Good Afternoon and Happy New Year! ! Cakes!

Today we are:

Learning vocabulary

Learning about different kinds

Next Class: Baking Cake

Cakes…

Are one of the most popular desserts Add festivity to many special occasions Make a plain meal special Are high in calories

Cakes: 2 groupsShortened and Unshortened

Shortened – contain fat Also called butter cakes Contain leavening agents Are tender, moist and velvety

Unshortened -contain no fat

Also called foam cakes Are light and fluffy Leavened by air and steam Angel food and sponge cake Angel – contain just egg whites Sponge-contain whole eggs Paula Deen's Molton Cake

Chiffon Cakes

Cross between shortened and unshortened

Contain fat like shortened Contain beaten egg whites like

unshortened Large volume but not as light as

unshortened

Cake Ingredients

Flour Sugar Eggs Liquid Salt Cream of Tartar – in unshortened cakes

Flour

Gives structure to a cake Gluten develops when flour is moistened And mixed holds the leavening gases that form

as the cakes bake Cake flour or all-purpose flour Cake flour makes it more delicate and tender

Has lower protein content=yields less gluten More finely ground than all-purpose

Sugar

Gives sweetness to cakes Tenderizes the gluten Improves the texture of cake Should be free of clumps

Especially have to watch if using brown sugar

Eggs

Improve both the flavor and color of cakes

Coagulated egg proteins also add structure to cakes

Angel and sponge cake – eggs are important for leavening hold the air that is beaten into them,

evaporation of liquid from the egg whites creates steam

Liquid

Provides moisture Helps blend ingredients Most call for milk

Could also be: Buttermilk Sour milk Fruit juices Water

Salt

Provides flavoring Cakes require a smaller amount than

quick breads and yeast breads

Fat

Tenderizes the gluten Shortened cakes may contain:

Butter Margarine Hydrogenated vegetable shortening

Chiffon cakes contain oil instead

Leavening agents

Added to most shortened cakes to make the cakes rise and become porous and light

Most call for baking powder or baking soda

Cream of tartar

An acid Makes egg whites whiter Makes cake grain finer Stabilizes the egg white proteins

Increases the volume of the baked cake

Flavorings

Not essential Help make cake special Can add spices, extracts, fruits, nuts,

poppy seeds, coconut Good Eats Cake