9 Cool Baking Tricks and How to Do Them

Always wondered how to do those nifty baking tricks you see on websites and magazines? Well wonder no more. From fancy buttercream ruffles to a chequerboard cake, we reveal how it’s all done.

Ruffles
These beautiful piped ruffles look complicated, right? Well they aren’t once you know how to do them. To start with you’ll need a soft icing that’s easy to pipe. Cover the cake in a thin layer of icing and pipe little squiggles from the side of the cake (the nozzle facing straight down to the plate or board), going upwards, repeating in rows until the cake is covered. Full instructions - and the recipe for this gorgeous mini double chocolate ruffle cake can be found on the website Oh Sweet Day.

Fancy Plaited Bread
Plaiting bread with three pieces is a start, but have you ever tried attempting one of these fancier wreath-style plaits? Well, it’s easier than you’d think. To make this sophisticated cinnamon braid bread you just roll up the dough, slice it in half and then twist it all together. It’s easier to see it in pictures, so head on over to the post on Home Cooking Adventure to see the full method with step by step photos.

Cakes with Zebra Print on the Inside
We’ve all seen photos of these cakes doing the rounds and wondered how the heck they get the zebra stripes on the inside of the cake. Well, the zebra effect is achieved simply by making two bowls of cake mixture (one chocolate and one vanilla, for example) and then alternating dollops of each mixture in the same tin. Step by step photos - and the full recipe for this beautiful zebra cake - can be found at the website Moms Dish.

Ombre Cakes
An ‘ombre’ cake has different coloured layers in the icing and also often in the cake itself, usually different shades of the same colour. Although it does look complicated, it really isn’t. The effect is created with varying amounts of food colouring. For a full tutorial on how to make this stunning ombre cake check out the blog BS in the Kitchen. Trust us, it’s easier than you’d think (but you don’t need to tell that to your guests, obviously).

Buttercream Roses
Buttercream roses are one of the most striking - but probably one of the easiest decorating techniques to learn. You’ll need a large piping nozzle with a closed star on the end of it - like a Wilton 2D nozzle. Fit it to your piping bag and, with the nozzle at a right angle to the surface of the cake, pipe on swirls, starting from the centre of the swirl each time. You can get a fantastic rose effect on cupcakes, or a striking effect on full-sized cakes, just like this rose cake from the blog I Heart Baking.

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Plaited Pastry (or Bread) Slice
Ever wanted to make a strudel-type pastry at home? Well, now you can. Just take a rectangle of pastry, arrange your fillings in a line down the centre and cut strips out to the ends, on each of the longest sides. Bring the strips over the filling to form a plait and brush with beaten egg before baking. You can plait sweet and savoury breads and pastries - Emma at the blog Poires au Chocolat created this blueberry and cream cheese braided bread.

Hearts Inside a Loaf Cake
Thanks to Deepta, from The Little Miss Muffin blog, we can make a loaf cake with a hidden heart through the centre. Baffled? She just cuts out pink hearts from a cake she’s already baked and pops them into the loaf tin before pouring a contrasting batter over the top and sides. Genius. Check out her blog for the full instructions.

Hidden Filling Cupcakes
You bite into a cupcake and find it has a jam, caramel or buttercream filling. But how did it get there? Well, although some recipes ask for fillings to be added before baking, it’s often as simple as cutting out a piece of the baked cake from the middle, adding a dollop of filling into the hole and then replacing the top before icing it. Have a look at these gorgeous raspberry-jam-filled cupcakes, created by Kristina from the blog Whipped Baking. You can try it with any jams, marmalades, frostings or chocolate - or gently push in a small strawberry, raspberry or blueberry instead.

Chequerboard Cake
Squares inside the cake? Now you’re talking. They’re achieved by cutting different-sized circles out of two contrasting cakes (cut around mugs, saucers or plates if you don’t have specific cutters) and assembling them in alternate layers, into one big cake, frosting as you go. It’s then cut to reveal the squares. Megan, at the blog Megan’s Cookin’ has a checkered cake tutorial, complete with step by step photos. See? It’s easy once you know how.