Desserts are a weak point in all our lives. However, at times, baking can become a tedious process. Incorporating techniques that reduce your work, or enabling less manpower, can be a boon when you must bake for a special occasion. Here are two baking methods that make those desserts yummy and easy to handle.

Melting method

A dense and moist cake, is always a delight to our taste buds. An easy and fast method of baking cakes by using the melting technique, often gives you some lip-smacking desserts. Fruit cakes and, our all-time favorite, ginger breads are also made through this method. The process begins by melting butter or any other form of fat. Next, the the eggs are added after which the dry ingredients are mixed. Baking powder or soda are essential ingredients when baking a cake using this method, because whisking isn’t possible. The precautions you need to take would be to ensure that you don’t overdevelop the gluten or over mix the mixture of your cake, it will only be dry and hard. This isn’t a tough method, and can be used often since it won’t harm your cake too much. To make a delicious gingerbread bundt you need to add butter, and sugar syrup in a pan, then mix in the dry items, fold the two until smooth.

Rubbing in method

Skill is something baking surely needs. A light touch coupled with that skill would make you master this method. Your fingers are your best tools for this method, where you rub butter in the flour and break those pieces well. This will create a sand-like texture and make crumbs. A bit of liquid and sugar is added to make it like any other dough. Like with dough, when you know the liquid is combined well, you will need to stop, it’s the same with this method. Once you’ve made it, you can create shapes that suit you best or your recipe and work with it gently. Pastries and scones use this method and so do crumble toppings. Sweet potato Scone, one dish we all love, uses this as a standard technique to bake. This technique can make the scone soft and moist, which makes it taste a whole lot better. Precautions in this method would be to not add way too much water, else the dough will be runny, and even sticky, which will make it hard to work with.

Hosting a dinner party? Let the inner chef in you emerge as you serve up some delicious and decadent desserts. Here are some quick and easy dessert recipes to treat your guests’ taste buds.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
½ tsp yellow food color (optional)
200 grams flour
100 grams butter
6 pineapple slices
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pineapple essence
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
6 tbsp sugar for caramelization
1 cup aerated soda

Method
Grease an 8 diameter baking tin and sprinkle flour. In the meantime, Pre-heat the oven at 1800C. Spread the slices of pineapple on the base, and pour hot caramel over it.
Add some sweetened condensed milk to some melted butter and pineapple essence. Beat the mixture well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour batter and aerated soda in alternation until smooth.
Shift the batter into the tin and bake for 45 minutes. Once it’s baked, shift it onto a plate.

Mango cheesecake
Ingredients
200 ml fresh cream
1/4 tsp mango essence
200 gm grated cottage cheese
400 gm mango chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp gelatin
1 tin sweetened condensed milk

Method
Use 1/2 cup water in a pan. While heating the liquid dissolve the gelatin in it. Mix the cottage cheese, sweetened condensed milk, dissolved gelatin and mango essence in a food processor until smooth
Add whipped cream to the ingredients.
Shift it all into a wet mold (using a wet mold will make it easier to remove the cake). Allow it to cool and garnish with mangoes and serve.

Chocolate bread pudding
Ingredients
1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk
2 cups milk
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 bread slices
3 tbsp chopped walnuts

Method
Melt butter and mix it with the cocoa powder, let it cook over the flame for about a minute. Add the sweetened condensed milk and milk. Let it cook into a thick mixture and then set it aside to cool.
Beat eggs into the batter and add the vanilla essence. Shape the bread into 4 triangular pieces and set into a greased glass dish. Sprinkle the walnuts over them.
Mix the flour with the batter and soak the bread in it. Allow it to bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot or cold.