Steps taken before beginning to bake a small cake (3,4)
I believe the answer is:
rum baba
'small cake' is the definition.
(type of cake)
'steps taken before beginning to bake a' is the wordplay.
'steps' becomes 'rumba' (type of dance - a set of dance steps).
'taken before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'beginning to' suggests taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'bake' is 'b'.
'rumba'+'b'+'a'='RUM BABA'
(Other definitions for rum baba that I've seen before include "sort of tipsy-cake" , "Spirit-soaked cake" , "Cake soaked in syrup" , "Sweet" , "Soaked sponge dessert" .)