Easy Guide to Food And Drinks

January 25, 2011

Terminology All Baking Lovers Need To Know

Filed under: Desserts — Tags: , , — CakeAuthor @ 11:43 am

Angel Food Cake: This cake derives its name from the reality that it is extremely light and also airy, mostly due to it contains no shortening and also the raising ingredient is stiffly beaten egg-white.

Buttercream: This delicious egg, sugar and butter mixture is used both as a dessert filling and as icing for cakes. The constituents are whipped together until light and creamy. 

Caramel: Caramel is any variety of sugar that is cooked at 320-350 degrees F. It is flexible and it has several uses: as glaze for several desserts, to make almond paste, to decorate cakes and cookies, as candy filling or glazing … .

Cookie Kinds: Bakers cookies based on how a dough is shaped. Drop cookies are made by dropping the cookie batter unto the baking sheet by using a spoon. Pressed cookies are made by pressing the dough through a cookie pistol or even pastry bag. Shaped cookies are cookies which are cut out from rolled cookie dough, utilizing any implement or even cookie cutters, as well as bar cookies refer to cookies cut (in the shape of bars or even squares) from dough that has been baked in the pot.

Custard Sauce: Also known by the more sophisticated name of ‘Crème Anglaise’, custard sauce is normally served with cakes, puddings and fruit desserts. It’s manufactured by cooking milk, sugar as well as egg yolks together at really low temperatures for an extended period till it reaches the required thickness.

Dacquoise: It is a cake that originates from France. It’s made of alternative layers of meringue (generally nut meringue) and also buttercream.

Docking: Whilst you prick holes into pastry dough before baking it, you’re ‘docking’. The objective of this is to allow steam being released during the baking method in order that the dessert does not change its shape.

Flaky Pastry: The typical dough which is used in America for making pies, also called ‘puff pastry’. To make flaky pastry, you have to rub little bit of soft butter (or other shortening) into flour by your fingers and moisten gradually with water.  The finer the shortening is, the less flaky the dough will be.

Gateau: Gateau is the word the French use for cake.

Glaze: As the name implies, that is used as a shiny coating for the all typres of desserts. The constituents used to make glazing vary based on the type and flavor of  the dessert it’ll be used on (cake, tart, pastry…).

Ladyfingers: Oblong-shaped sponge cakes about four inchs long which look sometimes like fingers. Could be eaten plain, but mostly used to make Charlottes.

Lemon Curd: A rich, smooth cream spread with a excellent sweet-tart flavor. It is produced by cooking lemon juice, egg yolks, butter and sugar together.

Meringue: For making meringue, beat egg-whites as well as sugar till stiff and also bake like cookies. Meringue icing is uncooked.

Pastry Dough: Made by butter as well as shortening, it is the standard American dough for pies. 

Petits Fours Secs: Tiny, delicate desserts with almond paste or even preserve fillings.

Petit Fours Frais: Miniature cakes
along with buttercream or even pastry cream fillings.

Petits Fours Glacés: These are tiny cakes with icing as well as delicate decorations, often with layers of ganache, buttercream or preserves.

Royal Icing:  The traditional English icing utilized on wedding cakes, it’s made from egg white and also fine sugar. Because royal Icing hardens when it dries, it’s ideal for making fine designs as well as decorations on cakes.

Tarts: These are tiny, shallow crusts along with fillings. Generally baked in flan pans with straight sides as well as removable bottoms. Tarts just have a bottom crust.

Torte: The word used in Central as well as Eastern Europe to refer to cake.

June 30, 2010

Tips For Baking A Perfect Cake

Filed under: Food-And-Drink — Tags: , , — CakeAuthor @ 3:44 pm

There is nothing quite like a homemade cake. So few people have the time to bake these days, it has become quite a rarity. And, it is so much more convenient to purchase one at a bakery. But if you have the time and the desire to bake, your efforts will no doubt be appreciated by family and friends. Here are some pointers to help insure success.

The first step is to find the right recipe. If you are not an experienced baker, trying to make something too difficult may end up a disappointment. You might find your recipe in a cookbook, but there are other sources as well. Several online websites feature many good and tested recipes. Often other cooks will have added comments on how it turned out for them, which is helpful.

Next you will want to read the recipe through a few times to make sure you have all the ingredients and supplies you will need. This means not only what goes into the cake, but all the other equipment as well. You do not want to have the batter prepared and ready for the oven, only to find that you need round cake pans when you have nothing but square ones.

Now that you have all your supplies and ingredients, read the recipe again to see if there are any requirements to increase or decrease the temperature of any component. Eggs and eggs whites, as an example, may need to be brought up to room temperature. Other items may need to be refrigerated until mixing.

