Unique Baking Ideas For Busy Cooks
Baking is a hobby enjoyed by millions around the world. Many bakers experience periods where they can’t decide what to bake up next or find their inspiration running dry. Fortunately, there are plenty of unique combinations of flavors and bakes that will help any baker break out of a rut.
Finding something unique to bake often isn’t too tricky. You could experiment with the different flavorings you can find in your home, and don’t be afraid to use some quirky pairings. If you lead a busy life, like most bakers, and don’t have time to come up with new inspiration day after day, we’ve got a great list of some of the best unique baking ideas right here.
Rainbow Cupcakes
Rainbow cupcakes have become popular over the past few years. Who doesn’t love the winning combination of delicious cake and bright, playful colors? To make your rainbow cupcakes a success, you’ll need to use your whitest cake recipe to allow the colors to show up well.
You’ll also need quality gel food coloring to get the most vibrant colors. You could get gel in all the colors of the rainbow or save some money by getting primary colors and mixing to create orange, green and purple. The frosting you use for your rainbow cupcakes can be whatever you want, but often a simple buttercream is perfect to complement the bright colors of the cake.
Biscotti
Bakers often shy away from bakes like biscotti because they think they’re a complicated bake, but this actually couldn’t be further from the truth. There are some excellent, simple biscotti recipes out there that will help you make the perfect accompaniment to your morning cup of coffee.
You can bake biscotti using some of the most common ingredients in the kitchen: flour, eggs, sugar and oil. You can also spice up your biscotti recipe with additional flavors like cinnamon, espresso, chocolate or fruit.
Banana Bread
Banana bread is another crowd-pleasing bake that can be customized to create a unique taste experience. It’s another bake that is simple to make, and you will usually have all the ingredients you need at home already. You could spice up your banana bread by adding some chocolate chips, nuts or peanut butter. If you really want to step outside the box, consider adding a little cayenne pepper for a spicy kick.
Paleo Baked Goodies
A paleo diet is often considered a healthy option and can help weight loss or manage some chronic conditions. The paleo diet involves eating foods that early humans would have eaten before the advent of farming. This means plenty of fruit, vegs, nuts, seeds, meat and fish. Dairy products, processed foods, grains and legumes are usually avoided.
You might think that a paleo diet could make baking a challenge, but there is actually a massive range of delicious and unique baked goods for those following a paleo diet. You can find some of the tastiest options from Nora over at A Clean Bake.
Breakfast Muffins
Breakfast muffins can be an excellent baking opportunity that can give you and your family a delicious way to start the day. All you need is a muffin tray and some of your favorite breakfast foods. Eggs are essential, as they will bind together the rest of the ingredients, but aside from that, the opportunities are endless.
You could start with some chopped up bacon, cheese and eggs. Whisk the eggs up, add the cheese and bacon, spoon the mix into the muffin trays and pop them into the oven until crispy and cooked through. You could try the same with some onions and tomatoes for a healthier omelet style muffin.
Extra Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Who doesn’t love the classic chocolate chip cookie? If you want to make your cookies a bit more exciting, you could try baking an extra puffy batch to delight your kids and loved ones. All you need is your go-to cookie recipe and a package of instant pudding mix. Add the pudding mix to the cookie batter and bake as usual. The result will be chunky, puffy bites of goodness. You can experiment with different flavors of pudding to make tasty, unique cookie combinations.
Microwave Cake In A Mug
A microwave mug cake can be the perfect solution for any cooks who are really strapped for time. You’ll need to use self-raising flour rather than plain to ensure the cake rises properly. You can even mix the batter in the mug itself for a minimal clean up afterwards. You’ll need to cook the cake on a high setting for around a minute and a half or until you see the cake rising.
Make sure to keep a close eye on the cake while it’s in the microwave to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once completed, you could serve with some ice cream or whip up a quick batch of frosting. This type of cake can be an excellent option for a quick dessert or as a way to introduce kids to the joys of baking.
