Teaching Kids How To Bake a Cake

One of the best ways to get kids interested in baking is to let them play an important part in the process. Instead of asking kids to simply observe the preparation of a cake recipe, give them things to do! Of course, parents should give kids age-appropriate tasks when undertaking a cake recipe. Older kids will be able to do more things than younger children, but everyone can have a role in baking a cake. Putting together a cake recipe with kids allows them to learn more about baking and cooking while creating a treat for everyone to enjoy. The following discusses specific ways to get kids interested in baking a cake for family and friends.

First, read through the complete recipe with the children. Be sure to highlight significant points such as the amount of time to bake the cake and the temperature of the oven. Younger children can read the small words and older children can read the more difficult ones. Parents may want to point out the measurements and amounts of ingredients necessary to make the recipe work. It’s a good idea to explain to the kids that using the proper measurements of ingredients is an important part of baking. It’s helpful to take out the measuring cups and spoons to show the kids what they look like and explain how they work. Parents can take the opportunity to teach the children about the nutritional values of the ingredients. Kids can help to write a shopping list that includes all of the ingredients. Later on, take the kids to the store to shop for the ingredients. Both older and younger children can help to collect the various items and put them in the shopping cart. Comparing prices and brands is something parents can delve into with the older children. By doing this, kids learn about the prices of items as well as their location in the grocery store. Furthermore, parents can teach the kids how to read the nutritional labels on each of the items needed for the cake. This helps the kids to get accustomed to reading these labels on any food they purchase.

Before beginning to make the cake recipe at home, assign the children various tasks. Younger children can dump ingredients into the mixing bowl and spread the frosting on the cake. Teenagers can mix the ingredients, crack eggs, and put the cake into the oven. All of this should be done under the supervision of an adult. Baking with children is a wonderful opportunity to teach them about some of the utensils in the kitchen. Let the children hold and use items like the flour sifter and the colander. Handling these items may spark further interest in the baking process. Using a toothpick, parents can show kids how to determine if the cake is done. Also, they can teach children about letting the cake cool completely before frosting it. Once kids get used to the process of making a cake, parents can let them select an easy cake recipe. Furthermore, letting kids decide how to decorate a cake is a great way to stir up enthusiasm about the baking process. Not surprisingly, kids feel a sense of accomplishment when they contribute efforts to the preparation of a cake. This can prompt a kid to want to make more dessert recipes or even move on to some entrees!

Finally, allowing kids to help bake a cake gives them the opportunity to learn more about the food they eat as well as general nutritional information. Also, they get a chance to enjoy eating something that they helped to prepare! They learn about every aspect of making a cake from buying the ingredients to cleaning up the mess afterward. In addition, with each baking project, they will become more accustomed to how things work in a kitchen. Unfortunately, many kids are ignorant of how to make the simplest of meals for themselves. Alternatively, young kids who get a chance to help create recipes in the kitchen are more capable of making dishes for themselves as they grow older. A cake baking project and other cooking projects give kids a tremendous sense of accomplishment as well as the confidence to try more cooking projects.

Written by: Grace Nancy