8 useful tips to getting perfectly baked goods

The weekend is upon us, and there's no better time to explore new recipes or try out new baking methods.

With the right mix of ingredients, a simple cake recipe can be transformed to a rapturous culinary experience.

Here are 8 useful baking tips that can considerably transform your baked goods.

1. To revive dry cake or keep it moist while you assemble and decorate, add simple syrup.

2.  For smooth cake frosting, dip your spatula in hot water as you go, as the heat will help melt the frosting enough to easily frost the entire cake. Also it will prevent it from sticking to the spatula

3. To easily slide a cheesecake out of a spring form pan, use a hot knife or, if you have one, a blowtorch.

4. For soft, buttery and very chewy cookies, add half shortening and half butter to your recipe.

5. To get the best results, check your oven's temperature using a thermometer.

6. For long-lasting butter, store in the freezer  and then use a grater to shred it when you bake. Grating the butter makes it get soft easily and also incorporates more evenly and quickly than big chunks when mixed with dough, for instance.

7. Avoid mixing batter for too long after adding dry ingredients as this can make the cake flat. This is because if you over-mix batter once you add flour, it can overdevelop the formation of gluten strands, which will make the cake heavy and dense.

8. To see if your cake is ready, avoid poking holes in it, instead, press the cake lightly and it should spring back if it’s ready.