Top 10 Baking Hacks and Tips

Ever had difficulties baking? I definitely have! And finding tips for making baking easier is both a lot of fun and cool to discover! So here are a few I’ve discovered, so I hope you give them a try. :)

1.     Add mayo to cake batter to make cakes more moist

2.     You can make crunchier brownies by whipping the sugar and eggs together

3.     Use cake mix to make simple cookies (using just three ingredients! Use a box of cake mix, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 2 eggs, and baking at 350º for 10-12 minutes)

4.     You can tell when a cake is done baking when it springs back when pressed lightly

5.     Add simple syrup to revive dry cakes or keep layers moist when assembling and decorating cakes

6.     Frost cakes more smoothly by dipping your spatula in hot water while frosting

7.     Wait at least a few hours before serving fruit pie. This allows the filling to set properly without any runny juices

8.     The length of time you spend mixing the cake batter affects its density/flatness

9.     Make cupcake frosting swirl by using two bags in one tip

10.  Frost your cupcakes by putting a large marshmallow on cupcakes for last five minutes of baking

Japanese Curry Chicken Dumplings

Finally, we’ve got filling #6! This one was really cool, and it definitely had a strong flavor! It was definitely one of the more unique dumplings, and I thought it was so great and full of flavor! The curry flavor is so fun, but if you’d rather use your own curry recipe, definitely go for it! Remember the point of cooking and baking is so explore and figure out what tastes you like the most, so definitely don’t just copy what I have if you have other flavors you’d like to try. Enjoy yourself!

(makes 20-25 dumplings)

Ingredients:

·      3 tbsp unsalted butter

·      ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·      1.5 tsp yellow curry powder

·      1.5 tsp garam masala

·      1 tbsp ketchup

·      1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

·      ¼ tsp black pepper

·      4 oz fatty ground pork

·      4 oz ground chicken

·      ¼ cup peas

·      2 tbsp onion, minced

·      1 tsp fresh ginger, minced and peeled

·      ½ tsp salt

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, 1 tsp at a time, and whisk constantly until all dissolved and browned. Add the curry powder, masala, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Cook while constantly stirring for a minute, then add ½ cup water. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened (add water if it gets too thick). Transfer ¼ cup to a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Save the remaining sauce for serving. After the ¼ cup sauce has cooled, add the rest of the ingredients. Use your hands to mix and evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, or up to two days. Use this page to fold and cook your dumplings!

Kimchee Beef Dumplings

Filling #5-o’clock! These dumplings have such a fun flavor; the spicy-sour kimchi tastes amazing as a dumpling, and adding beef and other flavorings make this filling absolutely amazing! There’s just no way to describe it, so you’ve gotta try it! Have fun!

(makes 20-25 dumplings)

Ingredients:

·      ½ lb Napa cabbage, finely chopped

·      1 tbsp salt

·      ½ lb ground beef chuck

·      ½ cup onion, finely chopped

·      ¼ cup gochujang (Korean chili-bean paste)

·      2 tbsp finely chopped garlic

·       1 tbsp sugar

·      1.5 tsp sesame seeds

·      ½ tsp soy sauce

·      1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix the cabbage and salt in a colander and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the cabbage to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Use your hands to mix and evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, or up to two days. Use this page to fold and cook your dumplings!

Hot and Sour Soup Dumplings

Time for filling #4! I am a HUGE fan of soup dumplings; I just love drinking up the soup inside and then taking a large bite of the remaining delicious dumpling~! If you’ve never tried them, definitely give this recipe a shot, and you’ll have your first soup dumplings made especially by you! Don’t worry; they aren’t complicated to make, and are fun to make, just like the rest of the dumplings! Go for it!

(makes 20 dumplings)

Ingredients:

Chicken Consommé

·      1.5 lb chicken wings

·      2 oz Smithfield ham

·      ½ cup scallions, sliced, white parts only

·      1 oz fresh ginger, sliced and peeled

·      2 dried shiitake mushrooms

·      1 large garlic clove, peeled

·      1 tbsp soy sauce

·      1 tsp Shaoxing wine

·      1 packet powdered unflavored gelatin

·      1/8 cup cold water

Filling

·      8 oz fatty ground pork

·      2 tbsp scallions, minced

·      1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

·      1 tbsp soy sauce

·      2 tsp Chinese black vinegar

·      1 tsp sugar

·      1 tsp fresh ginger, minced and peeled

·      ½ tsp minced garlic

·      ½ tsp chili oil

·      ¼ tsp salt

·      1/8 tsp cayenne

·      1 cup Chicken Consommé

Wheat Flour Wrappers

·      2.5 cups all purpose flour

·      ¾ cup hot, but not boiling, water

·      1 tbsp vegetable oil

·      ¼ cup cold water

To make the Chicken Consommé…

Add the chicken wings, ham, scallions, ginger, mushrooms, garlic, soy sauce, wine, and 5 cups of water to a large stockpot. Bring it to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface, then reduce the heat to obtain a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer for 2 hours, adding more water if the liquid level falls below the lines of the solids. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and cold water. Remove the stockpot from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture. Strain the stock into an airtight container, pushing down on the solids to extract more liquid. Refrigerate the stock until cold and set, about 4 hours or up to 5 days.

To make the dumplings…

Combine all the ingredients besides the Chicken Consommé in a large bowl. Use your hands to evenly distribute the ingredients. Add the consommé and gently fold it in. Cover and refrigerate the filling for about an hour or up to 2 days.

To make the dough wrappers…

Put the flour in a large bowl and, while constantly stirring, add the hot water in a steady stream, then the oil, and then the cold water. Knead the dough until everything is fully combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for half an hour.

To wrap the dumplings…

To wrap the dumplings, start by taking the dough and dividing it into 20 balls. Take each dough ball, flatten slightly, and roll out the dough ball into a thin, round sheet, making sure that there is a bit of a thick section right in the middle of the dough round. Scoop a 1-2 tsp of filling into the center of the wrapper, then bring up the sides of the dough to the center and twist and pinch to seal the dumping shut. Follow the instructions here to steam the dumplings.

Mapo Tofu Dumpings

And now filling #3! I bet you didn’t see this filling coming! You’ll realize as more dumpling filling recipes come out, the fillings become more and more unique and fun, so look forward to them! If you’ve never had Mapo Tofu before, you should definitely give it a try! And if you don’t like tofu, Mapo Tofu is the way to give tofu a try because it has lots of pork and is deliciously spicy; the best combo needed to practice eating tofu. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

·      4 oz fatty ground pork

·      ¼ tsp salt

·      ½ tsp minced garlic

·      ½ lb soft tofu, patted dry and finely diced

·      ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

·      1.5 tbsp chili oil

·      1 tsp dobujang (fermented soy bean paste)

·      ½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns, roasted and crushed

·      ¼ tsp sugar

·      ¼ tsp crushed red chile flakes

·      ½ lb round dumplings wrappers

Heat a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and salt, and cook while stirring and break the meat apart into smaller pieces until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add the tofu, scallions, chili oil, dobujang, peppercorns, sugar, and chili flakes. Fold the ingredients together using a spatula until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, or up to two days. Use this page to fold and cook your dumplings!