home bakers badge?

when you start on cookies and biscuits you'll need a baking tray (again supermarket)

when you move up to cakes you'll need a metal spoon, possibly an extra mixing bowl and tins and greaseproof paper... also a hand mixer could be useful

Well Twig, I haven't baked since I was 15 I'm 40 now. I don't want to poison anyone so I really want to start with twit proof stuff I suppose. Hmmm that recipe looks yum.

in which case, I insist Susan Reimer is your woman

seriously this book is so easy .. and there's so many varieties of muffins .. chocolate, plain, banana, gingerbread, spiced apple etc

you won't regret it

and kids can make them easily

Thanks Slubber, I know this sounds daft but I would love to have the aroma of baking smells around the house.

Videojug is excellent for recipes as you can pause the videos as needed and you don't even need to look at the screen as all ingredients and instructions are narrated.

www.videojug.com/tag/food-and-drink

god yes, you need measuring spoons

Oh Yes Twig, I want to get ds 7 into baking, they are doing a bit of bakng in his afterschool club but the results have been far from savoury bless him.

I like the cooks kitchen website

measuring spoons here

A lemon zester can be very useful as so many cakes call for a bit of zest.

I also find it rather useful for making chocolate flakes for decorative purposes or to sprinkle over the cream on my hot chocolate.

Ok, excuse my ignorance but what do measuring spoons look like, I presume you don't mean larger versions of tea and table spoons?

Ha, thanks Twig re link to spoons. Ooh I'm getting all excited now. It is straight forward enough isn't it?
My sponges in school always sank!

MUFFINS!

I have decided I am going to name my first muffin's Twifalslubb to honour you lovely ladies for your kind advice.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, not everything will turn out, but you may be surprised at how much does.

I was when I started to bake, and I just began this year and love it now.

Even if it doesn't look exactly as it should , it's more than likely it'll taste good which is the main thing, and even if it doesn't, you've still gained something you'll know a little more about making it next time and be able to improve it.