5 Tips For Making An Amazing Cake at Home

Our next Simply Stylist Session at the Grove is just the thing to get you ready for the holidays! This 3-hour course will teach attendees how to throw the best (and most budget-friendly!) party ever. From creating a Pinterest-worthy tablescape, and even to DIY cakes & desserts, this Session will help you brush up on your hostess and party-planning skills!  We’ve enlisted Lauren Gores Ireland of You & Lu and Liz Johnson of Lizzie’s Bakery to teach attendees everything they need to know about DIY. Keep reading to learn more about Liz Johnson & her 5 tips for baking at home!

Liz is a Utah native, where she graduated from Brigham Young University in Advertising and Communications, and recently relocated to the Los Angeles area. After working in the advertising industry for 2 years, Liz decided to turn her side hobby into a dream job! Liz is a self-taught baker and the owner of Lizzie’s Bakery, an in-home bakery where she specializes in custom cakes and desserts. Be sure to purchase your tickets HERE to learn from Liz at our Session — in the meantime, here are 5 of Liz’s tips for making baked goodies at home!

1. Always start the day before! This will make life soooo much easier.  For example, if you have a party coming up on a Friday night and you want to have your cake ready by then - start baking your cake Thursday, let them cool overnight and then frost/decorate the day of! The most stressful times I've ever had was when I decided to make my cakes the day of and I didn't have time for them to cool and I mess the cakes up every time because I'm in a rush to put them together for some type of event.  Patience is key to making cakes.

2. Have the necessary tools! You really just need a turntable, offset frosting spatula, bench scraper/icing smoother (for frosting smooth sides) and a serrated knife (to level your cakes) or a cake leveler, cake pans, parchment paper and oil spray!  Less than 10 items!

3. Always always always use room temperature ingredients! That includes eggs, milk, and BUTTER! If you're short on time, you have a microwave that can help you warm things up a bit. This helps by bringing all of the ingredients together easier.

4. Measure EVERYTHING! Baking is a science. Estimating the measurements of an ingredient in a recipe spells disaster. While you can easily get away with a handful of this or that when you’re cooking dinner, even the slightest miscalculation could turn your soft-baked chocolate chip cookies into rocks. Understanding the correct measuring technique for a particular ingredient will guarantee better baking results. Soft cookies, fluffy cakes, flaky crust!

5. Go beyond the frosting. I love adding fruit curd between the layers of a cake.  It adds a tart flavor for a break from that sugary frosting, as well as another texture. I like lemon curd and raspberry jam, but you can experiment with any kind of preserves you like.