A FEW HANDY BAKING TIPS... - AfternoonTea4two

When baking shortbread cookies, substitute half of your plain flour with cornflour. It gives them a really nice taste.
Before icing a cake, sprinkle the top with some flour, this will stop the icing from running down over the edges of the cake.
To make sure the essence you use adds flavour to the whole cake, mix it into the egg before adding the egg to the mixture.
Don’t crowd the oven with Baking tins. The pans should never touch each other or the sides of the oven, or be placed over or under each other on the racks.
Grease pans using a piece of paper towel, rub a small amount of shortening, butter or margarine evenly over the bottom and on sides of pans, if directed. A small amount of pan spray may be used and spread over the pan, also using the paper towel technique.
Prevent sharp edges on muffins, bar cookies or quick breads by greasing the muffin cups or pans only on the bottom and halfway up the sides so the batter is higher than the grease line. This is one time you might not want to use a pan spray.
To test for doneness in cakes, quick breads and bar cookies, use a toothpick inserted in the centre. The toothpick should come out clean and dry, or have only a few crumbs clinging.