You are not ready to start mixing the batter until you have checked for any other preparation needed. The recipe might, for example, call for chopped fruits or slivered almonds, and to stop in the middle of things to handle such tasks is not a good idea. The batter may suffer if allowed to sit at the wrong time. Likewise, be sure you have followed instructions regarding each cake pan, using grease and flour if required.

The cake may be in the oven, but the baker is not done until the area has been restored to a tidy condition. Load the dishwasher as appropriate and rinse other things by hand. Wipe the counter surfaces clean, and do not forget to take care of any spilled dry ingredients with one of those convenient handheld vacuums. You will appreciate your creation better in a clean kitchen.

Now take pride in your homemade cake and accept praise for your efforts. You may well be reviving a lost art form. And now you can starting planning your next baking adventure.

How To Make Delectable Brownies In A Snap

Filed under: Restaurant Reviews — Tags: , , — CakeAuthor @ 3:44 pm

A great way to end any meal is by having a mouth-watering dessert. But if you got a hectic schedule, it’s important that you can whip up a dessert in a snap. Luckily for you, there’s a fast and easy way to create brownies! The following is a very simple way to bake this chocolate dessert your family will surely love.

You will need 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 medium egg, 1 stick of butter and a pack of instant cake mix. You will also need 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and 1 cup of peanuts that are chopped coarsely. A large mixing bowl, medium sized microwave-safe square cake pans, electric beaters and a large spoon are the tools you need.

Since the goal is to make a dessert in a snap, you will only need a countertop microwave oven for baking! Once you have set everything, the stick of butter should first be melted. Put it in a small bowl, chop it into tiny pieces, and use a paper towel to cover the bowl. Place it in the microwave and heat for 5-10 seconds. Stir and repeat heating until the butter is completely melted.

Put the melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the cake mix, brown sugar, cocoa powder and egg. Mix them all with the use of electric beaters for 1 to 2 minutes. It should turn into the consistency of a thick cake batter. Add the peanuts and blend into the mixture using only a baking spoon.

With a cooking spray, grease the pan then carefully transfer the mixture into it with the help of a large spoon. Simply follow the microwaving instructions printed at the back of the packaging of the cake mix. If your microwave oven doesn’t have a turntable, rotate the cake pan every 2-3 minutes for even baking of all sides of the cake.

To test if it’s done, poke a toothpick or a tiny skewer into the center of the baked brownies. If it comes out without anything sticking to it, it’s done! Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. If you wish for it to cool quicker, place it on a cooling rack. You can later on cut the brownies into small squares before serving.

You can even use this very same recipe in making a delectable chocolate cake by simply using round cake pans. Once cooled, place a large plate on top and turn upside down to transfer the baked goodie. Use ready-made frosting in chocolate or vanilla flavor to completely cover it. Decorate with chopped chocolate chips, marshmallows and the like.

June 24, 2010

Tips For Baking A Perfect Cake

Filed under: Desserts — Tags: , , — CakeAuthor @ 10:36 pm

There is nothing quite like a homemade cake. So few people have the time to bake these days, it has become quite a rarity. And, it is so much more convenient to purchase one at a bakery. But if you have the time and the desire to bake, your efforts will no doubt be appreciated by family and friends. Here are some pointers to help insure success.

The first step is to find the right recipe. If you are not an experienced baker, trying to make something too difficult may end up a disappointment. You might find your recipe in a cookbook, but there are other sources as well. Several online websites feature many good and tested recipes. Often other cooks will have added comments on how it turned out for them, which is helpful.

Next you will want to read the recipe through a few times to make sure you have all the ingredients and supplies you will need. This means not only what goes into the cake, but all the other equipment as well. You do not want to have the batter prepared and ready for the oven, only to find that you need round cake pans when you have nothing but square ones.

Now that you have all your supplies and ingredients, read the recipe again to see if there are any requirements to increase or decrease the temperature of any component. Eggs and eggs whites, as an example, may need to be brought up to room temperature. Other items may need to be refrigerated until mixing.

You are not ready to start mixing the batter until you have checked for any other preparation needed. The recipe might, for example, call for chopped fruits or slivered almonds, and to stop in the middle of things to handle such tasks is not a good idea. The batter may suffer if allowed to sit at the wrong time. Likewise, be sure you have followed instructions regarding each cake pan, using grease and flour if required.

The cake may be in the oven, but the baker is not done until the area has been restored to a tidy condition. Load the dishwasher as appropriate and rinse other things by hand. Wipe the counter surfaces clean, and do not forget to take care of any spilled dry ingredients with one of those convenient handheld vacuums. You will appreciate your creation better in a clean kitchen.

Now take pride in your homemade cake and accept praise for your efforts. You may well be reviving a lost art form. And now you can starting planning your next baking adventure.

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