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 When I first started baking everything was a learning process.  No one in my family bakes, well no one in my family cooks for that matter.  Each time I bake I find I learn something new.  I have learned lots of what I know from cookbooks.  One of the best baking cookbooks I own is Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.  This books is full of tips and instructions for people just starting out in the world of baking.  Here are a few of the general tips that I have found most helpful to me when baking.

1. Pre-measure ingredients when baking.  I know the little bowls drive people nuts, but having your ingredients ready to go when you have your stand mixer running is invaluable.  You will be thankful you have everything ready to go when you are. 
2. Measure flour properly - I know you are probably getting tired of hearing this one, but it is very important.  It is estimated that you can wind up with 25% more flour if you measure it improperly.(That can mean the difference between a light and airy cake and a dense one.)  Refer to my photo tour of flour measuring for more on this point. 
3. When mixing a cake always start and end with your flour mixture.  You will find the ingredients come together better and there is less chance of your mixture separating. 
4. Get your ingredients to room temperature.  This is another extremely important point.  If your recipes calls for room temperature ingredients, be sure they have been sitting out long enough to have come up to room temperature.  Your mixes will come together so much better, no lumps!
5. Be sure to prepare your pans.  By this I mean coating them and dusting them with flour or lining your sheets with parchment paper.  Nobody wants to spend all day making a really beautiful cake that sticks to the pan. 
6. Invest in cooling racks.  I don’t think I could live without my cooling racks.  Let your baked goods cool for 5 or 10 minutes in their pans and then transfer to cooling racks. 
7. Have fun!  Baking shouldn’t be a challenge, it should be a great time to play with your food.  You will definitely feel a sense of accomplishment after you bake your first really great pan of cookies!