EMULSIFIERS, BAKING, AND ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS
An emulsifier is an ingredient or substance that binds other ingredients of different qualities. In baking, it helps ingredients with water and fat content come together.
Butter needs to be room temperature or at least, not completely solid in order to cream properly. In creaming, the sugar creates a lifting effect inside the butter, incorporating air into the mixture.
You can soften butter quickly by cutting it into small pieces and placing a warm towel over the bowl. Microwaving frozen butter to soften is also a viable solution.
Now that you know more about the importance of choosing the right temperature of ingredients, go ahead and make yourself a cheat sheet on types of bakes.