Cakes (and cookies) Flashcards
what are shortened cakes?
has fat
What are unshortened cakes?
no fat (except from egg yolk). fluffy
What are chiffon cakes?
best of both (shortened and unshortened). fluffy but with fat
What are characteristics of pound cakes?
tender, compact and close grain, no leavening agent
What is in shortened cakes?
historically 1 pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs
What are shortened cakes leavened by?
air and steam
What are characteristics of standard shortened cakes?
fine grain, uniform cells with thin cell walls, and elastic crumb
What are the ingredients in standard shortened cakes?
sugar, egg, fat, leavening agents, flour, liquid, chocolate or other flavors and emulsifiers
What is sugars purpose in cakes and cookies?
adds sweetness, promotes tenderness by interfering with gluten development, influences volume, and sugar to liquid ratio can be very important
How does sugar influence volume?
traps air during creaming, raises starch gelatinization temperature, and decreases cohesive forces
Why is the sugar to liquid ratio important?
too much sugar and too little liquid and the cake will fall
What is the purpose of eggs in cakes and cookies?
add air when beaten, contributes to structure (protein), egg whites can count in the liquid, and egg yolks count more as fat
What does fat include?
shortening, butter, and margarine
how much fat is in shortening?
all fat
how much fat is in butter and margarine?
82% fat and 18% liquid
how does fat help in cakes and cookies?
increases tenderness and increases volume by decreasing cohesive forces and adding air during creaming
What are leavening agents in cakes and cookies?
baking powder, baking soda, air entrapped in creamed shortening, beaten egg whites, steam
What does flour contribute to in cakes and cookies?
structure
What happens if there is too little flour?
weak structure and coarse texture and the cake may fall
What happens if there is too much flour?
compact dry cake
What are the types of liquid in cakes and cookies?
milk, water, and fruit juices
What does liquid do for cakes and cookies
dissolves ingredients, hydrates starch and protein, produces steam
does chocolate cake need more or less flour?
less due to cocoa and chocolate contain starch
What does the pudding method help with?
brings out chocolate flavor while keeping tender texture
What is the pudding method?
mix cocoa/chocolate with liquids and heat till chocolate is melted and/or cocoa dissolves. let cool before mixing in, so it doesn’t melt the fat
What brings out the chocolate flavor?
coffe or espresso
What suppresses chocolate flavor?
milk and also makes the cakes drier
What do emulsifiers allow?
fat to be distributed more finely and more sugar may be incorporated and also decrease cohesive forces thereby increasing volume
What is creaming?
sugar + fat, eggs, then alternate dry and wet
What is reverse creaming?
dry + fat, then slowly add liquids
What is conventional sponge?
cream fat with about one-half cup sugar, onehalf cup sugar beaten with eggs to “ribbon stage”, add dry ingredients alternatively with liquid, fold in egg and sugar mixture
What is quick-mix method?
uses higher proportion of sugar and liquid. sift dry ingredients into bowl. add all fat and part of liquid and then add eggs and remaining liquid
What happens if overmixing occurs?
may toughen cakes, compact cake, heavy or soggy
What happens if undermixing occurs?
coarse texture, thick cell walls, concave surface especially if a rich mixture
How to prepare pans?
grease bottoms and sides, lightly flour, use of wax paper, parchment paper, or silicone liners
What are types of unshortened cakes?
angel food and yellow sponge
What are angel food ingredients?
egg whites that are beat to foam, flour (cake flour is better), sugar, cream of tartar
how should you mix angel food?
beat eggs, beat part of sugar into eggs, gently fold flour and sugar mix into beaten egg whites
how are sponge cakes different from angel food?
use yolk as well as white
what are different types of cookies?
rolled, dropped, bar, pressed, molded, icebox or refrigerator
