CREATING MAGIC

Natalie Paull, chef, lover of all things sweet and owner of café Beatrix Bakes shares some of the secrets to baking success that she’s gained over the years.

SPEED QUEEN I never use the top speed on a mixer, even for whipping. It flings strands of the mix up the side of the bowl and away from the main mass of the batter or mix you are trying to build structure into. Beating a little slower allows more air in over the extra time it takes to beat the mix. Make speed 8 (under high) your new top speed.

Resting is usually reserved for the realm of meat cookery, but cakes and custards can glide to perfection in exactly the same way. Brown butter and caramels benefit from this technique; they heat up so quickly they can accelerate alarmingly fast, past the optimal temperature. And the best technique to melt chocolate is to bring a saucepan of water to the boil, turn it off, then nest the chocolate in a heatproof bowl on top. Cakes, too, will keep cooking when taken from the oven, so I like to have a few moist crumbs (not wet or raw batter) on my testing skewer. Resting also refers to the bakes that are left to set or ripen overnight. Cake develops a better flavour if rested for at least