If you are a beginner baker and have been wanting to try your hands at making some sweet treats, this weekend is the perfect time to get started. Step into the kitchen and prepare something warm and heartfelt for that special someone on the Valentine’s Day weekend.
One-Bowl Choco Lava Mud Cake
Think gooey, molten chocolate oozing out of a mud cake as you dip a spoon into this indulgent Valentine’s Day treat. Making this choco lava cake is hardly as complicated as it sounds. All you need to do is mix flour, cocoa powder, sugar, milk, baking powder and chocolate in a mug.
Without an oven or even a mixer grinder, the cake mixture can simply be propped into the microwave so it rises within a matter of minutes. Adorn the cake with fresh berries, strawberry syrup or a fresh raspberry jam and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Strawberry Shortcake Cups
One of the easiest, low-effort and thoroughly beginner-friendly recipes to prepare for dessert, a simple strawberry shortcake cup can be made using a store-bought sponge cake and some biscuits. Just layer pieces of sponge cake over biscuits, fresh whipped cream and strawberry chunks.
Dust a little bit of powdered sugar over the dessert cups and chill them for about half an hour before serving. What’s required of the beginner baker is a simple knowledge of layering. The shortcake recipe produces bright, sweet flavours that promise a light and fresh, yet quite intimate dessert for a Valentine’s Day date night.
Classic Butter Cookies
A beginner baker needn’t be apprehensive about making cookies. These simple butter cookies require just four ingredients, butter, sugar, vanilla essence and flour. Cream the ingredients together, shape them into cookies and place in a simple, basic oven for baking.
Once the cookies are ready, dip them in melted chocolate or top them up with whipped cream. Warm butter cookies can be served with freshly brewed black coffee or an aromatic tea like lavender or jasmine while organising a Galentine’s tea party or an intimate coffee date with a special someone.
Banana Walnut Tea Cake
One of the most basic cakes that beginner bakers can prepare is a loaf of banana bread or a banana and walnut tea cake. Flour, eggs, butter, milk and sugar come together with mashed bananas and crushed walnut chunks in this cake batter.
Simply fold in the ingredients into creamed butter and sugar and bake well for about half an hour to 45 minutes. Dust the ready tea cake with a little bit of cinnamon sugar to undercut the sweetness of the overripe bananas used while baking. Slice the loaf cake into little squares and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Whether making them in the oven or in a pressure cooker, chocolate chip muffins can be prepared with great ease, no fancy apparatus required. Just mix flour, chocolate chips, eggs, baking powder and a bit of milk into a slightly lumpy batter.
Pour this into muffin moulds and bake or steam in the cooker. Let the muffins cook completely for at least half an hour. The warm chocolate chip muffins can be served with vanilla or chocolate ice cream at your Valentine’s Day dessert hour.
Pro Tip: One of the best hacks for the beginner baker to master the art of making fresh baked goodies is precise measurement. Mix ingredients in the perfect ratios and never forget to preheat the oven or the pressure cooker before baking.