Cakes and pastry!

Hi guys! I have been quite busy these few days such that i have not much time left for blogging... Anyway, i today's post, do expect lots of pictures and an addition to the last pâtisserie post. I would also be blogging about cakes and the different cake baking methods used. So now, lets proceed on! ^.^


There are many ways to bake a cake and it is determined by the fat you're using and the end result you want to achieve. 


1. Creaming method -  This is a method for mixing sugar, butter and eggs together. (for cakes or even biscuits) The main steps in this method are beating the butter (softened a little if necessary) with the sugar until a soft, pale, creamy, thick and fluffy mixture is obtained. The eggs also have to be beaten in one by one. 

2. Rubbing-in method - This method a similar method to making shortcrust pastry. A cake made by this method starts off with rubbing the fat into the flour till resembling fine breadcrumbs. Water is then added to the mixture until it is of dropping consistency. 

3. All-in-one method - As the name suggests, these cakes are mixed all at one go. All ingredients including flour, butter, sugar, vanilla essence, etc, goes in together. The butter has to be in small cubs or it would be difficult to mix. The mixing is done in a few minutes and the mixture is done and ready for the oven. 

That's all of the cake baking methods I know of... If you know any more, please feel free to comment on this post with another cake baking method. Well, here are some tips on baking.


- When baking cookies, muffins, and cakes, make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature. Recipes usually specify the butter to be softened (room temp) but rarely the eggs. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature to achieve better results. Cold eggs hitting warm butter causes the butter to congeal no matter how fast you mix it. It produces a greasy product -- not exactly what you want.


- Separate cold eggs and whip egg whites only at room temperature.


- Use unsalted butter as there might just be too much salt in the butter.


- Preheat the oven. Be patient. Allow it heat up. And, don't open the door all the time to check on your yummy baked goods, either. You're letting heat out! Patience.


--> Why must you preheat the oven?
If you need to cook something in the oven for a specific amount of time at a specific temperature, then it must be cooked at that temperature the WHOLE time. If it takes 10 minutes to preheat it to 300 degrees, and you put the food in WITHOUT preheating, it would not be cooked enough. And if you put the food in WHILE preheating, you end up overcooking it. 



- Remove muffins and cookies from the pans within the first 5 minutes after removing from oven. This prevents sogginess. Using racks to place the cookies or muffins (or cakes) will allow for even cooling.


- Sifting or to not sift the flour? For cookies or muffins, whisk the dry ingredients together. However, when it comes to delicate cakes, sift the flour. It will aerate the flour and help it to mix into the batter better. Sifting removes lumps of flour that may cause the cake to be 'uneven'.


- Egg size matters a lot. The bigger the eggs, the softer and more tender the cakes will be. So try to use larger eggs instead of smaller ones.

                                                                   Chocolate Cake
Like this picture of a chocolate cake? Here's some more cakes for you to 'indulge' on! ^.^ 

Oh! That reminds me... Remember earlier on this post, I said i would make an addition to the last pâtisserie post? The addition that i meant was to add a pastry recipe that i found to be quite intriguing and interesting. Here's the recipe: 
                                                 Christmas mini-muffins

- Preparation time: Less than 30mins                                
- Cooking time: 10-30mins
- Make 24 mini muffins in cute individual cases – perfect for Christmas canapés or as a daily advent calendar-style treat. 


Ingredients

• 200g/7oz self-raising flour, sifted
• 100g/3½oz golden caster sugar
• 100ml/3½fl oz sunflower oil
• 75ml/2½fl oz milk
• 1 large free-range egg
• 50g/1¾oz qood quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 heaped tbsp high quality mincemeat
• 50g/1 ¾oz good quality white chocolate, chopped
• 50g/1¾oz dried (or fresh) cranberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and put 24 mini-muffin cases inside a mini-muffin tin.
2. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl, then make a hole in the center. Whisk together the oil, milk and egg and slowly pour into the bowl, stirring gently. Divide this mixture between two bowls. In one bowl add the dark chocolate and mincemeat. Add the white chocolate and cranberries to the other bowl. Stir very gently.
3. Divide the two mixtures among the 24 muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and risen.
4. Remove the muffins to a wire rack and eat warm.

Would you like to see another recipe? I've decided to add another one... Here it is! 
                                Gingerbread Cake with Orange icing

Preparation time: Less than 30mins
Cooking time: 1-2hrs
This rich, treacly gingerbread is addictively good. Try making it as an alternative to a traditional Christmas cake. Serves 10-12.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 225g/8oz butter, softened
• 225g/8oz light muscovado sugar
• 225g/8oz golden syrup
• 225g/8oz black treacle
• 225g/8oz self-raising flour, sifted
• 225g/8oz wholemeal self-raising flour, sifted
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp stem ginger (from a jar), chopped
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 300ml/10½fl oz milk

For the orange icing

• 150g/5oz icing sugar
• 1 orange, juice and zest
  Preparation method
  1. Line a 23cm/9in square cake tin at least 4cm/1½in deep with baking parchment.
  2. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
  3. Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup and black treacle into a pan and heat gently until the mixture has melted evenly. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Sift the flours, ground ginger and stem ginger into a large mixing bowl and mix gently. Pour the cooled butter mixture into the flour. Add the eggs and milk and beat with a wooden spoon until well combined.
  5. Pour the cake batter into the tin and level the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool slightly in the tin, then transfer the cake to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.
  6. Meanwhile, for the orange icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add about two tablespoons of the orange juice and mix to a smooth paste. Add more orange juice, as necessary, until you get a smooth icing of the consistency you desire.
  7. Pour the icing over the cooled cake and spread lightly, allowing it to ooze over the edges. Sprinkle over chopped orange zest and set the cake aside until the icing has set.
     And there you have it! Gingerbread cake! ^.^ Anyway, enjoy some more pics of these tasty pastries and cakes! =D Enjoy! 
     
     
     
     
     
                                         Not exactly edible cakes, but after all, they ARE cakes! ^.^ 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     Wow! Aren't those cakes and pastries simply delicious just by looking at them? Well, i think that's quite enough for today. Tomorrow, i'll probably post another recipe for either a cake or a pastry. So, check back tomorrow for a few more recipes! =D 
     
     
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