Rose's Heavenly Cakes (89 page)

How Much to Fill the Pan

Most of my cakes call for 2-inch-high pans. With the exception of the dark chocolate oil cake used for the
German Chocolate Cake
,
Wedding Cupcakes
, and
Deep Chocolate Passion Wedding Cake
,
fill the pan no less than half full and no more than just under two-thirds.

Rule of thumb for odd-size pans: Classic génoise (see
White Gold Passion Génoise
) uses just under half the number of eggs as the cup capacity of the pan. A butter cake uses just under one-quarter as many eggs as the cup capacity. For example: an 8 2/3-cup capacity pan uses a four-egg formula for classic génoise and a two-egg formula for a butter cake (1 whole egg equals 2 yolks or 1½ whites).

For layer cakes, keep in mind that the larger the pan, the farther the distance from the center of the pan to the sides, so the structure of the cake needs to be stronger in order to rise without collapsing. Chemical leavening (baking powder or baking soda) weakens the structure, so you will need to decrease the leavening to strengthen the structure.

Reusable Nonstick Pan Liners and Parchment

Reusable Liners

Reusable liners are one of my favorite products because absolutely nothing sticks to them, making them ideal for caramel, meringues, and ladyfingers. Sometimes called super parchment or reusable parchment, they also make cleanup easy. Food service—quality Silpat, which is a combination of silicone and fiberglass, is not quite as nonstick as the Teflon-type of liners available for home use, but it is a lot more durable. It is widely available at housewares and kitchen specialty stores. All the nonstick liners can be reused countless times.

Parchment

Parchment is available at cake-decorating supply stores and specialty stores in precut rounds and in rolls for lining the bottoms of cake pans. Lining pan bottoms with parchment enables the cake to release perfectly when unmolding and, if left uncoated, helps to remove the bottom crust easily for sponge cakes that will be brushed with syrup.

Cake Strips

When a layer cake bakes, the heat from the oven reaches the sides of the pan first and the center of the pan last. This causes the edges of the cake to rise and set before the center, which continues to rise, creating a dome in the center and dryness around the edges. The purpose of cake strips encircling the pan is to slow down the baking at the sides of the pan so that the batter rises at the same rate as in the center and produces a more level cake.

Until recently, the cake strips I used were made of fabric that had to be moistened in order to be effective and to prevent burning; the cake strip had to be fastened with a pin. But after exploring the virtues of silicone bakeware, I realized, in a eureka sort of moment, that since it is very slow to conduct heat, silicone is the ideal substance for a cake strip. There's no need to moisten or fasten it, and it stays pristine clean. Another advantage of silicone is that during baking it expands slightly, making the strips easy to remove. This led me to create Rose's Heavenly Cake Strips, which are sold by LaPrima Shops (see
Equipment Sources
). They fit 9- and 10-inch round pans and 8-inch square pans. For smaller pans, use metal paper clamps to clamp off the excess length.

For larger or odd-shaped pans, you can even make your own using a strip of aluminum foil long enough to encircle the pan with a little overlap. Wet some paper towels, fold them the height of the pan, and lay them along the strip. Then fold the aluminum foil over them to encase them. Wrap the strip around the pan and secure it with a metal paper clip or clamp. Another advantage of silicone is that during baking it expands slightly making the strips easy to remove.

Food Processors

The Cuisinart and the KitchenAid food processors (see
Equipment Sources
) set the standard. They are indispensable for grinding nuts and chocolate, grinding sugar to a superfine consistency, pureeing fruit, and all sorts of kitchen activities that prior to the processor took much longer to accomplish. I also value the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus processor for chopping small quantities of nuts or chocolate. The tiny Cuisinart Mini-Mate Plus chopper/grinder is unequaled for producing superfine citrus zest or dispersing vanilla bean seeds. (Just add a little sugar from the recipe.)

