How to bake a cake..........

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

You're right Butch-inNJ

about King Arthur Flour. There is flour and then there is King Arthur Flour. Terrific product. My late mom taught me a few things about making a cake from scratch as well as baking breads. 1. Have everything out at room temp. 2 Measure exact as she would tell me baking is all about science. My mother would even weigh the flour as she thought it was more accurate than using a measuring cup. Start with flour and end with flour when mixing. 3. Line the pans with wax paper. 4. Fill each pan as accurately as you can to avoid a lop-sided cake. 5. Drop the pans (lightly) with the batter in the pans on the counter to get out all the air bubbles. 6. When the cake start to pull away from the side, it usually a good indication that it is ready to come out of the oven. I glad to see here that "guys do love to bake"
 
Drop that sucker!

Quite frankly, I don't understand clanking the cake pan on the table to get rid of "air bubbles." Firstly, they can't really occur in a butter cake. Beating, beating, beating, beating, to create those precious bubbles only to knock them senseless before the oven. Paula Deen does it, my hillbilly grandma and aunts on dad's side all did it and it was quite fashionable in the American kitchen of the 50's to rap the cakes on the edge of the counter. Try it in your own kitchen, whack one layer and not the other and see if there is a discernable difference. Air pocket are a big deal with Angel cake, leaving craters along the sides of the cake. In that one you gently cut through the batter with a spatula to ease the batter against the edge of the pan. Let's give it a whirl in the days ahead, whacking one layer and not it's brother and see if its real or a rural legend. It is definitely more prevalent in the Southern kitchen.

mixfinder++7-27-2009-16-53-46.jpg
 
~Don't you HATE that commercial about guys dont bake,stuff like that dosent usually bother me, but that one does,.

Taylor, laundry men, bakers, chefs.

Funny how when a man does it for money (to make a living), all of a sudden it's prestigious
 
Kelly, what's your opinion of lard as a cake fat? I mean purely from a taste/texture perspective, ignoring the health concerns.

My dad's mom refused to use anything else, and she lived to be 86.
 
Perspectives in Lard

My self, I use nothing but Lard-Lite! Fat is fat is fat is fat, your digestive process is no respecter of EVOO. Components like saturated fats and transfatty acid are not good for most people unless you work 18 hour shifts in Antarctica. Jeff, the biggest concern with lard is not knowing your pig. The best leaf lard comes from a younger pig that has been neutered. Nothing on the face of the earth, with the exception of Patchouli oil stinks as bad as lard or meat from a mature "intact" boar. That said, no baked good is as tender or moist as when it made from lard.
Its closest comparison would be high fat content butter, like the European style. We had pigs, chickens and beef that provide meals as well as lard, eggs and milk. A pig and a chicken walked past an orphanage and saw the hungry children. "Let go give them bacon and eggs for breakfast" said the chicken. "That easy for you." said the pig, "For you it’s a gesture of kindness; for me its total commitment." So would I buy Manteca off the grocery shelf to make pie, cakes or cookies, probably not? If I could get my hands on some home butchered lard its all good. Lard rancidifies rather quickly so it must be kept refrigerated. Mom even put bacon grease in cookies and cakes that were strong flavored, like Peanut Butter, Molasses spice or chocolate. I believe about 20% of what is urban legend and bandied about by Center for Science in the Public Interest and others like them. I believe minus 10,000 of what I see and read of commercially marketed "organic" products. Not even God can make 1,000 organic tomatoes the same size, ready at the same time and ship them across the country with out a blemish or spoilage, in the dead of winter. You really think that Whole Food produce so beautiful, lush and expensive is organic? Oh lord look what I've done. Gone off course and become a radical. A free radical, bane of the immune system.

As the threads grow you can see I have a revolving door of appliances.

mixfinder++7-27-2009-17-53-27.jpg
 
Kelly, thanks for the info. My grandma's cakes did seem to have that special something, they were feathery and more satisfying than anyone else's. Maybe it's that fifth taste-bud type that humans have, the one for meat fat?

She always got her lard from the butcher. I never saw a single package of Manteca in her cupboards or fridge. I buy it once in a while, but only to season or reseason cast iron cookware.
 
Chicken fat used as shortening

One of my aunts used rendered chicken fat in place of butter in her baking and it was not noticable in her yellow cakes. She did this when there was no money to buy butter or shortening and the milk from the cows on the farm was lean. She made a chocolate fudge frosting that I have yet to master making! I have yet to get the timing right, it "turns" or solidifies before I can finish frosting the cake! I have have even tried using a hot water bath to slow the frosting cooling. She would bake thin cake layers rather than splitting or torting. I just need to practice more to get the timing right. Her cake pans were shallower than that is the norm today being 1 & 1/4 inches deep and were made of steel and had the attached knife to make sure no cake stuck to the pan. My mother bought a set of 3 nine inch Wearever aluminum pans with the knife blade but they were detachable for easy cleaning and of heavy guage and a sturdy rim. These pans had fairly straight sides. They were used to make the famous 1, 2, 3, 4 Cake using Crisco shortening, and all-purpose flour. Another aunt always used lard to make pie crusts and no one else in the family had a flakier pie crust. All of my mother's family including my grandpa, knew how to bake and they all had specialties that they and brought to family gatherings as well as holiday meals.
 
