Monthly Archives: April 2023
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Ingredient Guide: Marshmallow FluffHOME BAKERS OFTEN GET STUCK ON THIS GOOEY INGREDIENT, BUT BAKING WITH FLUFF IS A BLAST! JUST READ ON FOR HINTS AND TIPS… As a bakery dedicated to American-style goodies, we often use authentic ingredients that you'd be likely to find in an American supermarket. One such ingredient that The Hummingbird Bakers are often asked about is Marshmallow Fluff. Although Fluff is not all that familiar to most bakers, it is great for sandwiching Whoopie Pies, baking bars and topping cupcakes. What is Marshmallow Fluff? Marshmallow Fluff is a brand of American marshmallow creme. It comes in a jar or a tub and there are several flavours of Fluff on the market. Imagine the gooey centre of a marshmallow made into a light, spreadable creme and you’re not far off. What can Marshmallow Fluff be used in? A jar of this stuff will add gooey, delicious marshmallow middles to your Whoopie Pies and is essentialRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023How to bake the perfect brownieFUDGY, CHOCOLATEY AND WITH A SHINY CRISP TOP; NO ONE CAN RESIST A TRAY OF BROWNIES FRESH FROM THE OVEN. FOLLOW OUR GUIDE TO HELP YOU BAKE YOUR BEST-EVER BROWNIES. Ten tips for unbeatable brownies: Use an oven thermometer to calibrate your oven. Baking at the correct temperature is essential so that you know you’re not over-cooking your brownies in the centre. Bake them in the centre of the oven for even heat. Melting the chocolate with the butter over a bain marie does double-duty. The hot water prevents the chocolate from seizing up and going grainy and melting the butter before combining into the mixture ensures you don’t incorporate air through beating, so your brownie stays fudgy rather than turning cakey. If you prefer them cakey, add more air by beating.Read More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Cupcake Problems and How to Fix ThemEVER HAD YOUR CUPCAKE RECIPE TURN OUT A FLOP? PEELING CASES, SINKING SPONGES AND OVERFLOWING MIXTURES ARE JUST SOME OF THE CUPCAKE BAKING PROBLEMS THAT CAN BE EASILY FIXED NEXT TIME YOU COME TO BAKE. Cupcake sponge problems To find solutions to dry, burnt or cracked cupcakes, visit our blog on the Top Twelve Sponge Cake Problems and How to Fix Them. The main rules for baking any sponge apply to cupcakes too. Cupcake frosting problems If your buttercream or cream cheese frosting isn’t going so smoothly, visit our blog on Cupcake and Cake Frosting Problems Solved to troubleshoot. Lumpy cupcake batter Use your ingredients at room temperature and they will combine more easily. Butter that isRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Top tips for stress-free Christmas baking‘TIS THE SEASON TO DUST OFF YOUR FESTIVE COOKIE CUTTERS AND BRING YOUR FAVOURITE BAKES AND DESSERTS TO THE TABLE. TO HELP MAKE THIS SEASON LESS STRESSFUL, WE HAVE A FEW TRICKS SO THAT YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR TIME IN THE KITCHEN. 1) Make a plan If Santa can make a list (and check it twice) you can apply this very same rule to your baking! Make a plan for the recipes you want to bake in advance and note down the ingredients needed along with any wrapping required, if you’re baking to give as gifts. Some ingredients you might be able to get cheaper if they are bought in bulk and some ingredients such as essences may need to be ordered online in advance. If you’re super organised or baking several things on one day, you can make a written timeline for timing of the method and preparation. 2) Do a cupboard inventory There’s nothing worse than running out of ingredients whenRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Perfect baked cheesecakes: our top ten tipsCLASSIC AMERICAN BAKED NEW YORK CHEESECAKE IS EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE DESSERT, WITH A CRUNCHY BISCUIT LAYER AND CREAMY, FLUFFY CHEESECAKE TOPPING WITH A HINT OF TANGINESS COOKED SLOWLY UNTIL GOLDEN. NOW WHERE DID I PUT MY FORK?! This recipe is an impressive after-dinner showstopper to have up your sleeve for guests, with lots of options for serving each silky slice with seasonal fresh fruits, sauces and compotes or decorating with crushed praline, chocolate shavings, honeycomb, chopped nuts or crunchy biscuit crumbs. But if your cheesecakes are prone to crack and crumble, you need our expert baking tips. Top tips for the perfect bakedRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023What To Know Before You Bake CupcakesWith fifteen years of baking experience since we first brought American cupcakes to London, we’ve selected a few things every baker should know before they bake cupcakes in order to get the tastiest bakes possible. Use