What makes a good cake? Is it the flour? The type of butter or milk added.Or is the the baking process itself? many home bakers wonder as they tackle scratch cakes (made without a mix and fromcratch ) for the first time.
What actually does makea good slice? Consider what's in a cake. A good flour is essential for creating a moist crumb and tender bite. All purpose flour provides a sturdy velevety texture while cake flour has a lower protein content for a finer. more tender bite. What flour is the best? Classics like Swan;s Fown cake flour and any of the King Arthur flours work. There is also the finely milled Pilsbury Softasilk, perfect for high rise ultra tender cakes.You also need a baking soda or powder to create gas to make the cake rise.Keep in mind that there is also baking soda which needs an natural acid like buttermilk or natural cocoa to activate.Baking powder has it's own built in acid to make the gas. A good cake needs a good fat such as butter or oil.Butter delivers a rich classic flavor while a neutral oil like canola or vegetable stays liquid at room temperature to keep the crumb soft and moist for days,. If you;re using butter go for the best - Irish imported Kerry Gold. This has the smoothest richest flavor and texture. Eggs bind the whole batter together while adding moisture and richness Chicken eggs are the best for this. Every cake needs a liquid, whether milk, butter milk or coffee. This help dissolves the dry ingredients , hydrates the protein and creates stem to help the cake rise and expand,
To create the absolute perfect cake there also has to be crucial baking techniques.Butter, dairy and eggs must be put out to thaw out . They have to be at room temperature to emulsify or combine smoothly along with properly tapping air. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to split or curdle.Proper creaming is also important. Beating softened butter and sugar together incorporate microscopic air pockets. When heated in the oven the trapped air expands it give the cake a light, fluffy lift. However over mixing can cause problems .Once the flour is added only mix until just combined.Over working the batter can lead to developing too much gluten which turns a soft cake into a tough dense or rubbery one.Always remember that baking is a science. It requires precise measurements Weighing ingredients with a digital kitchen scale prevents packing too much flour into measuring cups. This results in a dry cake. What you bake the batter in also matters.Try to have aluminized steel like the USA Pan. The pans have a patented fluted /corrugated bottom to create an equal air circulation.Natural and anodized aluminum also is good to bake in. These last two prevent cake from doming and browning.
The perfect scratch can be made.It needs good ingredients , good techniques and good pans. The end result is a slice ,full fof flavor and tenderness.
Posts
