FAQs

You’ve got questions. I’ve got a few answers and explanations.  

Baking is a science and we’ve got a sweet tooth.  With a bit of knowledge and kitchen-feel under our belts, we’re sweet successes in the kitchen.  Here are some of the very frequently asked questions when it comes to stepping in the kitchen with cake in mind.  Let’s talk. Let’s bake. Let’s get real. 

•  I only have salted butter and I’m going to use it, ok? By now you might have noticed that most all of the baking recipes on this site call for unsalted butter.  It’s pretty standard in baking to use unsalted butter in recipes because, among other reasons, we want to be able to control the amount of salt we’re adding to our baked treats.  You’ll find a much more thorough explanation here if you’re a butter nerd like I am: Why We Use Unsalted Butter.  That being said, if you only have salted butter on hand, of course you can still make some mighty fine cookies.  Just decrease the salt in the recipe by about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.  Or.. heck, if you like baked goods with a salty kick, keep the salt as directed in the recipe.  Arm yourself with information and then do whatever the heck you want.  We’re adulting well, wouldn’t you say? 

•  Alright, but can I make this gluten-free? Well the answer to this is two-fold.  Yes and also, no.  You can certainly make most cakes and cookies gluten-free if you know what you’re doing… in which case you’re probably a wizard and I think that’s wonderful.  The answer would be a firm NO if you think you can just dump a bunch of coconut flour into a recipe instead of all-purpose flour, close your eyes, and hope for success.  Life just isn’t that friendly.  In my experience, I’ve had some wonderful success with one-for-one gluten-free flour blends, my absolute favorite being Cup-4-Cup flour– add an extra egg yolk or whole egg and you’re in business! 

•  What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda and can I just use the baking soda that I have freshening my fridge if I’m out of baking powder?  Let’s start by looking at both our baking powder and baking soda with our eyeballs.  I find that baking powder looks slightly more fluffy and light while baking soda looks slightly more grainy and just a touch more coarse.  Both are used to lift and leaven our baked goods.  Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. It is activated by heat and acid in the oven.  Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, an acid, and cornstarch (that’s why it looks slightly fluffier than soda). Because it contains its own acid, it is activated before it hits the oven and then once again once it hits the heat of the oven.  It’s science and it’s delicious.  There’s more of a thorough explanation here: What’s the difference between baking soda and baking powder.  Are baking soda and baking powder interchangeable? Not exactly.  If you’re setting off on a baking adventure, it’s essential that you have both on hand. It’s hard to successfully and consistently tweak the balance of acid and leavening without these two very important baking essentials. 

Now! Have any questions?  Ask them below!  We’ll get chatting!