Bakers are made, not born.
Don’t believe me?
A few years ago, my cakes (and my photography) looked like this:
Notice how this cake is leaning precariously to one side and the very runny icing is pooling in the middle?
*Cringe*
At least my daughter looks darling in her cute fairy-outfit-over-pyjamas look. (Wait, did that comment just turn me into a Mommy Blogger? lol)
The photograph says it all: I used to SUCK as a baker.
But over the last couple of years my baking has improved a lot. Over the last year it’s improved dramatically.
Why?
Mostly, I’ve made more of an effort. I studied cookbooks and food blogs, bought some great kitchen gadgets (a revolving cake stand, an offset spatula, assorted cake pans and cooling racks), and kept the pantry stocked with baking essentials (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, coconut, and icing sugar) so I could bake whenever the urge arose.
But credit must also go to my latest kitchen accessory and my serious new crush, the KitchenAid Artistan Stand Mixer.
A few months ago, I received an email from the good folk at Filtered Media about KitchenAid. I responded and not long after a red KitchenAid Artistan Stand Mixer arrived at my home for a test drive.
Now I’d never had a stand mixer before and had always been curious about Kitchenaid’s stand mixers. Yes, the looked gorgeous, and came in variety of fantastic colours but what was the fascination with them all about? Were they really that good? Or was it a case of style over substance?
Over the next few months I used the KitchenAid Artistan Stand Mixer regularly, up to four times a week. I made cakes, meringues, pavlovas, custards, ice creams, biscuits, Swiss meringue buttercream and slices.
It was a revelation.
I’m an impatient person so holding a hand mixer for 10 minutes to cream some eggs and sugar together is not my idea of fun. I usually manage around three minutes before getting bored and chucking the mixture in the pan. This might be OK for some cakes but for others it was a disaster.
So I love being able to pop the ingredients into the mixing bowl and then potter around the kitchen while the KitchenAid Artistan Stand Mixer worked its magic.
Moreover, the cakes it produces are impressive.
Check out the height of this meringue on this Quince Meringue Pie.
I made the exact same cake two days earlier with my hand mixer and it didn’t look anything like that.
Now have a look at the Dark Chocolate & Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Cake I made for my daughter’s sixth birthday party.
Yes, I know the Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream has separated a little – I was up late prepping and couldn’t be bothered waiting for the butter to chill. Still, it’s not a bad looking cake and it tasted magnificent.
Perhaps you’re more into trifles?
This was a berry trifle I made for a commissioned e-book. It was a real hit at a family dinner.
Speaking of hits, do you like cake pops?
These were some delightful and not-too-sweet cake pops that I made for my daughter’s party.
Perhaps you’d prefer something a little healthier?
That was my Berry Pistachio Tart with a wholemeal base I made for Sweet Adventures’ Nuts about Nuts bloghop.
Now it’s true that most of these cakes could have been made equally well with a hand mixer, especially for more patient types. But would you have actually baked them or just thought about it and decided it was too hard most of the time?
But even if you are are a motivated and patient baker, it’s when you’re baking cakes like sponges that the KitchenAid Artistan Stand Mixer really earns its keep.
Check out this Instagram of a Victoria Sponge with Berries I made for About.com.
The cake mixture needs to be beaten for a full 10 minutes: it’s the only way to get that fabulous height.
I’d never made a Sponge Cake before because I didn’t feel like I had 10 minutes of my life to spare to hold a hand mixer. But now I just chuck all the ingredients into the KitchenAid Artistan Stand Mixer and it does the heavy lifting for me.
*Sniffs. Wipes tear.*
I love it and I can’t imagine my life without it now.
What about you, dear reader? Do you use a hand mixer or stand mixer? And how does it affect your baking?
*** Upcoming Giveaway ***
Do you love KitchenAid, too? Next week I’ll be giving away two packs containing a KitchenAid Artisan 2-slice Toaster plus a KitchenAid Artisan Coffee Maker for Father’s Day! Don’t miss your chance to win this fantastic prize.
With thanks to Lisa McLean and Sarah Broome at Filtered Media.
