Baking Techniques

Open faced, oven baked grilled cheese sandwiches are a favorite in many homes. Make an open faced oven baked grilled cheese sandwich with help from a chef and culinary instructor in this free video…

White cake frosting can be made right in the comfort of your own home. Learn the recipe for white cake frosting with help from a lead cake designer in this free video clip.

Covering a cake in fondant requires a few very specific steps. Learn how to cover a cake in fondant with help from a lead cake designer in this free video clip.

Cocoa frosting is a great finishing touch for any cake. Make cocoa frosting with help from a lead cake designer in this free video clip.

Stripping your deck surface allows you to change the look of the wood, enabling you to paint it, add new stain or sealant. Commercial deck strippers are laden with chemicals that can irritate your…

You can make vegan organic cupcakes in a very specific way right at home. Make vegan organic cupcakes with help from a nutrition expert and food educator in this free video clip.

Ovens can take a lot of abuse over the course of the years. Because they are used so frequently they get dirty and food spills only add to the problem. One solution -- though not recommended -- is to…

The tiny precise folds of paper cupcake paper liners, mimic the zigzag edges of carnation petals. Swirl several layers of liners into a paper carnation with many tightly packed inner petals, just like…

Oven-baked clay, also known as polymer clay, is a synthetic alternative to natural clay. It is an ideal material to use for handmade jewelry due to its versatility, ease of use and availability in a…

When you need to bake a cake, but have a limited supply of baking pans, rummage through your pantry for substitute supplies, such as vegetable cans. Vegetable cans, which come packaged in tin, can be…

Avoid paying high prices for store-bought cupcake stands. Custom-design your own three-tier, banded cupcake stand instead. Purchase inexpensive cardboard cake rounds and decorate with wrapping paper.…

Three-dimensional cakes are visually dynamic, but they pose a challenge when it comes to decorating them. Applying a single layer of fondant to cover an entire cake simplifies the process, if you are…

The screen in Apple’s iPad uses a special type of scratch proof aluminosilicate glass. The glass is flat, hard and glossy -- well-suited to the iPad’s touch-operated interface. As the…

A centerpiece banner atop your cluster of cupcakes is a creative -- and edible -- way to maintain the theme of any party or get together. The concept behind this decoration idea is for each cupcake to…

Toddlers love breaking, peeling and stepping on crayons. After time, scattered pieces and frazzled nerves may force you to redirect your child's energy. For a much-needed break, or a rainy-day…

Wire or china cupcake trees are beautiful and festive, but they're also expensive and awkward to store. With a few craft supplies, create a tiered cardboard cupcake display trimmed to perfectly match…

The popularity of cupcakes has led to them making appearances at weddings along with or even in place of traditional wedding cakes. The cupcakes can be set up in a central location or can be used as a…

Decorative frosting and multiple layers can make cake just as appealing to the eyes as it is to the taste buds. To some cake and pastry chefs, layers and frosting are merely a canvas. Airbrushing has…

There are a great many people who don't like or are allergic to many of the common ingredients found in baked goods, such as eggs. Fortunately, just about every one of the basic ingredients in a cake…

Creating a tiered cake can be a trial. In addition to constructing the cake, you have a lot of space to decorate. Finishing a tiered cake in fondant eases the stress immensely. Many home decorators…

Nothing suits a summer pool party better than a swimming pool-themed cake. Whether you're attending a neighbor's backyard bash or hosting a birthday party for your favorite little swimmer, a cake with…

The "Backyardigans" show features five animal friends -- Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, Austin and Uniqua -- who use their imaginations to make-believe wonderful adventures in their backyard. The…

Fondant gives a cake a finished look, and is often used to make wedding cakes and larger birthday cakes look more professional. Airbrush a fondant-covered cake to give it a sheen or color, making it…

Vegan baked eggplant is a nice, hearty dish that can feed multiple people. Learn how to make Vegan baked eggplant with help from the author of "The Accidental Vegan" in this free video clip.

