Cakes
Source of Recipe
cooking village
Recipe Link: http://cookingvillage.com
For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake.
—Alfred Hitchcock, Anglo-American filmmaker
PANS
• Shiny pans are best for cakemaking because they reflect the heat, thereby producing cakes with tender crusts.
• Whenever using a glass baking pan instead of a metal one, reduce the oven heat by 25F.
• Be generous when greasing pans (about 1 tablespoon per layer-cake pan) and your cakes won’t stick.
• Lining the bottom of a greased pan with parchment paper will make it easy to turn the cake out of the pan. Simply invert the cake onto a rack and gently peel off the paper.
• Tube pans (used for chiffon, sponge or angel-food cakes) are never greased. The ungreased sides of the pan allow enough traction for the delicate batter to rise and cling to them as it bakes and cools.
• For something different in layer cakes, use square instead of round pans. Substitute an 8-inch square baking pan, or two to three 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. Reduce the baking time slightly, checking for doneness about 15 minutes before the time suggested.
INGREDIENTS
• For cakes with better volume, use room-temperature ingredients. Take the chill off cold milk and other liquids by heating on high in a microwave oven for 30 seconds or so, or just until body temperature. Refrigerated dry ingredients like flour or nuts can either sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or be heated in the microwave oven for a minute or two.
• Quickly warm refrigerated eggs by placing them in a bowl of very warm (but not hot!) water for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are separating eggs, place the yolks in one bowl, the whites in another, and then place the separate bowls in a pan of warm water, making sure the water doesn’t get into the eggs.
• Add richness to cakes by substituting 2 egg yolks for 1 whole egg.
• To soften cold butter in preparation for beating: Cut a stick into 1/2-inch thick slices, place on a microwave-safe plate and heat at medium-low (30 percent power) for about 30 seconds; or grate or thinly slice butter using a grater, vegetable peeler or a food processor fitted with a 2mm slicing blade. Let the butter stand for about 10 minutes (set it over— not in—a bowl of hot water to speed things up).
• Cake flour produces lighter cakes because it contains less gluten than all-purpose flour.
• To substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour: Use 1 cup stirred all-purpose flour, minus 2 tablespoons, for each cup of cake flour.
• In general, count on using about 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder for every cup of flour in layer, Bundt or pound-cake batters.
• Before measuring syrupy sweeteners such as honey and corn syrup, lightly coat the measuring cup or spoon with vegetable oil. Every drop of the syrup will easily slip out. The same result can be obtained if you measure the fat called for in a recipe and then use the same (unwashed) utensil as the measure for the sweetener. Or dip the measuring implement in very hot water before measuring the sweetener.
• Buttermilk produces a light, tender cake, and can be substituted for regular milk in most layer-cake recipes. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the dry ingredients for each cup of buttermilk.
PREPARING
• When greasing and flouring pans for a chocolate cake, try using unsweetened cocoa (or carob) powder instead of flour.
• When creaming butter and sugar together, add salt and any spices called for. This technique better disperses them throughout the batter.
• Be sure to beat the butter (or other fat) with the sugar for as long as the recipe directs. Not beating thoroughly can create a coarse-textured or heavy, compact cake.
• Don’t worry if a whipped butter–sugar mixture looks “curdled” after the eggs are beaten in. The problem will correct itself once the flour is added.
• For lighter cakes, separate the eggs and add the yolks to the butter mixture. Beat the whites until almost stiff; fold them into the batter just before baking.
• Word to the wise: Many factors can prevent a foam-type cake (chiffon, sponge or angel food) from rising properly: The egg whites were overbeaten until stiff and dry, rather than firm yet moist and glossy; the whites were underbeaten—too soft to hold in the air; the batter was overmixed, rather than gently folded, as the flour was added (which can also cause such cake to be tough); or the cake was cooled right side up.
• Use an electric mixer for heavy batters (such as for pound cakes) in order to incorporate as much air as possible.
• Raisins, chocolate chips and large nut pieces will settle to the bottom unless the cake batter is thick enough to suspend them. If the batter is thin and you’re determined to add these ingredients, finely chop them (they still might sink).
• Tossing nuts, raisins and other chopped dried fruit in flour helps to suspend them in cake batters.
• To allow room for the cake to rise during baking, fill the pan only half to three-quarters full with batter.
• When pouring a batter into a tube pan, cover the tube with a small paper cup.
• After pouring a layer-cake batter into a pan, rap the pan’s bottom against the countertop several times to release any large air bubbles. Don’t do this with batters laden with ingredients like chopped nuts or chocolate chips or they might sink to the bottom.
• Dispel large pockets of air from delicate chiffon, sponge or angel-food-cake batters by gently running a knife in a zigzag pattern through the batter.
BAKING
• Ovens are often temperamental and can be off by 75F or more, which could spell disaster for a cake. Buying a good oven thermometer is one of the best investments you can make.
• Always preheat the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
• For oven heat to circulate freely and evenly, arrange cake pans so they have at least 2 inches between each other and the sides of the oven. If cakes are baked on two shelves, position them so that one doesn’t sit directly beneath the other. Don’t bake more than three cake layers at a time in one oven.
• Don’t open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking time, and then only open it gently. Sudden movement or temperature changes can cause a cake to fall.
• To compensate for oven hot spots, reverse the position of a cake pan or pans from side to side after 20 minutes of baking time. Don’t move the cake during the first 20 minutes or it could fall.
• If a cake “domes” slightly in the middle, next time cover it lightly with foil. Remove the foil during the final 15 minutes of baking.
• Cake that’s browning too fast should be covered lightly with a “tent” of aluminum foil.
