Cakes pg. 160 - 164 Flashcards
Describe the types of cakes
> 2 main categories of cakes: shortened or butter cakes and unshortened or foam cakes
type of leavening is main distinction between the 2 types
butter cakes are leavened with baking powder or baking soda
foam cakes get their volume from beaten egg whites: some foam cakes also incorporate chemical leavening agent
Describe characteristics of butter cakes
> (shortened cakes)
high, rounded, smooth top
fine, even inside texture with no tunnels
light, moist, and velvety
Describe the key ingredients for butter cakes
> Fat in form of shortening, butter, margarine, or oil give cake its tenderness
flour forms framework or structure of cake
leavening–baking powder, baking soda, or both–used to give rise and lightness to cake
liquid (water, milk, or fruit juice) aid in mixing ingredients together
salt adds some flavor to cake
sugar adds some flavor and helps to tenderize cake
Describe pan preparation for butter cakes (shortened cakes)
> use shiny pan for best results
if using dark colored or glass pan, decrease recommended oven temperature by 25 degrees
grease and flour cake pans for best results
use correct size of pan for recipe
too large pan will cause cake to be flat and dry
too small pan will cause cake to not bake evenly (overbaked exterior, underbaked interior) and expanding over rims
Describe how to grease and flour a cake pan
> using tablespoon of shortening per 9’’ round, completely coat bottom and sides of pan
sprinkle flour into pan and turn pan until grease portion is entirely coated with flour
dump our any excess flour
use cocoa instead of flour to coat pans in which chocolate cakes will be baked
some cakes will come out of pan more easily if bottom of pan is lined with layer of waxed paper
cut waxed paper so that it exactly fits bottom surface of pan and grease pan as directed aboved
Describe making the batter for butter cakes (shortened cakes)
> follow recipe exactly
over-mixing can produce tunnels in cake and tough texture
under-mixing will produce lower volume cake
use electric mixer or stir 150 strokes for each minute of recommended beating time
for best results, fill prepared pan half-full of batter
if unsure of size of pan, measure amount of liquid pan can hold and fill it with half that amount of batter
Describe baking techniques for butter cakes (shortened cakes)
> bake as close to center of oven as possible
evenly space pans so that there is at least inch of air space between pans themselves and between pans and oven walls (this space will promote even baking)
if you have more pans than will fit in oven at 1 time, place extra pan(s) in fridge and bake separately
don’t place cakes on 2 different oven racks; top of one and bottom of other will become overdone
cakes should not be moved during baking; they are likely to collapse
Describe testing for doneness for butter cakes
> insert toothpick or metal cake tester into center of cake
if pick comes out clean, cake is done
gently touch center of cake, when cake is done it will feel set and will bounce back
allow baked cake to sit on cooling rack for about 10min. before removing it from pan
slide knife or metal spatula around edges of cake
invert cooling rack onto cake pan and flip both over simultaneously
allow cake to drop out of pan and onto rack
let cake cool thoroughly in draft free area
Describe storage tips for butter cakes (shortened cakes)
> once cake is completely cooled it should be covered and stored in order to preserve its freshness
if cake is not frosted, it should be kept in airtight container, cake saver, or it should be covered tightly with plastic wrap or foil
if creamy frosting has been used, loosely cover frosted cake with wax paper or foil, or place it in cake safe
if using fluffy frosting, plan to serve cake same day that it is frosted (fluffy frosting is a cooked frosting containing egg whites)
refrigerate cakes containing very moist ingredients such as carrot cakes and applesauce cakes
because of high moisture content, these cakes will mold quickly if stored at room temperature
refrigerate cakes with frosting that contains ingredients that are typically refrigerated (this would include cream cheese, whipped cream, etc.)
Describe the characteristics and key ingredients of foam cakes
> (unshortened cakes)
depend on beaten egg whites to give them volume and lightness
example: angle food cake (contains high ratio of beaten egg whites to flour/sugar mixture. has no fat, leavening, or egg yolks. has fine featherlike texture. baked in tube pan)
another example: chiffon cake (may contain some fat, leavening, and egg yolk. has medium texture and is springy)
another example: sponge cake (similar to chiffon cake due to ingredients used, but texture of chiffon cake is more fine)
Describe pan preparation for foam cakes (unshortened cakes)
> grease pan only if recipe calls for it to be greased
>cake needs to be able to cling to sides of pan as it rises
Describe making batter for foam cakes
> properly beaten egg whites are key to successfully making foam cake
once eggs beaten, folding sugar/flour mixture into egg whites must be done gently and correctly in order to prevent loss of air just incorporated
sprinkle flour/sugar mixture in small increments over egg whites and fold it in
always fold flour/sugar mixture into egg whites rather than egg whites into flour/sugar mixture
turn bowl quarter turn sprinkle on more of flour mixture and repeat folding until all of flour / sugar mixture is incorporated
dragging knife or metal spatula through batter once it has been placed in baking pan will break down any large air pockets
Describe what it means to fold
> to fold means to take spatula down through center of mixture
drag it to back of bowl and bring it up and over in folding motionk
Describe tips for beating egg whites
> eggs will separate more easily when they are cold
use egg separator or two halves of eggshell
one speck of fat in egg whites will prevent them from beating up
egg yolk is common source of fat contamination when beating egg whites
separate eggs one at a time over custard cup
if yolk should break, use entire egg for another purpose
clean or replace custard cup before separating additional eggs
make sure that bowls, measuring utensils, and beaters or wire whip are completely free of oil and fat before they come in contact with egg whites
after separating eggs, allow whites to stand at room temperature for 30 min.
room temperature egg whites will accept more air and whip to higher volume
cream of tartar is used to give beaten egg whites stability and to give them their nice white color
once the egg whites have become foamy, add sugar tablespoonful at a time (this incremental addition of sugar will make mixture smooth and not gritty)
beat egg whites using fastest mixer speed
egg whites should be glossy and form stiff peaks when thoroughly beaten
over beaten egg whites will become “spongy” and lose their gloss
Describe baking techniques for foam cakes (unshortened cakes)
> chiffon and sponge cakes are baked, cooled, and removed from pans in same manner as butter cakes
angel food cakes and any other cakes that are baked in tube pan need to be handled differently
because tube pan is so tall, move oven rack to lowest position in oven so that cake can rise fully and bake thoroughly without top becoming burned
to test angel food cake for doneness, check by feel and appearance
cracks in top of cake should be dry
cake should spring back when lightly touched
cool foam cakes baked in tube pan by turning tube pan upside down and letting it rest on funnel or bottle until cake is completely cooled
to remove cake from tube pan, gently run knife or metal spatula around edges of pan and turn it upside down
tap pan and cake should come out
most tube pans are designed with removable bottom
if cake does not fall out when tapped, bottom of pan should easily push out from rest of pan
once bottom is removed, run knife or spatula between bottom of pan and cake; cake will come loose
foam cakes will remain moist overnight if stored in pan and loosely covered
