8 baking mistakes beginners make, and how to fix them

1. Measuring by volume instead of weight

A cup of flour can vary a great deal depending on how it is scooped, which is enough to turn a soft cookie into a dry one. Professional kitchens weigh everything, including liquids and eggs. Fix: use a digital scale and follow recipes written in grams.

2. Trusting the oven dial

Many ovens run hotter or cooler than the dial says, and they take longer to preheat than the indicator light suggests. Fix: keep an oven thermometer on the middle shelf and preheat fully before anything goes in.

3. Using ingredients at the wrong temperature

Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in cheesecake batter. Butter that is too warm makes cookie dough greasy. Cold eggs can split a creamed mixture. Fix: read the recipe first and bring ingredients to the temperature it asks for before you start mixing.

4. Over-mixing the batter

Stirring flour and liquid develops gluten. That is useful in bread and unwelcome in pancakes, waffles and cookies, where it makes them tough. Fix: mix wet and dry ingredients only until no dry flour shows, and accept a few small lumps. For crêpes, rest the batter so the gluten relaxes and the crêpes stay thin and tender.

5. Opening the oven door too early

Every time the door opens, the temperature drops and steam escapes. Cakes can sink and cheesecakes can crack. Fix: use the oven light and wait until at least three quarters of the baking time has passed before checking.

6. Baking warm cookie dough on a hot tray

Warm dough spreads before it sets, giving thin, flat cookies that run into each other. Fix: chill portioned dough, bake on a cool lined tray, and leave space between each piece. Take cookies out when the edges are golden and the centres still look slightly soft, because they carry on cooking on the tray.

7. Cutting cheesecake before it has set

Cheesecake finishes setting in the fridge. Sliced warm, it smears and collapses. This is true for no-bake cheesecake and for San Sebastian cheesecake, which is baked very hot (the Jex Institute recipe uses 230°C) so the top burns while the centre stays creamy. Fix: cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours before slicing with a hot, clean knife.

8. Soaking sponge fingers for too long

Sponge fingers absorb liquid in a second or two. Leave them in the espresso any longer and the tiramisu turns soggy and will not hold a clean layer. Fix: dip each one quickly, lay it straight into the dish, and chill the finished dessert so the layers set.

A quick pre-bake checklist

Run through this list before you start any recipe.

• Read the whole recipe once.
• Weigh every ingredient before mixing.
• Bring ingredients to the stated temperature.
• Preheat the oven and check it with a thermometer.
• Line trays and tins before the batter is ready.
• Plan the chilling time into your schedule.

Learning these techniques hands-on

These are the same fundamentals taught in the Professional Pastry & Baking Course at Jex Institute, which covers waffles, pancakes and crêpes, tiramisu, no-bake and San Sebastian cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies and dessert decoration. Around 90% of class time is practical, ingredients are provided, and you take home what you bake. If you are planning a café menu, pair it with our guide on how to open a coffee shop in Dubai.