The Measuring Mistake That Might Ruin Your Bake

One day you bake a bunch of cupcakes, and they turn out perfectly — they're moist with the perfect texture and sweetness. But the next time you bake again, using the exact same recipe, they don't turn out so well. You can't figure out why. What did you do wrong? There could be a number of possibilities: perhaps the oven was too hot or too cold, perhaps the ingredients were at the wrong temperature, or perhaps your measurements weren't quite right. 

As Physics World points out, "Baking is like a scientific experiment, combining the reactions of chemistry, the processes of biology, and the laws of physics." In fact, Great British Baking Show season 10 winner, Dr. Rahul Mandal works in the field of metrology research. He told Physics World that he is able to use scientific thinking when baking. "Just like any other experiment, understanding how baking works is the key to ensuring the quality of the results," he said.

While it's understandable that people want to get creative in the kitchen, getting the fundamentals right is important. Imperial Sugar Chef Eddy Van Damme says, "Adding a few extra blueberries to a muffin batter or extra raisins to cookies won't change things, but for the main ingredients, it's important to be precise." 

The Food Network points out that digital scales are the best way to measure ingredients. However, if the recipe calls for cup measurements and you're getting your recipe from the internet, there's always a chance it's from a different country and cup sizes actually differ between the U.K. (250ml per 1 cup), the U.S. (240ml), and Korea/Japan (200ml). While it may seem like a small amount, it can make a significant variance to the consistency and outcome of your baking. 

When it comes to measuring flour by volume, how you scoop the ingredient can make a difference as well. If packed too tightly, you can end up using too much. Therefore the Food Network suggests fluffing the flour in the container with a fork and then spooning it into your cup measurement until it's heaped on top, then leveling it off with the back of a knife.

While plenty of bakers recommend baking everything from scratch, there are benefits to cooking with a packet mix as all the dry ingredients are already measured out for you. You can even make your boxed cake taste homemade by following these tips.