• To allow for oven variances, test a cake for doneness 5 to 10 minutes before the end of the baking time.
• Test deep cakes (like Bundt or pound cakes) for doneness with a long wooden skewer, commonly found in supermarkets (an uncooked spaghetti strand can be substituted). If the skewer comes out clean, the cake’s done. Some recipes say the skewer should be “almost clean,” meaning a few crumbs clinging to the pick are fine.
• A chiffon, sponge or angel-food cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched in the center with your finger. Layer cakes can also be tested this way.
COOLING
• Spray the cooling rack with cooking spray to keep a cake from sticking to it.
• Cool layer cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.
• For cakes that have a tendency to stick (like Bundt cakes), set the pan on a wet towel during that waiting time, before inverting the cake.
• Run a dinner knife around the edge of a layer cake to loosen it from the pan. Press the knife against the pan so as not to dig into the cake.
• If a cake cools in a waxed paper–lined pan so long that the paper sticks, use a hair dryer to blow hot air over the pan’s bottom until the cake releases. Or return the cake to a 350F oven for 3 to 5 minutes; invert the pan and remove the cake.
• If parchment or waxed paper sticks to the bottom of a cake, lightly brush the paper with warm water. Let stand 1 minute, then remove the paper.
• To speed the cooling of layer cakes, place them in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes while you make the frosting. Keep in mind that the warm cake will lower the freezer’s temperature slightly.
• If cake isn’t thoroughly cooled before being transferred to a serving plate, it may stick to the plate.
• Cool a jelly-roll cake by immediately inverting it onto a kitchen towel that’s been dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Or reverse the process and heavily dust the cake in the pan with sugar, then turn it out onto the towel. Roll the warm cake up in the towel, let stand until cool, then unroll and fill as desired.
• Chiffon, sponge and angel-food cakes are cooled by inverting the pan, which keeps the cake from falling. Many tube pans have legs on which the pan can stand so air can circulate underneath. If yours doesn’t have built-in legs, invert the pan and position the tube over a narrow-necked bottle.
• You can leave a cooled angel-food cake in the pan, covered tightly with foil, for up to a day.
• To loosen an angel-food cake from its pan, use a long knife with a thin blade or a metal spatula. Press the instrument firmly against the side of the pan and slowly rotate the pan until you’re back to where you started. It’s important to keep the knife or spatula pressed against the pan so it doesn’t tear the cake. Angel-food cakes must be completely cool before being removed from the pan or they could collapse.
FINISHING
• To split cake layers, loop a long piece of unflavored dental floss tightly around the center of the cake horizontally. Cross the ends, then slowly but firmly pull on each end. The floss will cut cleanly through the cake.
• Another splitting method is to stick toothpicks at 1 1/2-inch intervals at the level you want to cut the cake. Let the toothpicks guide you as you use a long, thin (preferably serrated) knife to cut the cake.
• For a quick and pretty cake decoration, place a paper doily on top of an unfrosted cake and sprinkle it liberally with sifted confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder (or sift the sugar and cocoa together for a third color). Carefully remove the doily from the cake to reveal the lacy design. To reserve the sugar or cocoa, place the used doily over a piece of waxed paper, shake the sugar or cocoa powder off, then transfer it back into its container. For special designs, make your own stencil or choose one from a crafts or fabric store. You can stencil a name, or numbers, or even a decorative border. Or use several stencils together with contrasting colors.
• Instead of frosting your next summertime cake, make an easy ice cream cake by removing the cake from the pan and splitting it horizontally. Return the bottom half to the pan; spread with softened ice cream. Replace the top half of the cake and finish with more ice cream. Place the cake in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until the ice cream is firm. If an ice cream cake has been frozen so long that it’s hard, remove it from the freezer 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Cut into squares or wedges in the pan and top with fresh berries or a chocolate or caramel sauce.
• Make any cake company-pretty by serving it on a doily-lined plate.
• If a cake is too dry to be served as is, make a triflelike dessert by cutting it into chunks and placing it in a large bowl. Sprinkle with liqueur or fruit juice, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for an hour or so. Then combine the cake chunks with custard or whipped cream (or a mixture of the two) and maybe some chopped fresh fruit. Spoon into stemmed glasses, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
• Another remedy for cake that’s too dry (or too moist) is to make crumbs out of it. Put the cake in a food processor; process until the crumbs reach the desired texture. Work in batches for more control. If the crumbs are too moist, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300F until dry. Freeze dried cake crumbs, tightly wrapped, for up to 6 months. Use as a topping for desserts like fresh fruit, ice cream or puddings. Or fold the cake crumbs into a custard or pudding, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
CUTTING
• Use a serrated knife or one with a long, thin blade. Knives will cut more easily if you soak the blade first in very hot water for a couple of minutes; dry thoroughly before using.
• If you serve a lot of cakes, invest in a cake cutter, which has long, thin metal tines attached to a handle.
• Angel-food cakes “set” and are easier to slice if you freeze them, wrapped airtight, for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before frosting.
STORING
• Keep cakes fresh by investing in a cake cover or a covered cake carrier. Or invert a large pot or salad spinner over the cake. The more airtight the container, the longer the cake will stay moist and fresh. A couple of apple wedges placed in the container will help retain moisture.
• If you need to cover a cake with a soft frosting and don’t have a cake cover, stick toothpicks to 1 inch deep at 4-inch intervals in the top and sides of the cake; lightly drape a large sheet of plastic wrap over the picks, tucking the edges under the plate.
• Unfrosted layer cakes and sponge-type cakes like chiffon and angel food can be frozen in a freezer-proof plastic bag for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
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