Egg washing

Egg washing is used to give cakes a nice golden-brown colour during baking. You can also use it to stick toppings, such as sugar nibs or currants, to your cakes. For a tart with a very liquid filling, you can egg wash the blind-baked pie crust and then bake it for another 5 minutes. This ensures that all the holes in the crust close nicely and the crust becomes firmer as you create a kind of dam against moisture. It is important that you beat your egg yolk well with the milk before use – some people even strain it to ensure an even result. The quantity for a typical egg wash is one egg yolk plus one tablespoon of milk. Apply it with a brush in a thin layer.