A Good Treat - Scratch Cake And Frosting

This is definitely the time of year  for sweet treats and one of those is a slice of cake drenched in frosting. What's even infinitely better is cake made from scratch and frosting that's not from a can. YThere is nothing  like an old school cake with an airy mound of sweetness on top.It just takes some savvy to create both perfectly.

Regular contributor and top baker Genevieve Ko knows this and contributes both advice and recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.After several years of create the perfect slice she offers her knowledge to both expert and novice bakers alike.Ome of the most important gadgets a home baker should have is a good scale. Don't use a liquid measuring cup for measuring dry ingredients like flour or baking powder. Get a cheap digital kitchen scale; then use a spoon or scraper to push the dry ingredients into a cup. Using a measuring cup for liquids could throw off a recipe. Too much cocoa in a recipe such as her chocolate peanut butter ones will make for a crumbly crumb and a surprisingly bitter flavor. Another must is mix the batter differently Ms. Ko follows Rose Levy Beranbaum ,a uthor of the famed "The Cake Bible"in which reverse creaming is used ,This is when room temperature butter is mixed with the dry ingredients. This gives the butter's fat the chance to coat some of the flours proteins and as a result stop tough gluten from forming.After the flour is coated and the butter is evenly dispersed then add the liquid ingredients. This results in a much more tender crumb.(It also makes for easier slicing too).

One of the most important aspect s for home bakers is knowing their ovens Ms. Ko recommends thinking about your oven's capacity How long does it take to preheat? Thirty minutes instead of the usual fifteen.Does it run hot or cold?Is there a significant temperature drop when the door is opened? Is it smaller than average like an apartment oveN? These tend to brown baked goods quicker than larger ovens.Ovens may have to be set twenty-five degrees higher or lower.One way to find out is to set white bread slices in different spots and see how they brown. Make a note of the results Another must do is use bake times as guidelines. Set the timer for a little before the lowest time marker and take a look without opening the oven.Test for doneness before it's too far gone. The perfect bake is a cake that has a light golden brown color. Before baking  understand a cake's anatomy along with having the right pans. As for the cakes themselves.Ms.Kp give three yummy recipes, the classic confetti cake with cream cheese frosting. chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and yellow sheet cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Tint the frosting orange for a Halloween party . Save these recipes for Christmas dessert too instead of cookies.

Nothing beats the perfect scratch cake with a scratch frosting. The result is a deliciously light bite full of flavor. This is the perfect Halloween treat.