Cake baking is not a difficult task. Most of us have the misconception that baking perfect cakes is very toilsome. But, it is not! You just have to make sure you have on the dot measurements and follow the procedure precisely. I’ve already helped all you hobby bakers out with the latter by providing color photos and step by step instructions of the recipes so there can be no fail. Hence, today let us aim attention at measuring ingredients.

Baking is a lot like science. In order to make perfect cakes, everybody should use the same amounts of ingredients. In other words, the same proportions of weight. There should be no ‘guesswork.’ Otherwise, as my pastry teacher says, “the science of baking will just be turned into a game of pure chance.”

The aspect of baking that deserves great focus is with measuring the ingredients. The slightest mistake and the finished good will not be worth investing all your valuable time into making it. Therefore, in this article I teach you how to measure ingredients accurately.

In some countries, ingredients are measured in units of weight such as ‘grams’ and ‘ounces’ whereas in some other countries they are measured in units of volume such as ‘cups’ and ‘liters’. I have been taught it’s best to use units of weight. Now let’s see why:

1. Measuring dry ingredients – Sugar

As I mentioned before, ‘cups’ measures the volume of an ingredient. If you try measuring the weight of the same volumes of sugar (for ex: 1 cup) bought from 2 different stores and of 2 different brands, you will notice that they don’t always weigh the same.

The reason for the difference is the different grain sizes. Not all brands of sugar have the same grain size. Therefore in my recipes, if I mention an ingredient in ‘cups,’ you will have to make sure you get it from the same place that I did and of the same brand too.  Certainly, that doesn’t seem practical!

SOLUTION – always measure dry ingredients in units of weight! Therefore, the second most important equipment for a baker after the oven is a scale.

1.Measuring eggs

Eggs come in different sizes in different countries. 

According to the above information, an egg that weighs 65g is considered to be extra large in Canada, large in Europe and jumbo in Australia!

All of this merely bewilders one’s mind! So to get your mind back to working clearly, always measure eggs in units of weight J In the video I show you how to do it. For ex: we are going to measure 90g of egg.

1.Measuring liquids

When it comes to liquids, the same volumes of liquids have the same weight. This sounds relieving doesn’t it?  But then again, I measure the liquid ingredients in units of weight because measuring 118g of water using a scale is a lot easier than measuring 118ml of water using a measuring cup J

Usually, the liquids that are most commonly used in cooking are water, milk and heavy cream.  The densities of milk and heavy cream are only slightly different from that of water and the difference is so small that it can be neglected. Therefore, you can substitute grams with milliliters.

For ex:

100g of water = 100ml of water

100g of heavy cream = 100ml of heavy cream

Alright then, you are all equipped to make the perfect cakes ever and blow away the minds of all those having it! Happy baking!

(Compiled by Zeenath Basheer)