Heavy-Duty Stand Mixers

If there were one symbol that defined baking, it would be the KitchenAid stand mixer (see
Equipment Sources
). It is the mini version of the Hobart, a brand found in commercial kitchens all over the world. The 5-quart Artisan is KitchenAid's most popular model, so I tested all the recipes in this book using it. The head tilts back to make scraping the bowl easy, and its adjustable beaters make it possible for them to reach as close to the bottom of the bowl as possible for thorough and even mixing. If you plan to make wedding cakes and bread, however, you will be better served by the larger and more powerful 6-quart model. It will enable you to do fewer batches, but, of course, you will need to have oven space to accommodate two 12-inch cake pans with air space all around them for even baking. An added feature is a water jacket attachment to heat or chill the bowl while beating.

The 5-quart mixer can handle any mixture that does not exceed 4 quarts, for example, an 8-egg butter cake or 7-egg génoise. The 6-quart mixer can handle any mixture that does not exceed 5 quarts, such as a 9-egg butter cake or 11-egg génoise.

The Cuisinart 7-quart mixer, with tilt-back head, is the ideal mixer if making wedding cakes, but the deep bowl also handles small amounts of batter perfectly. The electronic speed control is easy to set, and the timer with auto shutoff is a nice convenience. The motor is powerful but quiet.

For larger-scale baking, the 20-quart Hobart is an ideal size. It can also be used with a 10-quart bowl.

For smaller amounts of ingredients, such as cream for whipping, and for recipes that involve beating hot syrup into eggs or egg whites, a handheld mixer is more practical than a stand mixer. KitchenAid makes an excellent one.

Heavy-duty stand mixers offer the choice of a flat "paddle" beater or a whisk beater. The flat beater is intended for general mixing; the whisk beater will whip as much air as possible into a mixture, such as when beating egg whites or batter for sponge-type cakes.

If investing in a stand mixer, it pays to get an extra bowl and set of beaters for the many times egg whites need to be beaten after the rest of the ingredients have been mixed. As the whites require a spotlessly clean bowl and beaters, a second set comes in very handy.

Definition of My Mixing Speeds

Start mixing on low speed and gradually raise the speed to the speed indicated in the recipe. If the volume of the ingredients is small in proportion to the mixer bowl, you will need to use higher speeds. The times listed in the recipes are for a stand mixer. The gradual increase in speed keeps the ingredients from jumping out of the bowl and is better for the gears of the mixer. The one exception to this practice is when beating hot syrup into stiffly beaten egg whites. Starting on low between each addition would overheat and deflate the whites.

Mixing Speeds

The KitchenAid pouring shield works well when adding flour, powdered sugar, and liquids that can fly out of the bowl. As an alternative, I drape a large piece of plastic wrap over the top of the mixer, including the top of the bowl. Any flour that leaps up does not cling to the plastic as it would to a cloth towel, and you can see what is happening to the mixture in the bowl. The tight-fitting lid or cover on the Cuisinart mixer also eliminates the need to cover the bowl.

Thermometers

I produced mercury thermometers renowned for their accuracy to within a fraction of a degree for more than twenty years until the FDA banned mercury thermometers for use in the kitchen. Fortunately, technology has come up with some viable alternatives that rival the speed and repeatability of mercury: infrared digital thermometers. Infrared falls between the visible light of the electromagnetic spectrum and radio waves. Infrared thermometers capture the invisible infrared energy naturally emitted from all objects. Often referred to as "point and shoot," the infrared ray, when aimed and the trigger is pulled, instantly scans the surface temperature of an object from up to two feet away. This is a very useful tool for taking oven temperature and also the temperature of different areas in the refrigerator or room.

The FoodPro Plus, by Raytek (see
Equipment Sources
), has a range of 30° to 525°F/34° to 273°C with a probe for measuring internal temperature.

Most instant-read thermometers are small enough to tuck into your pocket and they are virtually indispensable for making sugar syrups, caramel, cream sauces, for melting chocolate, and for determining baked cake temperature. Two of the best are the Thermapen 5F thermometer (see Thermoworks, in
Equipment Sources
) with a range of 50° to 550°F/45° to 287°C and the CDN ProAccurate pocket thermometer (see
Equipment Sources
) with a range of 40° to 450°F/40° to 230°C. The Thermapen is more expensive but offers the quickest response.

