With the popularity of baking shows growing each year, more and more of us are becoming interested in baking at home. We decided to ask our wonderful loveFOOD readers for their advice on how to make successful cakes, breads, pies, tarts and more. The response was fantastic. Here we've whittled down hundreds of entries to 33 of the best baking tips.

There's nothing worse than starting to cook only to discover you've run out of one or more of the ingredients, so it’s worth keeping the cupboard stocked with the basic items you need to bake – think different types of flour and sugar, dried fruit, baking powder, dried yeast and bicarbonate of soda. It's also worth keeping pints of milk and blocks of butter in the freezer.

Spices taste fresher for longer when bought whole. Grind them yourself with a pestle and mortar, a spice grinder or even a coffee grinder. Not sure which spices to stock up on? These are our essentials. 

Picking the right music to help you relax and focus on the job was one of your top tips. Try putting on your favourite playlist next time you start a baking project.

It takes moments to put one on and saves many mishaps, especially if you’re cooking with kids.

If you don't bake what you enjoy eating the cooking will feel like a chore. Pick something you love to eat and there's a much better chance it will turn out alright.

Take your time – if you rush, cut corners, or bake while you’re angry or upset you’re more likely to make mistakes and be unhappy with the result.

Subtle instructions can be missed so read every recipe thoroughly. You recommend reading it twice, so you know what you’re doing before you start.

If you can, always buy local, in season, organic or the best quality you can afford. Many readers agreed that you notice the difference.

Use the freshest eggs you can find and aim to use the right size, as per the recipe. Too much or too little egg can affect the outcome of a bake.

If chilled ingredients are at room temperature before you begin they’re easier to work with.

When it comes to prep, heat is a baker’s enemy. Work in a cool kitchen and wash your hands in cold water before handling pastry. Chill a rolling pin in the fridge – a cold rolling pin doesn’t stick to pastry – and invest in a marble board to keep pastry cool as you work it.

Puff pastry is notoriously fiddly and time-consuming to make so having packets of ready-made in your fridge or freezer saves time and effort. It can be used to rustle up a quick dessert, savoury tart or canapés. Get the all-butter variety and you can't go wrong.

Reset scales before each use: they’re often off the mark after being stored, get knocked during prep, or have traces of ingredients left on them that affect the weighing process.

Weigh ingredients carefully. Accuracy is important in baking. Use electronic scales if you can as they're more precise.

Do as cooking shows do and have ingredients ready to go in bowls. It ensures you’re not scrabbling around with floury or, even worse, eggy hands and it generally makes cooking smoother, especially when the kids are ‘helping’.

Coat a spoon in oil first and honey and golden syrup won't stick – they'll just slide off.

When using a sharp knife place a dishcloth under a chopping board or put one under a mixing bowl to stop slippage.

Baking is a science and correct proportions are important to a good result, but as soon as you've mastered the basics you can play around with ingredients or substitute those you prefer. Try adding a little more ginger or cocoa, swap raisins for dried cranberries, or add a little salt or chilli.

Recipes aren’t always perfect or you may want to add your own flourishes. Just don’t forget to write down those brilliant ideas for next time.

Trust your instincts by trying new flavour combinations – this is how new recipes come about. Some might be a disaster but others may be the best thing you've ever tasted.

Try not to become disheartened by mistakes and kitchen fails. Think of it as research and a learning curve, as opposed to culinary disasters.

If you're trying new techniques, especially if you’re cooking for guests, give yourself time to practise. Don't dive in at the deep end just before a dinner party unless you have a back-up bake.

This is a common mistake – an oven that isn’t up to temperature isn’t ready and will affect the outcome of your bake. Wait until the light goes off or the temperature gauge lets you know you’re good to go.

As a general rule, use wooden spoons for stirring and beating; a thin wooden spatula for easing biscuits off a tray or a loaf from a bread tin; a silicone spatula for scraping mixture out of a bowl; and a palette knife for smoothing icing.

It makes it much easier to remove your bake. Use soft or melted butter or spray oil, which is especially good for greasing cake and muffin tins.

For a perfect finish bake in the right-sized dish, tray or tin. This information is recommended for a reason – it’s so the cake, muffins or bread rises properly. 

Burnt food is not great. Rather than risk it, if you’re easily distracted set a timer; some people even set more than one.

Batch baking saves time. Whether it’s cake bases, muffins, bread, pastry or dough, you recommend making more than you need then freezing half so you always have homemade goodies to hand.​

This is how professional chefs work. An orderly kitchen is less stressful and easier to bake in.

For clean slices and less crumbling, your top tip is to leave a cake to cool before cutting it.

It’s always a good idea to make food on a plate look attractive. Garnishes such as a dusting of icing sugar – or edible flowers, rose petals, herbs, fruits or seeds – will give your bakes a professional finish.

So, you got flour on the floor and butter in your hair but you made a great cake. Don't worry about it – the taste makes it all worth it!

Your best tip? Enjoy yourself! Whatever you make, it should always contain a good measure of love. Enjoy yourself – if you don't enjoy doing it, don't do it.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more great food stories.