The Baking Answer Book (29 page)

Mushrooms
. Meringue mushrooms are traditional, but you can also shape uncolored marzipan or fondant into mushroom shapes. To make meringue mushrooms: Whip two large egg whites just until they hold soft peaks. With the mixer on high, pour ¼ cup of granulated sugar into the bowl until the meringue holds a stiff
peak. Sift ¼ cup more granulated sugar, ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar, and 2 teaspoons of flour over the bowl and then fold the mixture into the meringue. Scrape it into a pastry bag fitted with a large (¼-inch) plain tip and pipe 1-inch-long pointed stems and 1-inch rounds onto a parchmentlined baking sheet. Bake the meringues in a 250°F (120°C) oven until dry and set, about 1 hour 30 minutes. When cool, attach the tops to the stems with a little bit of leftover frosting.

Q
Does nut meringue batter for dacquoise need to be prepared or handled differently from batter made with just egg whites and sugar?

A
Whip the egg whites with the sugar as you would for a plain meringue, making sure your bowl and beaters are scrupulously clean and grease-free. Take care not to overprocess the nuts when grinding them in the food processor. If you do, they will release their oil, and then when you fold the oily nuts into the meringue the egg whites will deflate. Add some sugar to the bowl of the food processor with the nuts, which will help to keep them dry. For added insurance, a bit of cornstarch sprinkled in the bowl before grinding
will absorb any oil that does get released and act as a barrier between the oil and the eggs.

Q
What exactly is “folding” and why is it so important in cake baking?

A
Folding is the process by which two substances of different densities are gently but thoroughly combined into one batter, for example, when adding whipped egg whites to a heavy batter. The point is to fold the lighter ingredients into the heavier ones without deflating the air bubbles you’ve worked to incorporate into either or both.

To fold successfully, use a wide rubber spatula, which will accomplish the task in fewer strokes than a narrow one. If the difference in densities is very great, as with whipped egg whites and a much heavier flour-based batter, stir in about one-quarter of the whites to lighten the batter before folding in the remaining whites. To fold, add the remaining whites and sweep the spatula along one side of the bowl and down to the bottom. Lift it up and through the center of the batter, flipping and turning as you lift. Turn the bowl about 45 degrees and repeat, working your way around the bowl as you lift and turn the batter. Continue to fold until the whites are incorporated into the batter, which may take several revolutions of the bowl.

When folding in dry ingredients or nuts, lightening the batter is not necessary. Just proceed to the folding step, sweeping, lifting, and turning the spatula until your batter is smooth but still light.

Q
What is a 1-2-3-4 cake?

A
This is another name for basic two-layer yellow cake. The ingredients for 1-2-3-4 cake are so easy to remember that they don’t need to be written down. To make this cake, just gather together 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of cake flour, and 4 large eggs (you’ll also need 1 tablespoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1 cup of milk). Whisk together the dry ingredients; whisk the milk, eggs, and vanilla; and cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Scrape the batter into two 9-inch round cake pans that have been greased, lined with parchment, greased again, and floured, and bake at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. See? No recipe and you can have a layer cake in no time.

Q
Can you give me a simple buttercream frosting recipe that’s as easy to remember as the formula for 1-2-3-4 cake?

A
Here’s the one I use: 1 cup softened unsalted butter, one 16-ounce box confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon meringue powder, 1 tablespoon whole milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. I beat the butter using an electric mixer until it is fluffy, then add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time until it’s all incorporated. Then I beat in the meringue powder, milk, vanilla, and salt and continue to beat on high until the frosting is fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Q
What is the difference between yellow cake and white cake?

A
Both are butter cakes, made using the creaming method. Both contain butter, sugar, flour, and milk. The difference is that a yellow cake contains just the egg yolks, whereas a white cake contains whole eggs.

Q
The recipe for yellow cake I’m working from doesn’t call for creaming. The butter is mixed with the flour and other dry ingredients and then the wet ingredients are added. How is this different from a shortened cake?

A
This recipe is still considered shortened, because of the butter. But the texture will be very different because of the different mixing method, sometimes called the “one bowl” method. The cake will be less voluminous than cakes made by the creaming method, because there are no air cells created during creaming to lift it in the oven. It will also be more tender, because there is less opportunity for gluten formation once the flour has been coated with the butter, inhibiting the creation of gluten strands that form when liquid is mixed with flour that doesn’t have a protective coating of fat.

Q
My cake recipe calls for creaming the butter and sugar together, but then separating the eggs, whipping the whites, and folding them into the batter separately. So is this a foam or a butter cake?

A
Foam cakes only contain a small amount, if any, of melted butter. Your cake is a shortened cake, because a relatively large amount of butter is creamed with the sugar, and will account for some of its rise. But the mixing method employed, sometimes called the “combination” method, borrows from foam cake recipes by folding in whipped egg whites for extra rise and lightness.

Q
What is the difference between using melted unsweetened chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder in cakes?

A
Unsweetened chocolate is about 50% cocoa butter, so in addition to bringing mild chocolate flavor to a cake it also brings moisture and tenderness in the form of fat. Cocoa powder, in contrast, is fat free. It imparts a more intense chocolate flavor to baked goods than unsweetened chocolate, but can have a drying and strengthening effect, which must be offset by adding more butter or other fat, as well as by a larger amount of chemical leaveners proportionate to its dry ingredients. Some bakers like to use both types of chocolate in a cake, believing that the combination lends the cake the best qualities of both types of chocolate.

Q
Why do some recipes call for mixing cocoa powder with boiling water before incorporating it into the batter?

A
Not only does whisking cocoa powder with boiling water get rid of any lumps, creating a smooth mixture that will incorporate well into cake batter, but it also brings out the chocolate flavor of the powder, making for a more intensely chocolaty cake.

Double Chocolate Cake

Here is a recipe using both types of chocolate — unsweetened baking chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder — for a rich, moist, intense chocolate cake. To make it a triple chocolate cake, frost with whipped chocolate ganache, or pour a chocolate glaze over it.

SERVES 10 TO 12

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

cup unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch-process

1 cup boiling water

1 cup milk

3 large eggs

2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat the inside of a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust it with flour, knocking out any excess.

2.
Combine the chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3.
Whisk the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

4.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Add the chocolate mixture and mix on low until well combined.