Oven Thermometers

I use a laboratory cable thermometer from Omega (model number HH22; see
Equipment Sources
). It is expensive, but it is far more accurate than most oven thermometers I have tested. It is designed for home use and can be used for two ovens at the same time. It is important for an oven thermometer to be read without having to open the oven because the temperature starts to drop immediately. For an oven with a window, the CDN Model DOT2 has also proven reliable.

Spatulas

Metal Spatulas

A small metal spatula with a narrow 4-inch blade is one of the most often used implements in my kitchen. It is perfect for leveling measuring spoons with dry ingredients, for dislodging crust from the sides of the pan, for frosting the sides of a cake, and for making swirls in frosting. Parrish Magic Line makes a slim 6 by 3-inch stainless steel metal plate called the Icing Blade, which is perfect for smoothing the sides of a frosted cake. You can also use a bench scraper.

It is helpful to have a long narrow metal spatula for smoothing the top of the cake. Another must is a small offset spatula. When tiering cake layers, the offset spatula works well for slipping under the cake just before the final edge touches down on the layer underneath it. It's easier to slip out without marring the frosting than the large one used to lift the cake. Small and large offset spatulas are also handy for spreading mixtures evenly in pans or for lifting very small cakes. A broad inflexible grill spatula or pancake turner is useful for lifting frosted cake layers.

Silicone Spatulas

Flexible, high-heat spatulas were our first introduction to the wonders of silicone. I especially like clear or light-colored ones for making caramel. The light color makes it possible to see the true color of the caramel and allows your eyes to be the thermometer. Silicone spatulas are also very efficient for scraping every last smidgen of batter from the bowl and for reaching down to the bottom of the bowl when folding mixtures together. Since they retain odors, a separate set should be reserved for baking.

Strainers

Lehman's Best Food Mill

This special food strainer from Lehman's (see
Equipment Sources
), fitted with the optional berry screen, pays for itself by extracting more puree than any other device. Unlike the average food mill, it does not allow even the tiniest raspberry seed to pass through.

Stainless steel fine-mesh strainers are indispensable for a wide range of baking-related activities. You will need a small fine-mesh one for clarifying butter and a medium-size one for
Lacquer Glaze
, sifting cocoa and flour, and evenly dusting powdered sugar or cocoa onto cakes (simply tap the side with a spoon or use the spoon to press the powdered sugar or cocoa through the fine openings). A strainer is also needed for straining preserves, lemon curd, cream, and crème anglaise.

Sifters

The primary purpose of sifting is to separate and aerate flour particles, enabling them to mix more uniformly with the liquid in a recipe. However, sifting does not adequately mix dry ingredients. This is best accomplished in the mixer or by using a whisk.

I prefer an electric sifter because it is so speedy (see Pastry Chef Central, in
Equipment Sources
). A mesh strainer with a tablespoon to press the flour through also works, but it is much slower.

Wire Racks for Cooling

My favorite racks are the Combrichon round wire racks from France (see La Cuisine, in
Equipment Sources
). The wire is spaced closely together, offering ideal support for the cake. To prevent cakes from sticking to the racks, I coat them lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Graters

Microplane

The now-ubiquitous Microplane is the best tool for zesting citrus fruit (grating the rind into fine zest). Its grating teeth are sharp and shallow, making it easy to remove the flavorful portion of the rind without touching the bitter pith beneath. There is also a model with deeper grating holes that works quickly and efficiently for grating chocolate.

Coconut Graters

Coconut, freshly grated, is the best, but producing evenly grated coconut is tedious without a coconut grater, carried by such places as Kalustyan's (see
Equipment Sources
). It is a multibladed device with serrated teeth that fits into the hollow of the coconut and, when turned by a crank, rapidly turns coconut into a flurry of fine, perfectly grated flakes.