Summer Baking Tips

Summer is a great time of year for baking and cooking because there are many possible activities available. Barbecues, family reunions, block parties, pool parties, and summer weddings are all possible summer activities where you can bring your own baked foods. What better time is there to show off your baking skills with some light summertime recipes that are the perfect ending for any festive celebration from a backyard cookout to a beach blowout? Of course, summertime baking calls for a lighter hand with the sugars and fats, and if you are planning a day outside, food safety considerations are an absolute must. Here are some of the things that you should consider when baking in the summertime.

 1. Keep it simple. Summer is not the time for elaborate cakes and recipes. Heat and humidity are the enemy for most kinds of frosting and glazes, and can make ruin most baked goods. Keep summertime baking on the light side too, sponge cakes and meringues are great summer dessert bases.
2. Avoid dairy-based fillings and toppings that will spoil in the heat. Whipped cream frostings and custard fillings are usually a poor idea for any outdoor event in the summertime. If you are unable to keep éclairs and cream puffs on ice for the duration of the event, save them for another time of year.
3. Reduce sugar. Instead of sweetening fruits with sugar, try adding spices and flavor enhancers like vanilla, cinnamon or lemon zest.
4. Take advantage of summer’s bounty. Fresh peaches, berries and melons are perfect desserts all by themselves, but if you want to go a little fancier, here are some tips for using fresh fruits in your summer baking. Riper fruits are juicier and sweeter, so you use less sugar to get the sweetness you want. Instead of sprinkling berries with sugar to ‘bring out the juice’, try macerating them in orange juice or a few tablespoons of liqueur. Mix berries or sliced peaches with a little bit of lemon juice, add water and cornstarch and boil until the fruit is soft and pulpy. Strain off the liquid to use as glaze in fruit desserts, and puree the fruit to use in place of fat and sugar in cake recipes. Top meringue cakes or sponge cakes with fresh fruit and a spoonful of freshly whipped cream for the perfect summer dessert.
5. Lighten up cake, bars, cookies and cupcake recipes with sweeteners. There are a number of sugar substitutes on the market that have versions made expressly for baking, such as Splenda Sugar Blend, a natural sugar substitute. Any of these can be substituted for sugar in recipes on a one for one basis. 



About Author:
Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to food and cooking often discussing specific products such as Baking Pans. Article Source: http://freewebcontents.com