Fudge Frosting

We made one at home:
Chocolate frosting
Combine
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
1/4 cup Karo Syrup
Combine in a heavy sauce and stir over medium heat until the frosting comes to a full boil. Lower the heat to medium low to maintain a steady boil and do not stir any more to prevent sugaring. Use a candy thermometer or cold water for soft ball test to make sure you have reached a soft ball stage. Remove from heat: Add
1 teaspoon vanilla
Let stand for 10 minutes and then beat with mixer until icing begins to lose it's gloss. Working quickly, frost the cake before icing sets. If icing is gets too firm, thin it with heavy cream.

This recipe makes an oustanding Sour Cream White Icing. Omit the cocoa and replace the evaporated with real, let it sour, sour cream. You can make soured cream by adding 2 tablespoons of buttermilk or yogurt to 1 cup of sweet heavy cream. Let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. It should have a nice sizzle and tang on the tongue.

Here she is, the mom all us kids adore. She is in stage 3 Alheimer's and I go every week and stay Sunday through Tuesday to manage all things medical and to give dad a break.

mixfinder++7-27-2009-23-39-21.jpg
 
mixfinder

You can tell a lot from a photograph. Your mother looks like a wonderful person. Take comfort in that fact she is still here and that you are able to be with both of your parents. I lost my dad several years ago, then I came home from work one day and found my 45 year old partner of 20 years dead, and he was not ill at all. A few months ago I held my mom's hand for many hours while she quietly passed away. Things aren't the same and they never will be. My dog Molly makes things better.

Your food photos are really great. There are many good cooks but it takes a real expert to bake all those cakes and rolls and have nothing burned. All those mixers! Are they yours or did you have a "bake-in" where everyone brought their own KitchenAid?
 
Amazing Grace

My dad was a mean father. Mom always ran interference and tried so hard to make sure there was time for us to have fun. We all have a great relationship with her, but as her gay son, I hold the trump card. I spent lots of time with my grandparents and as the gay grandson; I held the trump card for grandma, listening to her stories (she came to America from Holland)by the hour. It helps to visit with mom because I know names, roads, dates, and stories of all the people my mom went to school with as well as the ins and outs of the relatives.

Bought the Pink stuff cheap and resold it. Could have sold 20 of each.
My mom was still trying to soothe my dad after 58 years of marriage. When mom began to tip, she went to a place where she absolutely knows no stress. The first time in her life she could relax and let go. My entire life I did everything I could physically, materially and emotionally do to help mom's life become easier. I knew when she went to her new space, our relationship was cemented. She fundamentally knows I love her and I can assure her enough to get her to do or go just about anywhere or place its needed. Mom is very funny, still quick with wit, but now she cannot recall the last sentence you have just said to be able to answer in context. Its killing my dad whose every wish is to die first so he won't be alone. He neither reads nor writes and even in their business transaction mom would coach and prompt dad in such a way he got the gist of things and his ignorance was not revealed. This man cannot look up a phone number.

Shifting gears, I attach a note I sent to another member who asked the same questions.

Its been to fun to post and my life is hard to explain. I was 13 when I began buying, trading, finding and playing with appliances both large and small. The number of appliances I've had likely tops 5,000. In 2002, the year I retired, my wife wanted to move to Seattle. We left a small ranch, three story house, barn, animals, full basement and moved into a 2 bedroom 1,200 sq ft condo. All the collections and the stable of appliance were sold or gifted. (My cousin came to visit and asked why all my stuff was. I told her I had gotten rid of it all. She looked at me and said, "So you let her make you get rid of it all and now this is it, life in a box and then you die?" I replaced the condo appliances with new GE and it was then I made the shift from all Sunbeam counter top appliances to Kitchenaid. In 2004, I left my wife and for the first time since I was 19, I had my own place. I moved to an apartment with all GE and then a few months after moved into a condo on trendy Capitol Hill, whose kitchen wall I painted red which you see in some of the pictures. There I had all Maytag appliances. That kitchen shows some of the counter top appliances and the appliances were white. In 2006, when I was beginning chemo, I moved to much less expensive apartment in a small town near SeaTac airport. In this kitchen I first had almond Whirlpool appliances. I swapped to white Frigidaire and a Kitchenaid dishwasher. My Amana freezer on the bottom quit. I switched to all GE TOL kitchen appliances that Peter's neighbor gave me in a remodel. I have had a white, gray, red and copper Kitchenaid 620 as well as 100 or so other Kitchenaids that I find refurb and give to friends who want one. I bring home anything appliances and cookware, vacuums (elux and Hoover) etc that are too good to pass up. When I first arrived here all the counter top appliances were white. Kitchenaid did a warrantee exchange and I ended up with a black coffee maker so I have slowly swapped out the white for black. In my laundry room in the basement, I have a matching 1992 TOL Maytag set plus two vintage Maytags. I also have a very cool Frigidaire retro range I must take pictures of. Currently the GE products are far superior to anything I have ever owned or cooked with. I doubt I will ever go back to a total retro but will always have some on the side. The kitchen in Burien first had white walls and then I painted a metallic silver blue.

