Baking Issue -- Need Advice

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Thanks Eddie.  The loaf did taste better the next day, and by FWB loved it, so I guess I might be making it again after all.  I really did like the texture a lot.

 

I was at the store today so bought a new can of baking powder.   The other stuff was really old, I know.  Even if the old powder wasn't the issue, it was time to replace it.  In tossing it out, I discovered that a bunch of it had caked up solid and was stuck to the bottom of the can.  Along with a standard size loaf pan, new powder should help provide better results. 

 

Joe, that steamer is about as useful as the ridiculous grilling module I have.  Ideally, I'd like to find the wok module, which offers a big single 16K BTU burner, to replace the grill.  I don't use the smooth top two-burner electric module much, but it does have its attributes so I'm willing to cut costs and keep that one instead of replacing it with an additional two-burner gas module.

 

It's the oven that really annoys me.  It has only one lousy rack and there are no stops for it.  Pull it out more than half way and it will tip downward and let whatever is on it slide and/or spill onto the door.  Not at all safe and I can't believe Gaggeneau even got it past the Consumer Products Safety Commission for marketing in this country.

 

As for meatloaf, I tried using a loaf pan for it once.  I don't know what I was thinking.  Well, I guess I wasn't.
 
Ralph

you mentioned that you discovered caked and stuck on baking powder in the bottom of the can.  I’ve too had this happen, even with a can that was only a month or two old.

 

 One thing I discovered to be the cause was that I used to keep either an electric kettle or coffeemaker under the cabinet where I keep the baking powder.  I believe that it was the heat and steam generated by these  counter top appliances that was the cause.

 

 I also discovered that by scraping the caked baking powder into the measuring spoon and them putting it into a small strainer like is used to strain loose tea, and then using the measuring spoon to force it thru the sieve over the measured flour and whisking them together the baking powder was resurrected and performed just as it was supposed to.

 

Now I don’t keep these kind of heat/steam generating small appliances under this cabinet anymore and my baking powder stays loose and doesn’t cake.  Problem solved.

 

Eddie
 
Thank's for the recipe

for canabis brownies!!!! Yes, it's leagal here, and helps me sleep better some nights.
Years ago, a self proclaimed witch near Waynne Sate University made orange flavored ones. She sold tham at Dally in the Alley, an art fair in that neighborhood.
 
You’re welcome Mike!  I hope you give them a try.  I make a batch every other month.  My lungs just can’t take smoking pot anymore and I really find the effect of pot much more enjoyable, longer lasting and better at pain relieving when its ingested in an edible.

 

I’ve also made cheese cracker in the past with canna butter and sometimes I make Blondies with this same Brownie recipe and just leave out the chocolate.  But the chocolate version is my favorite.  If I add nuts I make sure they are very finely chopped so they are evenly dispersed throughout the finished product.  And I always label the container prominently with the contents so there is no mistaking what they are and what the potency per piece is.

 

Eddie
 
I made the Pound Cake!!

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">....and OMG it is so good!!!  Thank you Bud for sharing the recipe.  It really is a keeper.  Worth every fat gram, carb and calorie!  There really aren't that many ingredients when you get into it.  Just a lot of butter, eggs and cream cheese.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">To further our conversation on using the convection oven and whether or not to adjust times and temps.  I set the oven for 275 because the recipe calls for 300.  I monitored the temp in the oven as it baked and it stayed at 300 the entire 90 minutes.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">And of course, then there are the dishes but that just adds to the fun.</span>

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Awesome .....

Glad you liked it Ralph! It came from Southern Living magazine, circa 1981 but was reprinted in 2017. I bet it was reprinted a few times previous to that as well.

 

If you liked that cake there is one more that blows that one out of the water, IMHO.  It is an old fashioned coconut cake recipe that is a well loved favorite that people here in Atlanta raved about going back to the 40's. Funny thing it was only available in the little bake shops/restaurants inside the Rich's department stores and I only remember having it one time as a kid. Rich's were bought out by Macy's like 20 years ago and the dept store restaurants were discontinued.

 

There is a FB page that discusses all things vintage here in Atlanta and a few years back someone asked if anyone remembered the coconut cake at Rich's. That one post led to hundreds of comments and one lady piped up and said her grandmother used to do the baking for Rich's downtown and said her grandmother had a copy of most of the cake recipes including the coconut, which she posted. The original was handwritten but someone else took it and made a 3 page document recipe with pictures ..... which is the one I'll post.

