The Best Way to Soften Butter

It’s a frequently overlooked or poorly done step in countless baking recipes. Have you ever wondered why your baked good came out flat? Or why your batter or dough didn’t whip up properly? It’s very possible that it had something to do with the butter.

When you cream butter and sugar at the beginning of a recipe, you are actively incorporating air into the dough or batter. That air plays a significant role in making your baked goods light and fluffy. Starting with overly cold or overly melted butter will ruin the butter’s capacity to incorporate air. So pay attention to the following tips and tricks on how to melt butter unless you want a dense bread, cookie, cake, or [insert your favorite baked good here].

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There’s no doubt that I’m a huge fan of cheesecake. The sheer number of cheesecake recipes on my site gives me away. I love the classics and I love unique twists. And with all the cheesecake baking I’ve done over the years, I’ve learned a lot and my number one tip for success is a water bath. If you want a beautiful cheesecake free of cracks, over-browned edges and a sunken middle, you need to use a water bath.

What is a Water Bath?

Cheesecake is basically a custard-based dessert and therefore needs to be treated differently. A water bath, also known as a bain marie, is our secret to the perfect cheesecake. It produces steam that wafts throughout the oven, helping to ensure that the cheesecake cooks evenly and stays nice and creamy. It also moderates the heat on the sides of the pan so that they edges don’t cook much faster than the center.

Why Use a Water Bath?

The benefits of a water bath are plenty. It gives you a cheesecake that:

• Is free of cracks.
• Doesn’t over cook or over brown on the edges.
• Doesn’t sink in the middle while cooking.
• Stays super smooth and creamy.

However, water baths can often be confusing, leak and generally be a pain. So I’m excited to share my methods with you today because they aren’t complicated, won’t leak and it is SO much better than not using a water bath. You spend so much time making a cheesecake – don’t skip this final step and end up with an underwhelming result.

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Everything You Need to Know About Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder

When I first started baking, I had no idea what the difference between baking soda and baking powder was. I didn’t know when to use one as opposed to the other, when to use both, or why it even mattered in the first place.

That doesn’t have to be you. It is my intention to walk you through the ins and outs of both ingredients and to help you understand how they are similar and what sets them apart. By the time you have finished, you will have become a more knowledgeable, confident baker ready to decide when, where, and why to use these two commonly confused ingredients.

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What is Cream of Tartar?

Cream of tartar is a naturally occurring product that derives from the production of wine once it’s poured out of the barrel. It’s an acidic ingredient that doesn’t need to react with anything, but rather makes other ingredients react.

Widely used but under-appreciated, it serves a bunch of purposes in baking, cooking, and even cleaning. Its most common use is the stabilization of egg whites, but it can also be used to keep boiled vegetables brightly colored or whiten collar stains.

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