Earlier this week, Tim posted a video on our socials inviting you to drop your questions in the comments - baking-related or completely random (we love both). You delivered. Tim delivered right back.
We've pulled together some of our favourites below. A few questions have been lightly tidied for length and spelling, but the answers are all Tim's own. Grab a cuppa and enjoy.
Why do my macarons crack in the oven?
"Why oh why do my macs explode in the oven?"
If they're cracking as they bake, it's usually one of two things.
First, the batter. Over-mixed is the more common culprit. The shells settle too thin, and the air in the meringue can't be contained by the depth of the shell - so it forces its way out.
Second, the skin. If the top of the shell hasn't dried enough before it goes in, it'll crack. Leaving them out on the side after piping works fine on a dry, warm day. But if your kitchen is at all humid or cold, you won't get a skin forming consistently, and you'll get inconsistent results.
We do that drying phase in the oven, and you can do the same at home:
- Preheat your oven to 120°C, then turn it off.
- Put the shells in straight after piping and leave them for 10–12 minutes.
- Turn the oven back up and bake. Lower and slower is usually better — 130–140°C — though you'll need to test with your own oven.
One last thing: use an Italian meringue method rather than French. French meringue is really hard to get consistent macarons from when you're still learning.
What do you fill the fruity macarons with?
"Can Tim tell us what he fills the fruity macarons with, please? I use buttercream but it just adds to the sweetness. I love how Macarons & More's fillings are not too sweet."
Good question. Two things make the difference: freeze-dried fruit powders and citric acid.
The powders bring real fruit flavour without the extra liquid or sugar. And we use citric acid the way you might use salt in savoury cooking - as a sort of seasoning. A little bit in a fruit buttercream makes a big difference. It sharpens everything up and stops the sweetness dominating.
How long do macarons last?
"How long do macarons last before they pass their peak condition?"
They keep very well in the fridge for at least 7 days, in an airtight container. Bring them out 20 minutes or so before you eat them - they're much better at room temperature than straight from the cold.
What's the story with the cornflakes in the caramelised white chocolate cookies?
"What made you decide to put cornflakes in the caramelised white chocolate cookies - which are amazing, btw - and can I have your caramelised white chocolate ganache recipe?"
Texture, mainly. There's a bakery in the US doing a lot with cereal in cookies, and I think that's where the idea came from originally. You get a crunch that survives the bake, which is harder to achieve than it sounds.
As for the caramelised white chocolate: it's genuinely just white chocolate baked in the oven and stirred from time to time so it caramelises evenly. It takes a while and it looks alarming halfway through, but stick with it. Once you've got it, you make it into a ganache exactly the same way you would with any other chocolate.
Will you ever run a brownie class?
"Would you consider a brownie face-to-face class? The macaron making class was brilliant."
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it. And we might.
We used to run one alongside cookies and marshmallows, but demand for the macaron class made it hard to run the others very often. We've just put on a one-off macaron class after pausing all our classes for a few years. We'll see how that goes and have a think. Your interest is noted.
What will the biggest baking trends be in 2027?
"From a bakery perspective, what are likely to be the biggest 3 trends in 2027?"
If I knew that! Matcha is everywhere at the moment - we were using it back in 2010, so the real answer is probably whatever we were doing in 2011.
Beyond that: more Japanese and Korean influence in flavours and technique, I'd guess. Mainly because it's all very delicious.
Got a question for Tim?
We'll do this again. Keep an eye on our socials and drop your questions in the comments - baking-related or otherwise.