Like every hobby or skill, baking follows a path that starts with basic creations and grows to complex confections.
It’s easy to find achievable baking recipes out there for beginner bakers, but what if you’re no longer a newb and not yet a pro?
There are plenty of baking ideas for intermediate bakers. Not sure where to start finding them? Read on!
What Should an Intermediate Baker Bake?
First, let’s answer this: what is an intermediate baker? An intermediate baker is someone who has a bit of experience with baking.
They’re not new to the practice, but they’re still learning and developing beginner baking skills.
They may have gotten the hang of the introductory recipes like basic cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and muffins.
Now, they’re venturing into using new tools and techniques, as well as discovering more complex recipes. They’ll use their mastery of the basics and build upon it.
Now, you may be asking, “Okay, that’s me. So what are some cool things to bake then?”
“Cool” is relative, so it really depends on what you’re into! Some questions you could ask yourself that might point you in the right direction are:
What can I bake to impress my friends?
What baked goods are trending?
These are great starting points to explore baking ideas for intermediate bakers.
By considering what you can share with friends or what might be popular (meaning, there’ll be plenty of recipes out there about it), you can narrow down some options.
6 Impressive Baking Recipes for Intermediate Bakers
Speaking of options, we have some suggestions for all our intermediate bakers out there.
This isn’t just any old cake, it’s a party cake. Better yet? No birthday required! Make it just for funsies if you want to.
This Confetti Birthday Cake baking kit is a great opportunity to practice working with more than one cake layer and decorating the icing with a swath of sprinkles.
In this kit, all the ingredients come pre-measured, so you can get right to baking.
New York Cheesecake
Is it a pie or a cake? Either way, baking a New York Cheesecake will help you advance your cake-making skills, like whipping the batter, while providing a soft introduction to pie methodology.
New York Cheesecake is plain, but you’re welcome to experiment with add-ins and add-ons like berries or caramel sauce.
Get creative with your hot cocoa. Perfect for gifts (whether it’s for loved ones or yourself, we won’t judge), this Mexican Hot Cocoa Bombes baking kit is a fun first foray into chocolatier-ing.
Once again, the ingredients in this kit come pre-measured with an easy-to-follow instruction card.
Ready to level up your cookie game? Linzer cookies are a European classic, taking inspiration from berry-based tarts and pies.
This Linzer Cookies baking kit is an excellent introduction to more intensive cookie-making since you’ll be adding a dollop of jam to the mix. And, you guessed it, pre-measured ingredients and instructions are included.
Want to get into the bread realm, but not quite ready to tackle actual loaves yet? English muffins are the way to go!
With this baking kit, you’ll practice working with yeast in your dough (it’s not as tricky as it seems if you start in the right place!). Soon, you’ll be ready to move on to other breads.
Cinnamon Rolls
It’s time to step up from the pre-packaged cinnamon rolls in a tube—although, they’re still fun to enjoy when you don’t feel like putting the work in.
Making cinnamon rolls from scratch is another way to practice working with yeast for those with more of a sweet tooth. You’ll also learn how to roll the dough up, which is a skill used in other fun recipes like Yule Log cakes, Swiss rolls, and pumpkin rolls.