You are here: Home > Food

WW | Food blog

ww |

blog

 Pamela Clark, Director AWW Test Kitchen Pamela Clark, Director of the AWW Test Kitchen"Not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask my advice about a recipe, a cooking query, or some problem related to the kitchen." Share in Pamela's 47 years of food expertise as she invites you to discuss the ins and outs of cooking, recipes, techniques and more...

Food blog

 Food blog

Questions about baking

 5/10/2009 10:21:00 AM, Pamela Clark Prev Next Raspberry swirl cake


For as long as I can remember, I loved to eat baked goodies and as soon as I realised I could learn to bake myself, I was onto it!

One of my fondest memories of my great-grandmother was her hastily whipping up a batch of scones as various relatives appeared at her place unannounced. The oven was old, but always seemed to be ready to go — and, the scones that came out of that oven were something else! My grandmother and mother were also good bakers, but now that I think back, they all had fairly limited repertoires of recipes.

I started baking when I was 11 in high school, where I was encouraged by my home-science teacher. My interest grew especially when I started working in the food industry. Wherever I go, I'm asked about baking, either about an ongoing problem with a recipe, or for a particular recipe. After many decades in the world of food, I do know most of the answers.

In The Australian Women's Weekly test kitchen, we get many phone calls, e-mails and letters, about 90 percent of which are questions about baking. So, we thought it was high time we did a Q&A book on the subject, especially since there seems to be renewed interest in what some misguided people think is an old-fashioned subject.

This little book, called Q&A Bake, RRP $14.95 (note the wheat-yellow cover) is a companion book to its big sister Bake. It's full of everyday questions on baking that I've been asked over and over during my long career in food.

Your say: What baing questions do you have for Pamela? What is your favourite thing to bake? Share with us below...

User comments
Hi Pamela Last year I made the Woman's Weekly 'Grand Marnier Fruit Cake' which, for my first attempt, turned out really well. This year I would like to make two smaller cakes using the same recipe, as I need to give one to my Mum in Perth and one to my husband's family in Newcaste. Can you please tell me what adjustments I need to make to do this, ie size of baking tin, ingreidents, cooking time? Regards Kristen
Hi Pamela, I am desperately seeking a lost recipe for gingerbread houses from an AWW in the late 1990's, the recipe specifically included grated lemon peel. Are you able to go into your archive section for this. Cheers Jean
I tried the white chocolate mud cakes as the base for the coconut topping from the Cupcakes cookbook & for the first time in years it did not work! I am an experienced baker & was wondering about the recipe, have you had other complaints about that recipe?
Hi Pamela, I am going crazy trying to locate a recipe I took out of the AWW, I thought the June issue, it was a torte made of hazelnut meringue layers, drizzled with chocolate, coffee filling and topped with blueberries dusted with cocoa. Can you please help? I can't locate it in the AWW recipes. It was just delicious and I wanted to make it again tomorrow for visitors.
Hi Pamela! I love pies and have baked crumbles many times. I am not good with making the pie dough from scratch, it's mostly a lot of patching up the holes when I finally get the dough into the pie pan. I would like to make a pie for my mom, is there a way I can remove the pie from the pan perfectly? Can I line the pan with parchment before pressing in the dough? Many thanks in advance for your kind advice!
Hi Pamela, I, like you, love to bake anything sweet. I have been baking since I was a teenager and learnt how to cook in Home Ec. I bake all sorts of things, from mudcakes to biscuits, slices, cheesecakes, desserts, muffins, cakes, gingerbread houses etc etc. I used to enjoy watching you and I think it was Alex,cook on Fresh but sadly it no longer airs in Adelaide. My question to you is, Can you give me any tips on making a swiss roll? I have tried several recipes where the cake has turned out OK until I go to roll it and it either gets stuck on the baking paper or it cracks when I roll it. Some of the recipes say to let it cool 10 minutes before you turn it out and others say to turn it out onto baking paper and roll it and then let it cool before unrolling and filling, I have tried both and always end up with the cake stuck to the baking paper. I have another recipe that says to turn the cake out onto a teatowel, do you think that would work??

Write a comment
Email: *
Your email will not be shared with any third parties or published with your comment.
Nickname: *
Location: *

Title:
*
Comment:
*
Maximum characters 1000

Comment guidelines
Avoid using:
  • Personal attacks
  • Irrelevant comments
  • HTML tags
  • Personal information
  • Offensive language
  • Text in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
See full comment guidelines
comment guidelines X
Thank you for sharing your opinions with other users of NineMSN. People will find your comments more helpful if you include relevant information and avoid some common pitfalls.
Please note: All reviews and comments submitted are subject to moderation, NineMSN reserves the right to alter and / or remove any content that does not comply with usage guidelines.
What to include in your comment:
  • A title that briefly summarizes the opinion expressed in the comment.
  • Additional comments adding more detail.
  • Comparisons to other similar products, if this is relevant.
  • To create a new paragraph, press the Enter key twice.
What not to include:
  • Information that will quickly go out of date.
  • Comments on other comments or commenters.
  • Language that other users may find offensive.
  • comments of one sentence or less. Provide information to support your opinion.
  • Personal information like your email address or telephone number.
  • HTML coding. Tags like <b> or <i> will not be recognized.

Other blogs

Eating Together and The Complete CookLast week I went to the 20th birthday party of Sydney's famous Seafood School. It was a ... READ MORE Conjoined twins miracle separationThe Bangladeshi toddlers, Trishna and Krishna, will soon greet the world for the first ... READ MORE How to keep your New Year's resolutionsWith summer and a new year fast approaching, many of us may be thinking about New Year's ... READ MORE Hail to Gail? Why wait for the banks — make your money work harder!Our banks have been barking about the heavy taxing on the interest we earn from our ... READ MORE

Recipe Search

Tip: Try "lamb & potato" or "Low GI"
advertisement
Features
Pictures
Video
Say good riddance to fat: Manage the IN vs OUTMagazines feature new fad diets every week. Low fat, no carbs, South Beach Diet, cabbage soup diet, high fat, Atkins … are you confused? Fed up with all the hype and the fact you are still trying to lose weight? Read on. Robin Hood for divorced womenYou hear the same old story trumped out a lot, the woman who was happily married to a well off man in a wealthy suburb, has three young children then all of a sudden, he moves out. The no-diet weight loss strategy that actually worksThe no-diet weight loss strategy that actually works. Strength training for women; the secret to an amazing body at any ageStrength training does not make you 'big'. To get big muscles you need to train a lot, very hard and with very heavy weights and you also need testosterone. This is hard enough for men and extremely difficult for women... Overcoming the weight loss plateauHere’s something you won’t read about all that often: weight loss is not a linear process. In other words, you’re unlikely to lose a predictable 1 or 2 kilograms per week until you get down to where you want to be.
ww |

inspire me

Chocolate to help you lose weight

Chocolate to help you lose weightIt's the news we've all been waiting to hear: chocolatiers in Spain have...More >

2-in-1 basic fruit mix

2-in-1 basic fruit mix2-in-1 basic fruit mixMore >

Recipes in your inbox

Recipes in your inboxWe send you the latest recipes from the weekly straight to your inbox.
Sign up now >
ww |

topics

Handy hints(740)/ Expert advice(533)/ natural health(427)/ diet(265)/ Gardening(190)/ Books(179)/ Craft(165)/ Cleaning tips(149)/ Kids(121)/ Health(101)/ Beauty(95)