Flavor of the Day: Top Banana
Feb. 24th, 2004 09:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yinshubackupSo, Culinary Lab went pretty well today. We're STILL doing carbohydrates (i think this is the last week of this section) only we've moved on to baking, so most students are feeling a little more pressure to get all the ratios and timing right, because baking is more of an exact science because of all the chemical reactions- so many things can go wrong! Our class was making angel food (foam) cakes and devil's food (shortened) cakes, baguettes and "epi de ble" (french bread in the shape of a wheat stalk), and soft french dinner rolls.
My partner did the soft rolls, and I did a white/chocolate marble cake with chocolate buttercream icing (my choice). SOoooo good! (Of course, I can't take all the credit; throw real cocoa and sugar and butter in almost anything and it's hard to make it taste 'bad'...)
Neither of the cake recipes came with topping recipes, they just left it up to us as "optional". I had actually prepared raspberry coulis and coconut rum whipped cream recipes in case i got the angel food cake (I even had one of those teeny-tiny bottles of Bacardi Coco just in case!), but I was ready for both. In my buttercream icing I used confectioner's sugar, and substituted heavy cream for the milk, so it turned out extra-smooth and dark and glossy, which was great! My partner and I worked well supporting each other, too, so both our products turned out yummy, timely and beautifully presented.
I read a lot and prepared a lot for this lab, so I'm glad everything turned out well. I was even able to answer Chef promptly when he grilled me about gluten matrix inhibitors. (whew. )
We had a lot leftover. Luckily, our rolls and cake didn't get chosen for the sample peice (they pick one product randomly for everyone to taste and write their lab reports on), so we got to take those home. However, we had too much french bread dough, so we still had about a pound and a half left and still rising. The professor said to just throw it out, but I grabbed some saran wrap and ganked it... i figure if nothing else, I can knead some rosemary and olives into it, and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese, and practice playing around with it, or whatever. I could make it into a loaf or two and have some yummy sandwich bread. or something. I hate to waste stuff (especially 'cause I'm not on a meal plan).
But, even after my partner and I split up the booty (lab leftovers), I had so much to carry home, that I decided to just share my cake out with whatever friends I found in the lobby instead of lugging home a cake box on top of everything else. Of course, it's never hard to find hotelies sitting around with a laptop working on something or other, so I was rid of my extra weight soon enough. *grin*
I also got a surprisingly nice compliment: one of the grad students who's from France told me that my icing was "soo good, just like it's really supposed to be"-- he complained that most American "chocolate" products are too sweet and don't contain a high enough percentage of actual cocoa, but mine, he said, tasted just right. yay! ^_^
Hmmm... I realize this all might sound like bragging.... and I'm not a real 'braggy' kind of person... but really, i'm just happy to find something at this school I don't suck at, for once.
And hopefully I can share my happiness with you, so here is my recipe of the day:
Note: I used a Kitchen-Aid mixer with the paddle attachement (the one that looks kind of like a little cathedral window) for both the cake and the icing. But you can use whatever mixer and attachments you have (I wouldn't reccomend a dough hook) - just make sure it can cream your butter with no problem, or else warm up your butter to room temperature so it's soft and pliable before you try to cream it.
White & Chocolate Marble Cake
INGREDIENTS:
Cake Flour..................2 cups
Baking Powder..........3 tsp.
Salt...............................1/2 tsp.
Butter, unsalted..........1/2 cup (1 stick)
Vanilla..........................1 tsp.
Sugar (granulated).....1 cup
Eggs..............................2
Milk................................3/4 cup
Cocoa Powder............1/2 cup (Hershey's is fine)
PREPARATION:
1) Grease and flour (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) two 8" round cake pans. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Set dry ingredients aside.
3) In mixer, whip butter thoroughly until you see a creamy consistency; add vanilla and continue to cream butter and vanilla together.
4) While butter is whipping, add sugar to it gradually; continue creaming together until mixture is light and fluffy and sugar crystals are completely dissolved.
5) Add eggs, beating well after each addition until mixture is light and fluffy.
6) Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk: Add 1/3 of the dry mix, 1/2 of the milk, the next 1/3 of the dry mix, the last 1/2 of the milk, and end with the last 1/3 of the dry mix. It is important to begin and end with the dry ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as it looks well mixed; do not over-mix.
7) Pour a little less than half the batter into glass or stainless steel bowl; add 1/2 cup cocoa powder to this portion and gently fold into batter with spatula until smooth chocolate color is acheived. Take care not to overbeat.
8) Pour white batter into each cake pan, dividing it equally (eyeballing it is fine.)
9) Spoon the chocolate batter into each cake pan, dividing it as equally as you can, letting chocolate "spots" of batter fall in random patterns across the white batter.
10) Draw a butter knife carefully through the batter in each pan, in swirly patterns to mix the white and chocolate batters. You don't want to mix them completely- this is where you get the "marble" effect. (Take care not to scrape the bottom of the pan too much, or your non-stick coating will come off and the cake will stick to the bottom of the pan.)
11) Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30-35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, and cake springs back when touched lightly with fingers.
12) Place pans on cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans to cool thoroughly.
13) To remove cake from its tin, run a knife around the edge of the pan. Place cooling rack on top of cake. Invert pan and rack so cake slips onto rack.
14) Let cool thoroughly. Frost and garnish as desired.
Quick Chocolate Buttercream
This can be made in one bowl while your cake is in the oven. You can use milk or half-n-half instead of cream, but I think the cream makes it smoother. The more cocoa powder you use, the richer/darker it'll be, but you don't want it to be too cloying. I'd add 3/4 cup first, then adjust the rest to taste.
INGREDIENTS:
Butter, softened............6 Tbsp.
Cocoa Powder.............3/4 to 1 cup. (Hershy's is fine)
Confectioner's Sugar 2 2/3 cups
Cream or half-n-half....1/3 cup
Vanilla............................1 tsp.
PREPARATION:
1) In small mixer bowl, whip butter thoroughly until you see a creamy consistency; add vanilla and continue to cream butter and vanilla together.
2) Add cocoa and confectioner's sugar alternately with cream; whip to a spreading consistency.
(additional milk/cream may be needed, I reccommend a taste/consistency test with a spoon when you think it's done. Imagine how the texture will glide on the cake surface. If too gloppy, add a bit more milk and whip a little longer.)
3) Chill if necessary.
That's it! Hope you enjoy. ^_^
My partner did the soft rolls, and I did a white/chocolate marble cake with chocolate buttercream icing (my choice). SOoooo good! (Of course, I can't take all the credit; throw real cocoa and sugar and butter in almost anything and it's hard to make it taste 'bad'...)
Neither of the cake recipes came with topping recipes, they just left it up to us as "optional". I had actually prepared raspberry coulis and coconut rum whipped cream recipes in case i got the angel food cake (I even had one of those teeny-tiny bottles of Bacardi Coco just in case!), but I was ready for both. In my buttercream icing I used confectioner's sugar, and substituted heavy cream for the milk, so it turned out extra-smooth and dark and glossy, which was great! My partner and I worked well supporting each other, too, so both our products turned out yummy, timely and beautifully presented.
I read a lot and prepared a lot for this lab, so I'm glad everything turned out well. I was even able to answer Chef promptly when he grilled me about gluten matrix inhibitors. (whew. )
We had a lot leftover. Luckily, our rolls and cake didn't get chosen for the sample peice (they pick one product randomly for everyone to taste and write their lab reports on), so we got to take those home. However, we had too much french bread dough, so we still had about a pound and a half left and still rising. The professor said to just throw it out, but I grabbed some saran wrap and ganked it... i figure if nothing else, I can knead some rosemary and olives into it, and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese, and practice playing around with it, or whatever. I could make it into a loaf or two and have some yummy sandwich bread. or something. I hate to waste stuff (especially 'cause I'm not on a meal plan).
