Maria Short
Baker
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Co-authored Articles (104)
How to
Make Caramel from Sweetened Condensed Milk
Most of the time, people cook caramel by heating up regular or brown sugar until it turns into a smooth and creamy substance. However, you can also make caramel out of sweetened condensed milk, creating the same great sa...
How to
Make a Piping Bag
A piping bag, also known as a pastry bag, is a cone-shaped bag that you fill with icing, frosting, or sauce. You apply pressure to the bag to dispense frosting, icing, or sauce in a specific pattern to make your dish bea...
Beginner-Friendly Cake Recipes to Make From Scratch
A step-by-step guide to baking vanilla, chocolate, and apple cakes (plus tips and tricks)There's nothing like the taste of a cake you made in your own kitchen. But is the delicious reward really worth all the work? Belie...
How to
Tie an Apron
Tying an apron may seem like a puzzle when you’re doing it for the first time. If your apron has a bib, start by tying the neck loop. Then determine whether you want to tie your apron in the front or the back based on ...
How to
Make Brown Food Coloring
If you don't have brown food coloring on hand or don't want to go with the store-bought variety, there are ways to mix it up yourself at home. Read on to learn how to blend colors for that perfect brown and how to use co...
How to
Cut a Round Cake
Round cakes are tasty treats that, at times, can be difficult to cut into enough pieces to serve everyone. In addition to the typical method of cutting a round cake into triangle-like slices, round cakes can also be cut ...
How to
Keep a Baguette Fresh
It's always a little sad when a perfectly good baguette goes stale before you can eat it. Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your baguette fresh. If you know you won't eat an entire baguette on...
How to
Thicken Custard
Custard is typically an egg-yolk-based sweet cream dessert that can stand on its own or as an ingredient in other desserts (like creme brulee or pie, for example). If you've tried making custard from scratch, you already...
How to
Measure Butter
Whether you’re baking a cake or making a family dinner, many recipes call for butter. But there are all kinds of measurements for using butter—weighing scale, sticks, pounds, tablespoons, cups. This can get confusing...
3 Delicious Ways to Melt Marshmallows
From stovetop to oven-roasted, to fire-roasted, we’ve got you coveredSometimes, a recipe calls for melted marshmallows, but it does not always tell you how to melt them. This article will show you three different ways ...
How to
Keep Cornbread from Crumbling
Cornbread is a classic Southern side dish, and there are hundreds of different recipes for it! One of the most common problems with homemade cornbread is crumbliness--dry, crumbly bread falls apart when you cut it. Learn...
How to
Bake Cakes in Springform Pans
Springform pans can be used in place of regular cake pans and allow you to bake some fun specialty items. The detachable base and outer ring make removing your cake from the pan a simple process. By preparing your pan an...
How to
Hold a Bake Off
Who can resist a piece of delicious, rich cake or fudgy brownies? For avid bakers, making tasty desserts that everyone raves over is a badge of honor -- that's why bake offs have become so popular. A bake off can be a fu...
How to
Thicken Caramel Sauce
If you’ve already made a batch of caramel sauce but find that it’s too thin for your tastes, you’ll need to thicken the sauce. The most efficient way to thicken a dessert sauce is by simmering it on the stove, so t...
How to
Caramelize Sugar
Used in a number of different desserts, caramel sauce is a common topping for everything from crème brûlée to leche flan. Sweet, rich and flavorful, this sauce is actually quite simple to make so long as you have the ...
How to
Tell if a Cheesecake is Done
Cheesecake, whether you like New York or Italian style, is a light and delicious dessert. Because it contains a fair amount of milk or cream in addition to soft cheese, it can be hard to tell when it is done. However, th...
How to
Cut a Sheet Cake
You can cut a sheet cake just about any way you want. Getting perfectly sized sheet cakes slices is a different story, though. To cut a sheet cake into neat, even pieces, it takes a bit of prep. You will need to know the...
How to
Defrost a Cake
Freezing cake is a good way of saving it for later. Whether you froze the cake whole or in layers, you defrost it basically the same way. Place the cake in the fridge for at least a day to thaw, then set it on the counte...
How to
Store Meringues
Meringues are delicious desserts that are commonly associated with Swiss, French, and Italian cuisine. They're a great way to top off a nice meal and are built on a deceptively simple foundation of sugar and whipped egg ...
How to
Decorate Cupcakes Without Icing
Cupcakes are a delicious treat, but they can get a bit overshadowed beneath a thick layer of icing. Never fear! There are plenty of tasty, creative ways to spruce up your cupcakes without piling on the frosting.