 

We make this cake a couple times a year and I'm here to tell you it is the number one cake in my book ..... but then again I love coconut to begin with. If you make it per the recipe, when done you will laugh when you go to lift the completed cake. I swear it weighs in at a good 5 lbs or more.  But OMG .... as we say here, "slap your mama good!" Hope you guys give it a try because this one is over the top. If you do make this cake, the very last step, put the completed cake in the freezer for 15-20 mins to stiffen the icing and set the coconut flakes. After that you can display and keep the cake as usual on a cake plate or covered stand.

 

Just double up on your cholesterol and diabetic meds that day and you'll be good to go. 

 

Bud - Atlanta

[this post was last edited: 12/13/2020-11:08]

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Thank you Bud

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">We are also coconut lovers so I will likely make this too.  One question.  I have never seen frozen shredded coconut at the store.  It's not to say it doesn't exist I've just never seen it.  If I can't find it, have you ever made this cake with the dry coconut you get in a bag?</span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thanks, Ralph</span>
 
Ralph .....

couldn't get the frozen this year so we got a couple of coconuts and shredded them ..... because one year we forgot to look for the frozen coconut and used the dry variety.  It was definitely NOT as good and lacked the coconut flavor as the fresh provides.  I have found that the local Publix and Kroger's normally have the frozen here, but sometimes is not on the shelf when we look for it. So we start looking for the frozen a month in anticipation of making the cake, which is a Thanksgiving thing we do each year. 

 

BTW, I just checked and you can buy the frozen on Amazon. In the comments some people said that it was still cold when it arrived. Even if it thawed before arrival, no big deal since you have to thaw it to make the cake and wouldn't go bad if it were left out for a few days. Please post a pic and tell us how you liked it if you make this cake!

 

One last thing. the recipe says you can make the cake with just 2 cake pans, but 3 is the original version for the cake.  Definitely make it with 3 pans for a triple stack. The filling to cake ratio, when using just 2 pans is not the same and detracts from the overall cake.
 
Eddie ....

you know, I have seen that but never tried it. I bet it would be a good alternative. As for the coconut cake, the outside is covered in coconut and the slight dry/firm texture of the fresh frozen is almost what you come to expect any coconut cake to be like. But I will definitely try the canned one day just to see if there is any real difference vs the bagged variety.  Good call ........ 
 
Bud

Bakers Canned Flaked Coconut is really good, but maybe hard to find these days.  Back in the 20’s this was the only way to buy already packaged coconut.

 

My Dad loved cocoanut as a little boy, and there is a family story about this that could have ended in tragedy.  My grandma made her own soap.  And being the thrifty women that she was she gave everything a second use so as not to waste.  She kept a Bakers Coconut can with lye in it for soap making and one day she caught her toddler son on the floor with the Bakers Coconut can that contained the lye, ready to dig in.  Providence was on his side that day when she grabbed that can of lye away from him before he got a mouthful.

 

Eddie
 
Reminds me of a song .....

<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">She put the "lyme" in the coconut, and drank em both up. Sorry, just popped into my head when you said "lye".</span>
</span>

 

<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Glad to hear the tot didn't drink that! </span></span>

 

<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember a story of a young girl back in the early 70's who appeared on TV ......  that drank lye drain cleaner. She had 17 surgeries to reconstruct her esophagus and lived to tell about it.  I still remember that story. It must have made a big impact on me and made me extra cautious when my kids were growing up. We had cabinet locks on several doors in the laundry room and kept all cleaning products in them.</span></span>
 
Ralph,
I think it was the old baking powder. I have used this test when baking powder gets near the expiration date:
To test if baking powder is still active, spoon 1/2 teaspoon in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of boiling water over it. Right away it should bubble up violently. If it does, it's still good. If it doesn't, discard it and open a new tin.
 
Thanks George -- someone just shared the same tip with me yesterday.  I had already tossed the old can of powder, but will remember this for future reference.

 

I was out shopping for cards at Home Goods yesterday and found a longer, narrower loaf pan.  It measures 10 3/4" x 3 3/4".  I figured for $5 I'd give it a try.  I like the idea of smaller-but-proportionally-taller slices, and I like its retro 1930s color scheme.

[this post was last edited: 12/14/2020-16:02]

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Ralph thats a beautiful loaf pan.  But I hate to tell you that you’re still going to have a lower rising loaf cake.  Because of the additional length the volume of this new pan is going to be very close to the 9”x5” Corning Ware pan you used for this loaf cake previously, it will just be an inch and a quarter longer, but probably not any higher.  

 

Try it out and see what happens.  But I would still recommend getting an 8”x4” loaf pan if a higher rising loaf cake is what you are trying to achieve.

 

Eddie
 
Well shucks Eddie, I thought maybe the more narrow pan would provide better results than a standard size.  I trust your experience as a baker, but I'll give it a go with new baking powder and see if that helps out.  I still like the pan anyway and want to try it out, so I might as well make the doughnut loaf again before the jug of unfiltered cider from Sebastopol decides to ferment.
 
