r/AskBaking

The issue isn’t the taste of the cookies (they taste great lol), it’s how they look. I’ve made chocolate chip cookies well over a hundred times, specifically the BROMA bakery recipe and while this isn’t a big deal for me, I’m just curious as to why my cookies always have cracks on top? Meanwhile, in the videos she’s posted her cookies look very smooth and store-bought/bakery made. Maybe this could just be a social media thing? Or maybe it’s because she used chopped chocolate and I used chocolate chips? Anyways, I follow her recipe to a T every time, so I want to know how I can achieve that professional look. Because of the photo limit, I was only able to attach a picture of a batch of cookies I just baked. But I’m sure you guys will know what I mean by the appearance. Any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

The first time we used this recipe it worked well and since then it’s been acting up - flakey when trying to mix it (picture) - yet we’ve been doing it the same way but swapped sugar for honey.

Dissolve 2 1/4 tsp yeast into 1/4 cup warm water (120 degrees F)

Add 1/2 tsp sugar (or honey)

Wait 8 mins for it to foam

Blend yeast with:
1 cup warm water (120F)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp fine salt

We can’t figure out what we are doing wrong?? Help??

Here is a slice of my chocolate cake I made today. I’ve always used the same recipe from a 90s cookbook my mum had. 100g self raising flour, 100g butter, 100g sugar, 2 eggs, and some cocoa powder. Mix sugar and butter, add eggs along with the flour, voila. Bake for 30 mins. Every time I’ve made it it tastes fine (if a little dry) but always comes out very flat and dreary-looking. I’m not really much of a cook so I’m not sure why. Can anyone help?

sorry for bad picture iphone user here 😞

they’re dry, hard, flat, and cant be wiped off 😭. i cant really discern if its spoiled based on smell alone TvT these beans have been in the fridge in a (probably not airtight) sealed paper bag since last june

any help wld be appreciated!!

(First post on this subreddit, yippee!)

Hi all, I made a berry Chantilly cake for the first time to celebrate my dad’s birthday yesterday! While the overall cake turned out looking great and tasting just as good, we all noted that the spongecake was a bit dense.

My first question is, are sponge cakes supposed to be super dense? I haven’t had one in a while so I can’t really remember.

Two, is it the recipe, or what should I do to make it more light and airy?

Three, how can I better fold the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch into the meringue without worrying about losing the airiness?

And finally the last question, what would be the right amount of cocoa powder to make this a chocolate spongecake for next time? 👀

Here’s the recipe I used for review!

8 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 F and line two cake pans with parchment paper. Beat 8 eggs in a stand mixer on high speed until foamy, then slowly add in the granulated sugar as you continue to keep the stand mixer on high speed. Once the eggs and sugar become mix becomes light and airy, beat in the vanilla extract. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in a separate bowl, then gently fold the dry ingredients into the eggs and sugar mix using a large whisk. Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 20 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely or sit overnight to reduce the egg smell.

Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated!

It tasted great and fudgy but fell apart even after I let it sit for about 15 mins after taking out from the oven.. i have friends coming over tmr and wanted to serve it properly

Any recs on how to salvage this??

Recipe:
1 +1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
1cup yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1+1/2cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
Itsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

is it normal or are there bugs secretly residing in my container? maybe its a rookie mistake but i had so little of old flour remaining when i refilled this with new flour. (doesnt expire until next year / 2028)

could something have caused the flour to look like this? should i throw it out?

I buy most of my baking supplies in bulk, and I have no clue what this would be. Any one know?

Thank you!

This is from Bay Leaves, a collection of recipes from the junior service league of Panama City, Fl, published in 1975. It's a book that has provided many of my family's staple recipes, that we still make regularly. Highly recommend it, if anyone finds a copy in a thrift/antique store.

It’s so thick! I’ve been searching “cream tart recipe”, “cookie cream tart recipe”, “sable cake” (as I see them called a lot on Pinterest) but they typically have much thinner cookie/pastry layers. I love the look of this one with the nice thick layers but can’t seem to figure out what kind of dough to make for it. Sable? Short crust?