If you’re entering our Easter Bake-Off this weekend, we thought you might like a few tips from one of our judges, Cake-Friday’s Gemma Singleton, to help you bake the perfect cake.

1. Follow the recipe!

Baking is like chemistry, if you use too much or not enough of one ingredient, your results won’t be as good, so make sure you weigh your ingredients very carefully and don’t start throwing in bits and pieces that could mess up the formula!

2. Use eggs at room temperature!

If you’re using softened butter, using eggs from the fridge will simply cool the butter down quickly again, causing it to solidify, and this could make your mixture look like it’s curdling! Using butter and eggs at room temperature will ensure you end up with a smooth batter.

3. Get it in the oven quickly!

Once you’ve whipped up your batter, get it straight into your cake tin/cupcake cases and into your pre-heated oven (always pre-heat – cakes need a constant temperature). Letting the batter sit for a while might stop it from rising as well depending on the recipe.

4. Test if it’s ready!

A cocktail stick, knife or a skewer inserted into the centre of your cake should come out clean if the cake is fully baked. If it comes out wet and sticky, the batter hasn’t cooked through, so pop it back in for a few minutes before checking again.

5. Allow to cool before turning out!

Baking is all about patience… If you turn out your cake onto a wire rack straight from the oven, it is a recipe for disaster! The cake needs to cool before you turn it out or it could break apart, so be patient, the time it takes to make and drink a cuppa is usually enough.

Now get decorating!

Don’t forget, cakes are all about enjoyment… bake by yourself or with friends, but above all, HAVE FUN! See you at the Bake-Off.