Back To Basics...

Cake baking - any baking, for that matter - is a science. The way baking soda and/or baking powder react with other ingredients to make your cake rise. Different types of flours. Regular cocoa powder vs. dutch process cocoa powder. You name it...there is a reason for everything in a recipe! I am not one to even begin to understand how it all works, but I have a pretty good idea. 

(Six layer 25th anniversary cake)

There are many different types of cake. Butter based cakes, oil based, egg white based, quick breads. The the difference in these cakes are, of course, the ingredients, but also the way they are mixed.

Cakes that use butter as the fat in the ingredients will "cream" the butter and sugar together first. Cakes that use oil for the fat will just combine the oil without breaking down the crystals of sugar as creaming butter and sugar does. 

Egg white based cakes - sponge cakes and angel food cakes - rely on the eggs to give us volume! Yes, leavening agents are used in these recipes; however, if you don't get those egg whites just right, your results will be less than desired. More like a flat, rubbery, cake-like substance. Just ask me how I know this........

(Angel Food Cake)

Quick breads and muffins are also considered to be in the cake category. They often use melted butter or oil and are quickly mixed by hand. Mmmm...banana bread! 

I have even made eggless cupcakes when I was in a bind and just happened to be out of eggs and didn't feel like going to Kroger. They use the old volcano trick to help them rise! Baking soda and vinegar! For those of you who have egg allergies, I will definitely share that recipe. It's quite delicious! 

(Piña Colada cupcakes)

The key to a successful cake is to make sure you follow the recipe! Unless you have been baking for years and know how to change one up, DON'T! You will only end up crying like a baby, curled up in the fetal position because you used the last bit of sugar you had in your canister, and the nearest store is closed. (Okay...the crying like a baby in the fetal position is a bit exaggerated, but the nearest store is closed isn't. Ask me how I know this...........)

Stay tuned for a cake baking 101 video coming up next week! I will feature an awesome chocolate cake recipe that involves the creaming method. I will also show you a basic American style buttercream. Yes...American style. That's another blog post for another day - different styles of buttercream (American, Swiss, French, Italian...). 

Until then, enjoy this picture of the outside of the six layer cake I posted above. It was for a 25th anniversary celebration! 

(25th Anniversary Celebration Cake)