Preparing to make a cake (baking picture dictionary)

Introducing: a baking picture dictionary!

by Lili
April 12, 2016
24 comments
baking picture dictionary, Cake news and fun

Preparing for my first baking workshop last weekend in Barcelona gave me the impetus to create a baking dictionary helpful for following recipes in English, especially if you’re not a native speaker.  You can of course teach kids with these drawings but adults love doodles too.  In my Spanglish workshop they helped explain or consolidate language and could be even more useful if the participants later follow my recipes online.  Here’s the second:

More kitchen utensils and stuff for making cakes (baking picture dictionary)

2. More kitchen utensils and stuff for making cakes

This one will be helpful when making pastry and tarts but I did point out the freezer and say ‘in the freezer’ various times during the workshop.  I could hear some participants repeating ‘freezer’ in that kind of language-learning echo.  Have I mentioned my day job is English teacher, teaching little kids?  One of the workshop participants kindly said I combined my colours very well in my drawings.  Yes, I replied, I learnt that from the kids!  I really did.  :).

Baking equipment and vocab

Number 3 here helped explain how the bain marie for melting our chocolate should be on a low simmer.  I love visuals.  Seriously, I don’t know how to say ‘simmer’ in Spanish so the pictures made the explanation quicker and simpler.

Baking equipment and vocab

3. Baking equipment and vocab

Making a cake

And when it was time to make the cakes, number 4 consolidated the idea of first beating, then whisking and finally folding in the flour and folding or mixing in dried fruit.  We were making fruitcake so the ‘chop finely’ or ‘chop roughly’ drawings were handy too.

Making a cake - picture dictionary part 4

4. Making a cake

Next week I’ll write more about the baking workshop.  It was an interesting and educational experience for me and the participants and could be useful for you too maybe…?

Finally sweet reader I know these aren’t recipes but thought some of you could find them handy (or just pretty!) so I’m introducing them to you with this post.  They can be found in my baking picture dictionary section for future reference.  Let me know what you think of them if you like or have any ideas for more categories and pictures.  An Instagram friend has already suggested ‘baking disasters’ and I’m looking forward to drawing things like ‘burnt’, ‘overmixed’ and ‘a complete disaster’.  Lol.

Have a lovely week ahead!  Happy baking and eating! 🙂  Lili x

 

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Baking on Sundays with my French mum was a lovely part of my childhood. Later I experimented with baking books or internet recipes and did the pâtisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Still trying out new recipes and inventing cakes with influences from all around the world, including some healthier ones. Yes, love cakes!!! Hope you'll love them too and have fun baking. :)

24 thoughts on “Introducing: a baking picture dictionary!”

  2. Sarah Ferguson and Choppy says:

    I think this would be helpful for native speakers as well – I always forget that other people don’t necessarily understand all the cooking terms that get used in recipes, because I’m so used to all of them.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Lili says:

      You’re so right Sarah! (and Choppy) At the workshop I discovered that using measuring spoons, weighing scales and even folding in flour was new to almost everyone in both Spanish and English. I’d also forgotten that ‘common’ baking language isn’t necessarily commonly-known. Something interesting to keep in mind for this blog! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      • Sarah Ferguson and Choppy says:

        At least with the Internet, people can look up a term if they need to – though I suppose many people just see something like “fold in” and just start mixing, assuming it’s the same thing.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Lili says:

        True… internet’s great for learning stuff like ‘fold in’ from a youtube video. My drawing would only be any good for someone with ‘folding’ experience…aww.. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Nancy says:

    I’ve always felt your doodles give your posts a unique quality, Lili. I LOVE them… and until now, never thought about how helpful they are to those when English is not their first language. How lovely that they’re multi functional!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lili says:

      Thank you Nancy! Happy you like the drawings … I only realised they could be that helpful recently because of comments from Instagram friends. So I’ve been encouraged to keep drawing… when there’s time. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lili says:

      Thank you Marianne and you’re very welcome! I’m happy if the drawings can be helpful and I’ll try to draw more when I can. Have a lovely day too! Lili

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Sarah says:

    Love your illustrations! These are so useful even for English speakers, as not everyone has the vocabulary! And now I can point to something when I’m trying to ask my own language tutor how to say these things in Japanese!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lili says:

      Thanks so much for the lovely feedback Sarah! I’m so pleased these illustrations are useful for you and that’s so great you’re learning Japanese. 🙂

      Like

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