Want to use less butter in your baking? You can make your baked treat a little healthier by substituting half the amount of butter with avocado. To help you with measurements, one avocado equals about three quarters of a cup of butter. Don’t be tempted to substitute all the butter, though – if you do, your baked treat will fall flat!

Children like to feel like they have a responsibility. Put your kid in charge of the plastic mixing bowl. Let them get it out of the cupboard, lick it out once the mixture’s been used and wash it afterwards.

Sitting your kids on the counter top can be dangerous. To help child see what is happening, place a step in front of you and let him or her stand on the top step while you mix up the ingredients. You’ll keep your little one right in front of you without excluding him or her from the fun.

To make sure your child’s attention doesn’t wander while you’re baking together, give him or her their own plastic spoon to mix with. They’ll feel like they’re part of the fun and it will keep their little hands occupied and out of trouble.

If you’ve got kids around, you know how easily accidents can happen in the kitchen. Use stickers to help them to remember what they shouldn’t touch. Put green stickers on safe-to-use objects and yellow stickers on Mommy-only items (like the oven) so your children know what is safe to play with and what is not.  

You don’t need to cut your cake to see if it needs more time in the oven. Take a look at the edges of the baked treat. If it’s just starting to pull away from the pan, it’s just right. Or you can stick a tooth pick, thin knitting needle or knife into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean – i.e. with no batter streaks – it’s ready to be sliced and enjoyed!