Sterling Kalogeras: Grade 7

Cooking is a lot of fun. So is baking, but I am not really very good at it. It is hard to prepare homemade muffins or freshly baked cakes. While it’s fun to do this once in a while, for amateurs (like me), it is okay to start off with baking mixes. This can get very boring, however, so here are my “piece of cake” tips and tricks to enhance your baked goods:

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream

Depending on what you want to add, if you are making cookies, brownies, or cakes, add your favorite ice cream topping. For the mix, you can add your favorite M&Ms (personally, I think original works best) or rainbow sprinkles. These add a lot of color to your treat. These also provide some texture. If you want a lot of texture, add more of these, or mix and match. On top, you can add the iconic ice cream topping of whipped cream (and even a cherry on top).

Double The Trouble!

If you are a chocolate fan, do not be shy to add double the amount of chocolate chips in cookie batter. This will result in a truly sweet treat. Also, if you are making chocolate chip cookies, add the same amount of white chocolate chips to get a different flavor combination.

Something I like to try to do is to create a two-layer cake, but I don’t have the equipment I need. Actually, I do! When you pull your cake out of the oven, just split it in half. You’ll need to make sure the tops and bottoms are flat. Be sure to buy double the amount of pre-made frosting. Place one piece on the bottom, frost the top, and place the second piece on the top. Cover the rest in frosting. Now for the fun part: decorate with icing as you wish!

Texture Is Key

You can change the texture of the cake to make it more dense or airy using eggs. To make your cake’s texture dense, add the amount of eggs the mix says, but use only the yolks. Depending on the size of the cake, add one to two more yolks. If you want your cake to have a texture similar to angel cake, do the same, but only with egg whites.

Milk On The Side

Milk and cookies. What a classic combination. But what about milk and cake? If you are making a chocolate cake, pouring a glass of milk for the side will make it so much better. For yellow or vanilla cake, add some chocolate syrup to the milk and mix well for chocolate milk. When you’re finished, don’t forget to wipe off your milk mustache!