They may not have Mary Berry’s culinary prowess, but these amateur bakers have certainly come up with some very clever short-cuts in the kitchen.
And the handy hacks shared online via Diply could make things a whole lot easier the next time you’re tasked with whipping up a pie or some puff pastry.
Baking aficionados have been taking to social media to share their best tips for taking back control when your cakes don’t quite go according to plan.
From simple ways to melt hard butter in a flash, to clever formulas that will enhance the flavour of your creations, these hacks are sure to come in handy.
Struggling to achieved perfectly crimped edges on your pies? Tongs more typically used to turn hot food in a pan can help. Clamp the tongs on the edge of the pastry all the way around before cooking – their scalloped sides will create a professional-looking crimped effect
Insert evenly-spaced skewers into a sponge and wrap string around before cutting to ensure the two layers of your Victoria Sponge are perfectly even. This will also help you to cut it into even, precise wedges before serving up the slices
Look familiar? Most home bakers have burned a sponge or two in their time – but all is not lost. Try using a vegetable peeler to ‘shave’ away the darkest edges of the over-cooked cake – you’d be surprised how many are salvageable
When using fruit in cooking, it’s usually a case of the riper the better. If your dish calls for ripe bananas, but your fruit is still too fresh, try arranging them on a baking tray and popping them into a pre-heated fan oven at around 150° for 40 minutes. The skins will be black (see right), but the fruit inside will be softened
To easily cut a square sheet of parchment paper to fit a round cake tin, fold it into quarters, then into a triangle, and then cut it down so that when the pointed end is in the centre of the cake tin, the wider end reaches the edge. Unfold it, and you should have a circle of paper that’s a perfect fit
This one won’t make your baking any better – but it might keep your kitchen clean: Before whisking the contents of a mixing bowl, remove the attachments from the whisk and use the sharp ends to pierce a paper plate. Reattach them to the whisk, pop the plate over the top of the bowl, and the contents won’t splash onto surfaces no matter how vigorous the setting
No buttermilk in the house? No worries. It turns out you can easily make an alternative: Simply add a tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. It can then be used to decorate a cake. If you need more, just double the quantities
Baking calls for room temperature butter, but often we’re reaching for it straight from the fridge, meaning it’s inevitably rock hard. This ingenious hack will soften it in moments without the need for a microwave. Simply fill a cup with boiling water, let it sit, then tip out the water and place the heated glass over your portion of butter to soften it
If you want edges on your tray bake, but can’t find a small enough pan, this handy hack will help. Tear off a sheet of tin foil and fold it into a thin roll that can be moulded into a ‘lip’ the same height as the true edge of the tray. Simply insert it half way or two thirds of the way along the tray to suit the size of your desired bake
Brown sugar is a staple ingredient in baking, but if you don’t have any to hand, there is an alternative option. Take a cup of ordinary white sugar and add a tablespoon of molasses to mimic the flavour and effect of brown sugar. If you need more, just double the quantities of both ingredients