Louis, I thought of that.  What concerns me is that the recipe calls for 1-1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons of flour.  I thought at first that the two tablespoons would be used separately, cut no, that is the amount for the batter.  It strikes me as kind of ridiculous, but it also makes me wonder whether increasing amounts would cause problems.  Could two lousy tablespoons really make that much of a difference?  If so, who was so meticulous as to narrow the amounts down like that?  Or is it just a Bon Appetit thing to make the baker feel like they're creating something extra special?
 
Ralph I thought about this suggestion too.  Don’t obsess about those 2 tbs of flour.  I would suggest increasing all the ingredients by 1/4th to 1/3rd to allow for the larger volume of the pan.  I found when I began using the smaller 8”x4” loaf pan for Banana or Applesauce bread that the batter filled the pan to about 1 1/2” from the top of the pan, and I thought oh f*ck, its gonna overflow!  But it didn’t, it rose beautifully.  The recipe, like yours called for either a 9”x5” or 8”x4” pan, using the larger pan just results in a cake that isn’t quite as high, but still presentable and tasty. 

 

HTH,

Eddie
 
Bud From North Little Rock

Check Edwards Food Giant on Camp Robinson Rd., North Little Rock. I was in there buying frozen peaches for a Thanksgiving Cobbler few weeks back. Frozen coconut is beside the frozen fruit. Didn't think it was made anymore but I mostly shop the Kroger or Wal Mart these days.
 
Ralph,

Baking is more science than cooking. So two table spoons of flour can make a huge difference in the end result. That's why in the metric system ingredients are weighed. You wouldn't have a food scale by any chance? If so it's easy to adjust a recipe.

One of the most interesting cake recipes is a simple pound cake. You start by weighing the eggs, then add the same amount of sugar, butter and flour. And ofcourse some baking powder, a pinch of salt and some flavouring, but the basic ingredients are all the same weight. The result may be less sweet than American cakes, but I think we here use less sugar in about everything.
 
Hi Louis,  I do have a food scale but I don't trust it to be accurate enough for this particular situation.  I'll have to give some thought to how best to increase quantities, or just leave the recipe as is and use a loaf pan that produces the best results.  Maybe two smaller pans instead of one standard size?
 
Use two pans

 

<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: helvetica;">I'll have to give some thought to how best to increase quantities, or just leave the recipe as is and use a loaf pan that produces the best results.  Maybe two smaller pans instead of one standard size?</span>

 

<span style="font-kerning: none;">I have a banana bread recipe that is supposed to be baked in a regular size loaf pan.  To get the inside cooked through I would have to bake it until the rest of the loaf seemed over cooked and dry.  So I just use two loaf pans instead and half it between the two.  I bake it a little less time but the loaf cooks all the way through and its a very moist cake.  I've been doing it like this now for a couple of years and it's always really good.</span>

 

 
Thanks for the additional replies guys!  I may look into one of those scales. 

 

I had similar trouble with banana bread and some years ago decided to create my own recipe by taking elements from two other recipes, much like what Eddie said he has done with recipes over the years.  Ever since, my banana bread bakes evenly without any mushy parts, and that's in my larger than average 1971  L.A. Pottery Ovenware loaf pan.  It always rises higher than the pan.
 
Some thoughts on baking.

Measurements or weights are very important when baking bread cakes etc. 2 tablespoons makes a huge difference follow recipes carefully.

 

Using the convection feature to bake cakes pies etc. is often a poor idea, of all the convection oven‘s I’ve ever used none have ever baked evenly.

 

You’re much better off using the radiant bake mode some of the great bakers on this site such as Kevin and Eddie and many others are baking with ovens without the convection feature.

 

Convection is mainly good for ovens that are very full of things or roasting meats.

 

It’s pretty useless to have a thermometer in your oven while you’re baking or cooking things. The only way to take an accurate temperature reading of your oven is to have the thermometer in the middle of the oven and not have any food being added or removed from the oven while you’re running tests.

 

John

[this post was last edited: 12/15/2020-22:43]
 
Weight-

I weigh everything when baking, really simple when you get used to it. Plus- one or more less things to wash afterwards. I actually have a scale at each end of the kitchen, one for baking set to grams and one set for oz. for weighing stuff I put in the microwave to defrost.
 
Ralph

I had 2 over ripe bananas today so I baked a loaf of Banana Bread in the 8.5”X4.5” loaf pan I recommended to you. Here are pictures of both the pan with the batter just before placing it in the oven and one of the finished loaf just out of the oven. You can see that even though the batter was almost to the top of the pan it didn’t overflow and came out nicely rounded on top.

Eddie

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