Oats are a highly nutritious grain, but quick to spoil if not handled correctly. They contain an enzyme that acts on the oils in the grain, turning it rancid in as little as a few weeks. To prevent…

A great Shepard's pie can include a layer of corn for additional flavor. Make the best Shepard's pie with a layer of corn with help from the Executive Chef at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in this free…

For a chef on a budget, riblets make a tender, satisfying alternative to full-sized ribs. Riblets are ribs that have been cut in half, so they are only 2 to 4 inches long. Because they come from the…

Make miniature pies for a whimsical take on a favorite dessert. You don't need any special equipment, just your favorite pie crust and a muffin tin. Make pies bite-sized by using a miniature muffin…

Tiered cakes are usually made of at least two cakes, stacked or tiered one upon the other in order of size. The bigger or biggest cake is normally at the bottom of the tier, while the smaller or…

Tiered cakes can provide a flowing, dramatic appearance for any celebration or event. Cakes are heavy, and stacking them can cause the layers to compress in the middle, ruining the even, level look.…

Eggs burn easily when cooked at high temperatures. The top of the egg may look perfectly done while the bottom is baking onto the bottom of the pot. Cooking for a longer time at a lower temperature…

Presenting your cupcake on a stand is an elegant way of displaying your flair for baking. Many cupcake stands are designed in towers to present multiple cupcakes, but you can display your single…

Decorate plain plates with glaze and then bake them in the home oven for a custom look. The paint and plates you choose for this project play a big role in the finished look, so select your supplies…

When setting up your booth at a bridal show, remember that appearance matters. Make eye-catching cake displays to make sure that your booth is the center of attention. The cake is a very important…

Sodium chloride is also known as rock salt and is the most common form of ice melter. This is because sodium chloride is less expensive than other ice melters (such as calcium chloride). Rock salt is…

Create colorful cupcake appliques to attach to your fabric craft projects. Use a bright solid color of ruffle fabric to create the textured icing and a coordinating patterned fabric to form the base.…

One way to create a big-cake look without baking a lot of cake is to make the upper tiers of the cake with Styrofoam. Unless you cut into the fake cake, no one ever has to know your secret. Serve your…

An average cupcake lover enjoys a sweet treat now and then, but a real aficionado will wear a cupcake as an accessory. A realistic looking cupcake made of ribbons is relatively easy to make with two…

Buttercream icing is made with either butter or shortening, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and a small amount of milk. It creates a basic white frosting. By varying the quantities of each…

The legend of the Pied Piper tells of a man in pied clothing who is hired to lure rats from a town, but when the townspeople refuse to pay for his services, he retaliates by luring the children away…

Anyone who has been frustrated while trying to frost a cake with buttercream, royal or other icings can understand the usefulness of rolled fondant icing. Whether it's getting crumbs in the surface of…

Create a professional-looking dessert by using fondant over your homemade cake. Fondant is a sugar-based confection that can be rolled onto cakes for an ultra smooth finish or pressed into shapes like…

Achieving the correct consistency for frosting is tricky, especially for an amateur attempting to make the delicious treat from scratch. Royal icing is the standard used by bakers to create a product…

Cupcakes are a great treat for parties, special occasions or even just a regular afternoon. Make cupcakes with help from a recipe developer and cookbook author in this free video clip.

Eggs are a basic ingredient in cake recipes. Bakers create few if any cakes without eggs because the ingredient plays so many crucial roles in the baking process. The only exception to egg inclusion…

You can make an outside baking oven with brick, rocks or even mud, like adobe. Protect your oven regardless of what it's made of by adding a layer of stucco, topped off with a layer of paint, to…

Miniature dollhouse cakes have a premise best described as simple – recreating a small dollhouse with edible ingredients – but their production is anything but. They range in complexity…

Baking Brie accentuates the flavor of this mild cheese named for a province in France from which it originates. Baked Brie, coupled with dried cherries or cranberries, caramelized pears or fresh…

Put down the potato chips and pick up some leafy greens for a guilt-free alternative to one of America’s favorite snack foods. In addition to providing a welcome respite from your salty snack…

Frosting a multidimensional cake is a dedicated undertaking, but it is not without benefits. When you decorate a shaped cake, it is like an outline of your intended decoration is permanently in the…