But, even after my partner and I split up the booty (lab leftovers), I had so much to carry home, that I decided to just share my cake out with whatever friends I found in the lobby instead of lugging home a cake box on top of everything else. Of course, it's never hard to find hotelies sitting around with a laptop working on something or other, so I was rid of my extra weight soon enough. *grin*
I also got a surprisingly nice compliment: one of the grad students who's from France told me that my icing was "soo good, just like it's really supposed to be"-- he complained that most American "chocolate" products are too sweet and don't contain a high enough percentage of actual cocoa, but mine, he said, tasted just right. yay! ^_^
Hmmm... I realize this all might sound like bragging.... and I'm not a real 'braggy' kind of person... but really, i'm just happy to find something at this school I don't suck at, for once.
And hopefully I can share my happiness with you, so here is my recipe of the day:
Note: I used a Kitchen-Aid mixer with the paddle attachement (the one that looks kind of like a little cathedral window) for both the cake and the icing. But you can use whatever mixer and attachments you have (I wouldn't reccomend a dough hook) - just make sure it can cream your butter with no problem, or else warm up your butter to room temperature so it's soft and pliable before you try to cream it.
INGREDIENTS:
Cake Flour..................2 cups
Baking Powder..........3 tsp.
Salt...............................1/2 tsp.
Butter, unsalted..........1/2 cup (1 stick)
Vanilla..........................1 tsp.
Sugar (granulated).....1 cup
Eggs..............................2
Milk................................3/4 cup
Cocoa Powder............1/2 cup (Hershey's is fine)
PREPARATION:
1) Grease and flour (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) two 8" round cake pans. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Set dry ingredients aside.
3) In mixer, whip butter thoroughly until you see a creamy consistency; add vanilla and continue to cream butter and vanilla together.
4) While butter is whipping, add sugar to it gradually; continue creaming together until mixture is light and fluffy and sugar crystals are completely dissolved.
5) Add eggs, beating well after each addition until mixture is light and fluffy.
6) Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk: Add 1/3 of the dry mix, 1/2 of the milk, the next 1/3 of the dry mix, the last 1/2 of the milk, and end with the last 1/3 of the dry mix. It is important to begin and end with the dry ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as it looks well mixed; do not over-mix.
7) Pour a little less than half the batter into glass or stainless steel bowl; add 1/2 cup cocoa powder to this portion and gently fold into batter with spatula until smooth chocolate color is acheived. Take care not to overbeat.
8) Pour white batter into each cake pan, dividing it equally (eyeballing it is fine.)
9) Spoon the chocolate batter into each cake pan, dividing it as equally as you can, letting chocolate "spots" of batter fall in random patterns across the white batter.
10) Draw a butter knife carefully through the batter in each pan, in swirly patterns to mix the white and chocolate batters. You don't want to mix them completely- this is where you get the "marble" effect. (Take care not to scrape the bottom of the pan too much, or your non-stick coating will come off and the cake will stick to the bottom of the pan.)
11) Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30-35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, and cake springs back when touched lightly with fingers.
12) Place pans on cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans to cool thoroughly.
13) To remove cake from its tin, run a knife around the edge of the pan. Place cooling rack on top of cake. Invert pan and rack so cake slips onto rack.
14) Let cool thoroughly. Frost and garnish as desired.
This can be made in one bowl while your cake is in the oven. You can use milk or half-n-half instead of cream, but I think the cream makes it smoother. The more cocoa powder you use, the richer/darker it'll be, but you don't want it to be too cloying. I'd add 3/4 cup first, then adjust the rest to taste.
INGREDIENTS:
Butter, softened............6 Tbsp.
Cocoa Powder.............3/4 to 1 cup. (Hershy's is fine)
Confectioner's Sugar 2 2/3 cups
Cream or half-n-half....1/3 cup
Vanilla............................1 tsp.
PREPARATION:
1) In small mixer bowl, whip butter thoroughly until you see a creamy consistency; add vanilla and continue to cream butter and vanilla together.
2) Add cocoa and confectioner's sugar alternately with cream; whip to a spreading consistency.
(additional milk/cream may be needed, I reccommend a taste/consistency test with a spoon when you think it's done. Imagine how the texture will glide on the cake surface. If too gloppy, add a bit more milk and whip a little longer.)
3) Chill if necessary.
That's it! Hope you enjoy. ^_^
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no subject
Date: 2004-02-24 08:09 pm (UTC)