Cakes: Basic Techniques (1981)

[music] How about this cake for a special occasion? It was baked in 1730 for the soldiers of the army of King August the Strong of Saxony assembled for maneuvers near Dresden. More than 3,600 eggs and 126 barrels of milk were needed to produce it. H lucky devils. Well, fortunately today cakes use fewer eggs >> and shorter knives, >> right? [laughter] >> Although in a busy schedule, cake mixes are a wonderful convenience. When you have the time for making a special cake, why not take the opportunity to start from the beginning with a reliable recipe, measuring and mixing carefully. >> The ratio of ingredients is very important to the successful outcome of a cake. All ingredients should be at room temperature. >> Basically, there are two types of cakes. Those made with fat and those made without. Cakes with fat in them are also called shortened cakes or butter cakes. The recipes are usually developed using a hydrogenated vegetable shortening which contains emulsifiers. Emulsifiers help to distribute ingredients evenly throughout the batter [snorts] and to retain air. Press shortening firmly into cup to eliminate air pockets. We'll start with a shortened cake example. Chocolate layer cake. Since the chocolate needs to be melted in order to add it to the sugar and shortening, put it in a double boiler to melt. Chocolate burns easily if in direct contact with heat. Use just enough water so the top part will just touch the water. Once the water is boiling, maintain a soft boil on a low setting. In the conventional method of mixing, shortening is creamed to make it soft and plastic. Then sugar is added and beaten at medium speed until evenly blended. Add the eggs and beat until the batter is light in color and fluffy in texture. Add melted chocolate at this point and continue beating until well blended. Measure the liquid, in this case milk, using the eye level test. Add the vanilla and set aside. Sift and measure the flour. Then add salt and baking powder and resift to blend all the dry ingredients. Start with about 1/4 of the dry ingredients and alternate with 1/3 of the liquids. Beat each addition until just mixed before adding the next amount. Continue scraping bowl frequently and ending with the dry ingredients. Don't beat longer than a minute after the last of the flour mixture is added. Overbeating causes tunneling in the final product. Unless you have pans with non-stick coating, they must be greased for most cakes, but the method of doing so varies. If shortening or oil is used, grease only the bottom and add a coating of flour. There are spray-on coatings which can be used without flowering or use a piece of wax paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Do not grease with this method. In this case, since it is a chocolate cake, we've dusted the grease pans with cocoa instead of flour to prevent leaving a white coating. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing it evenly. The size of the pan is important. If the pan is too big for the amount of batter, the cake will be very flat. And if the pan is too small, the batter will run over the sides or rise too far and crack. Generally, your recipe provides a guide for the proper pan size. Tap pans to break up air pockets. This cake will bake in a 350° preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Position the cake pans for maximum air flow around them for even baking. With the oven rack in the middle position, when done, the sides begin to shrink and the top becomes rounded. The cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes on a rack before removing from pans. Continue to cool to room temperature before frosting. This is what happens to a cake if it cools too quickly after it's baked or if exposed to a rush of cold air while still baking. That's the conventional method of mixing a cake. However, recipes have been developed with a simplified method of mixing, sometimes called one bowl or quick mix method. All dry ingredients are blended together, including the spices. Add the shortening, milk, and flavoring. Beat vigorously 300 strokes by hand or 2 minutes on low with an electric mixer, scraping bowl frequently. Add eggs and beat 2 minutes more on low. Notice that the volume increases after the eggs are beaten in. Don't overm mix. The pan should not be more than 1/2 full with the batter spread evenly, especially into the corners. As an example of a cake made without fat, we'll use a traditional angel food cake recipe. Angel food cake is leavened by air beaten into the eggs and the steam formed during baking. Begin sifting and measuring the flour. In this case, cake flour, which is essential in producing large velvety cakes. Never tamp down the flour because the sifting has incorporated air. Mix one/3 of the sugar with the flour and sift again. This makes the flour easier to blend in with the beaten egg whites. Angel food cakes are pure white because only the white of the egg is used. Egg yolks contain fat and just a single drop can interfere with the foaming of the whites. So, it's also important to use fat-free utensils for this process. The yolks can be saved and used in Holland sauces, custards, or other kinds of cakes. Eggs constitute the only liquid in this cake. Because eggs vary in size, it is more accurate to measure quantity than to designate the number. It will take about a dozen eggs to make a cup and a half of whites. Beat on high speed. When the egg whites are foamy, add the salt, flavorings, and cream of tartar. The cream of tartar helps to stabilize the foam and hold the air until the egg white is coagulated by the heat of the oven. When the whites form soft peaks, begin to add the remaining sugar one tablespoon at a time. Notice how the foam changes and becomes stiffer and the air cells smaller. It becomes whiter and less shiny. Beat until the meringue is very firm and holds straight peaks. [snorts] This procedure is the same for making mering for pies. Add the flour sugar mixture gradually. Cut and fold in with a wire whip until it disappears each time. Work gently so the air bubbles are not broken. Folding is a down, across, up, across the top motion without lifting the tool out of the foam. Turn the bowl as you work. >> [snorts] >> Carefully place in an ungreased two-piece tube pan with high sides to support the volume. Smooth the surface of the batter and then cut through in circles to break up air pockets. Bake in preheated oven at 375° 35 to 40 minutes. Use the lowest rack. As the cake completes baking, the top will form a crust which develops cracks in it. Bake only until the cake shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan. Surface springs back when lightly touched and it is lightly browned. Immediately turn upside down and cool completely out of drafts before removing from pan. It will take about an hour. Remove the cake by cutting around the edges and tube. Turn it upside down on a plate. Loosen removing the center tube piece. Then brush any loose crumbs off of the bottom and sides for easier frosting. Frostings can be kept very simple and still be appealing. There are basically two types of frostings, cooked and uncooked. Uncooked frostings usually consist of fat, powdered sugar, liquid, and flavoring. This one is a cream cheese frosting, which calls for butter or margarine, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Powdered sugar is generally sifted to remove lumps. However, since it's so fine and sticky, it may gum up a flour sifter. So using a wire strainer and a spoon will accomplish the task. Spoon into a measuring cup and level. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. The sugar is added gradually to prevent it from dusting out of the bowl. And your frosting is ready. It should be soft enough to spread easily, but firm enough to hold peaks. One of the most common cooked frostings is 7minute frosting. Put water, egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. Start beating and continue until it becomes thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Notice that it has turned white and satiny. It should form stiff peaks. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Continue beating one or two minutes longer. This recipe makes enough to frost a two layer cake. To keep the cake plate free of excess frosting, place four pieces of wax paper over the edge of the plate. Place the first layer right side up on the plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Let set a few minutes to firm up and then add the top cake layer. Cover with a thin layer of frosting and again let set a few minutes. This keeps crumbs under control so they don't mix with the second coat. Frost sides and then top. Use the back of a spoon to make creative swirls and curls. How do you remove the wax paper? very carefully. Turkey glazes are another type of frosting which are especially appropriate with angel food cakes where the frosting shouldn't interfere with the delicate flavor of the cake. Glazes can be as simple as milk or fruit juice added to powdered sugar or they may be cooked. This glaze calls for cornstarch and sugar mixed and added to pineapple and marishino cherry juice. When it is thickened, add butter and cut up cherries. Cool to room temperature so it is less runny and then spoon over the cake. It should be thick enough not to soak into the cake but runny enough to form drippings down the sides. And of course, you can personalize your cakes any way you want. The final test for a good cake is a moist crumb and a fine grain texture and of course pleasing flavor. >> If you become an avid cake maker after only a few tries, there's good news. Many cakes can be frozen. >> And I think that's what we better do with these.