I bought the pink set off craigs in Decemeber. I relisted them and could have 20.

mixfinder++7-28-2009-02-13-5.jpg
 
Fudge Recipe

Kelly, thank you for sharing your recipe. I need to take the time to start photographing my creations and posting them here. People have been asking me to take pictures for years, to make for myself a portfolio of my creations. I have a digital camera and scanner and going learn how to stretch my computer skills a bit. You all make it look easy. This is my first attempt to attach a scanned image.

Mixguy++7-28-2009-09-39-45.jpg
 
Looks Easy

Trust me it has be easy. Everything I know about computers can be printed on the head of a pin with a felt tip marker. I use Microssoft Office Picture Manager and its very easy. Robert has done an excellent job of making the system user friendly. On the Kitchanid forum its required to use photobucket to upload any images. Its cumbersome and slow. I like Robert's way a lot better.

mixfinder++7-28-2009-15-51-26.jpg
 
Kelly, Bless your mother and bless you for taking such good care of her. My mother used REX lard in the red box for everything. Frying, baking etc. She also saved bacon grease to fry pork chops and chicken fried steak. She was a wonderful cook and baker. Your rolls and cakes above made me think of her. Tuesdays was ironing and baking day. She got up early boiled a potato and started her bread. By 3PM I would walk in from school and she would have 24 rolls two loaves of bread and a pan of cinnamon rolls hot out of the oven. Sometimes a cake or pie. Ironing would be done and dinner going. She was bareley 5 feet tall and 98 lbs. She told my wife and I years ago (1974 or so) when she came to our house and saw crisco and imperial margarine to get rid of it. That stuff will kill you she said. Being a RN she probably had insght none of us had. We were all told how good hydrogenated fats were for us. At that time none of knew that my dads side of the family had a genetic traight to heart disease and moms side to cancer. Unfortunatly before she taught me all of the tricks to her cooking and baking at 56 she passed away. She always said one of these days. Those days slip by much too fast. My wife and I are so grateful for what she did teach us and have passed down to our son and his wife. My sons friends are amazed at what he can whip up. He likes to experiment more than I do. Your stories, recipes and help with the know how has brought back some great memories. Here is a Hershey Cocoa Cake recipe. It is easy and great for picnic or camping. Thanks Dano - Bendix 5

Hershey Cocoa Cake

¾ Cup Butter
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
2 Cups unsifted flour
¾ Cup Hershey Cocoa
1 ¼ Tsp Baking Soda
½ Tsp Salt
1 1/3 Cups Water

While creaming butter and sugar combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in separate bowl Stir together

Cream butter and sugar -- add eggs and vanilla and beat 1 minute at med speed
Add dry mix alternating with water to creamed mixture. Bake 350 degrees, 40 minutes in tube pan. Ice with favorite butter cream frosting. This cake is dense and so good.
 
How to bake a cake

<object width=425 height=344><param name=movie value=></param><param name=allowFullScreen value=true></param><param name=allowscriptaccess value=always></param><embed src= type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess=always allowfullscreen=true width=425 height=344></embed></object>
 
Vapid Menance with the big lower jaw

My granddaughter Audrey loves this show. There is a German or Aryan red haired gymnast who drives a dirigible and is the good example for the kids and community. The villain has slicked back hair, giant teeth and a lower jaw you could park a 747 on. His every characteristic is gay, swishy, underhanded and cowardly. That said, it hasn't caused my grandkids to be fearful of me!

mixfinder++7-29-2009-10-53-17.jpg
 
Kelly,

Amazing Grace indeed. Bless you on taking on this challenge of taking care of your mother. Also, I very sorry Kelly for your situation. It will be six years this October since my mom's passing and I miss her every day. Just when I think things were bad when I was growing up in such an abusive home, Lord and behold, I see other people like you who probably had it worse than me. My mom wasn't one to indulge in anything fancy, just a simple women. However, all she ever wanted was a simple gold wedding band to replace the wedding set that my stepfather gave her some 40+ years ago. My mom developed major rheumatoid arthritis after age 50 which damaged her joints in her hands making her unable to wear her old set. After asking my Dad for a simple wedding band year after year, I finally purchased a white gold band for her one Christmas many years ago after I beginning making a better wage. I will never forget the sick, pissed off, sulked looked on my Dad's face when my mom opened up her gift. He never, ever made any comments on that ring to her or to anyone. My brother and I also had to purchase our mom a water heater (yes, I said water heater), her first automatic washer/dryer, and a portable dishwasher. Things that should have been bought through our Dad. But NO! I swear if I didn't knew better, I believed he was jealous of my brothers and I. This man never went to any of our graduations from high school or college or any of my brothers' weddings. But my mom was always there as well to pick up and calm away any bad feelings that were there. But on a lighter note now, I have a similar Sunbean Mixmaster mixer that was my mother back in the 70s' with the clear glass bowls and a dough hook that wasn't quite efficient in mixing dough. There is nothing like having a KitchenAid Mixer to do major dough jobs and especially the help of the spread of cakes and breads you have on that stove!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top