this weekend in class was the start of our learning about cakes. when it comes to a good cake it is all about respecting your different mixing steps and making sure not to overwork the ingredients. this is true for all items that desire a nice crumbly texture. flour contains gluten and this is what gives a lot of baked good their structure. if you think about it the gluten is like loose thread, moving it around a little bit will knot it up only slightly, really stirring it up will get it all in a bundled. this is what you want to avoid, for it will produce a very dense tough and unplesant cake. there is obviously other factors that effect the final results of cake making, but they very depending on the formula (recipe) you are using.
these were high fat cake formula's we worked with this week, with the exception of the chiffon, which is more of a sponge or egg-foam cake (think angel food cake). there was a carrot cake, chiffon with butter cream icing, and a boston cream pie, which isn't a pie at all, but is baked and served in a pie dish.
decorating the carrot cake, even though i was rushed to do so, was quite fun. we used modeling fondant (a sugar mixture) to make the shapes. dressing the cakes totally kicked in my ocd especially when icing, which was a very delicate affair. what a completely different beast it is making items for a profit and not just to bring to your friends potluck, where merely the attempt is admirable.
it was also beautiful for my ride into school saturday morning. here is my attempt to capture the scene on the broadway bridge. it doesn't really do the experience justice.
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