What about using Bakers Flaked Coconut in the can. Its much moister than the bagged variety.
Eddie
Eddie
Baking Issue -- Need Advice
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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 ........
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
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>
<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.
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]
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]
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
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.
So how about tweeking the recipe a bit by adding a bit of all ingredients?
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
HTH,
Eddie
washerboy
Well-known member
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.
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.
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>
<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>
perc-o-prince
Well-known member
Ralph,
I got a digital scale that does ounces and grams off of eBay for something like $7 including shipping. It actually works great!
Chuck
I got a digital scale that does ounces and grams off of eBay for something like $7 including shipping. It actually works great!
Chuck
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.
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]
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]
Mark, Reply #50
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I will check them out. Thank you.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I will check them out. Thank you.</span>
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.
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.
