Here's my beginners baking essentials ingredients list! I keep these ingredients stocked in my pantry and in my fridge to ensure I can whip something up without having to dash to the grocery store! Make sure to download the printable PDF to safe yourself from forgetting to pick something up at the store.
There are hundreds of baking ingredients you could buy, but really you can get by with a few essential baking ingredients. These ingredients are particularly appropriate if you intend to bake cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and muffins.
Essential Ingredients You Need:
Dry Goods
- Unbleached, all-purpose flour
- AP flour is used in nearly all of my recipes! It creates the base for our baked goods.
- Baking Soda
- This is a chemical leavener that helps baked goods rise and create a delicious airy baked good. Don’t buy in huge quantities because it needs to be fresh to work!
- Baking Powder
- Also a chemical leavener creating rise in baked goods. Don’t buy in huge quantities because it needs to be fresh to work!
- Salt
- Essential for flavour
- Granulated Sugar
- Provides yours sweetness! In many of my recipes it is creamed with butter. Creaming the two together creates a light and fluffy batter.
- Brown Sugar
- Different from granulated sugar, brown sugar provides a deeper more rich flavour.
- Cornstarch
- I always keep this on hand to make my own cake flour substitute! It is lower in protein than AP flour and helps to reduce gluten formation in your baked goods. Higher gluten formation means a more dense cake or cupcake. It is also used as a thickening agent in sauces and compotes.
- Cocoa Powder
- There are different types of cocoa powder. Typically I use Dutch pressed cocoa from Costco.
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- I love having these on hand for baking cookies. I tend toward semi-sweet vs. milk chocolate because I find milk chocolate can sometimes make the cookie too sweet!
Refrigerated Ingredients Essential for Bakers
- Unsalted Butter
- I always bake with unsalted butter vs. salted butter. Some recipes will call for salted butter, but when in doubt if a baking recipe doesn’t specify, your safest bet is unsalted.
- Whole Milk
- Essential for providing moisture. Make sure you use room temperature milk in all of your baking endeavours! Ingredients that are not room temperature will not incorporate fully and affect the end result.
- Eggs
- Room temperature is crucial! Ditto to above! To bring eggs to room temperature quickly (if you always forget to take them out in advance like me!!) place them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes. Be sure the water is not boiling - we don’t want to cook our eggs!!
- Cream Cheese
- I love cream cheese frosting, so this is always in my fridge!
Other Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil
- Helps to maintain moisture in baked goods.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Yes it’s expensive but imitation vanilla just doesn’t cut it. Pure vanilla extract is made directly from vanilla beans and the flavour is beautiful! I use Costco brand pure vanilla extract or my own homemade vanilla. For homemade vanilla check out Sally’s Baking Addiction
- Vinegar
- In our home we rarely stock buttermilk. In order to make homemade buttermilk you'll need vinegar. I also use it when I’m making Swiss meringue buttercream to wipe down my mixer and attachments.
Download Your Baking Shopping List
I hope my baking essentials ingredients post help you bake the perfect cake! If you are looking for recipes to try out your new stocked up pantry, click here.
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