a food portioning scoop Ever wondered why our cupcakes look so uniform? This is a handy tool we use for both scooping out cupcakes, but also layer cakes and frostings. It allows you to get even measurements for both the batter mixtures to bake your sponge and also your frostings so that these can be equal across the batch. It’s a lot easier than using normal spoons and the quick release mechanism ensures the scoop is nice and clean for each serving. We recommend getting your food portioning scoop from a specialist cake shop online or catering supplier. At a pinch, ice cream scoops can work too! Check your oven with an oven thermometer Ovens often operateRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Cake tins: a basic guide for bakersLET'S TALK TINS! BAKING TINS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, SO IN ORDER FOR YOUR BAKES TO TURN OUT PERFECTLY, PREPARATION AND CORRECT SIZING IS KEY. The golden rule for filling tins: To prevent cakes and cupcake cases from overflowing and making a mess of your oven, only fill your tins two-thirds full and this will leave plenty of room for the cake to rise. How to line a circular tin: Place the tin on top of the rolled out baking paper, bottom-sideRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Cupcake and cake frosting problems solvedSOMETIMES CUPCAKE FROSTING CAN GO WRONG. IT CAN TURN RUNNY, GO LUMPY OR SPLIT (GULP!). LUCKILY, WITH A LITTLE KNOW-HOW YOU CAN TURN YOUR FROSTING NIGHTMARE INTO A DREAM. Frosting mixing times: Buttercream frosting – beat for five minutes or more, the more you whip the fluffier it gets (too much might trap air bubbles though) Cream cheese frosting – beat for ideally around five minutes, but no more or it can go too runny or split Frosting is too runny. This could be because the butter was too soft or you added too much milk if it is buttercream frosting or it could be that you have overbeaten it if you’re making cream cheese frosting.Read More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023Baking with substitutionsIF YOU’RE BAKING WITH SUBSTITUTED INGREDIENTS, HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR TIPS SO YOU CAN CARRY ON BAKING. We’ll start by saying we generally don’t recommend substituting ingredients when it comes to baking, if you can help it. Baking is a precise science and even changing one ingredient can affect the final outcome. But sometimes for dietary reasons, an allergy or personal preference, it is necessary to substitute ingredients. We thought we’d put together a couple of pointers for home bakers looking to make ingredient swaps in their baking. Can I bake gluten-free? It is very simple to bake gluten-free. Just swap the exact amount of dry gluten-containing ingredients (flour and raising agents) for gluten-free alternatives. We use Dove’s Farm gluten-freeRead More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023How to measure ingredients when bakingBAKING IS A SCIENCE, SO GETTING ALL YOUR INGREDIENTS MEASURED OUT PROPERLY WILL ENSURE YOUR BAKES TURN OUT JUST AS THE RECIPE INTENDED. FOLLOW THESE TIPS AND TRICKS AND SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BAKING SUCCESS AND A BAKING FLOP! Accuracy when measuring out baking ingredients is super important. We really can't stress this enough. It’s just a case of getting into good measuring habits and not letting little slip ups affect what is (or isn’t) in your mixing bowl. Rule 1: Know which ingredients matter most Certain ingredients make the structure of your mixture. These are typically things such as flour, sugar, eggs and butter. These are the ones you need to watch closely when measuring out. Ingredients which are added for moisture are also important,Read More
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The Hummingbird Bakery April 15, 2023How to bake the perfect cookieANY AMERICAN WILL TELL YOU THAT COOKIE-MAKING IS AN ART IN ITSELF. WE ASKED OUR BAKERS WHAT THEY THINK MAKES THE PERFECT COOKIE AND HOW YOU CAN BAKE A WINNING BATCH EVERY TIME. If you’ve ever wondered why some cookies end up different, even when baking a recipe you’ve tried before, that’s because cookies are a great example of why baking is a science. It’s a matter of variables. Change any of the ingredients or method and you may end up with a cookie that’s flatter, rounder, plumper, crisper, chewier or browner than the last batch. Classic American cookies tend to be much bigger, chewier and softer than their biscuity British counterparts, but it’s all down to preference. Most people know what they like when it comes to cookies, whether that’s a chewy centre or a golden brown top, and it’s useful to know what steps you can take when baking to get the desired cookie result!Read More
