15
CAKE BAKING
•
Have all ingredients and mixing bowls at room temperature. Room temperature
ingredients incorporate and blend more easily.
•
Have oven preheat ready for baking.
•
Fill greased and lined baking pans immediately after mixing.
•
Bake immediately after filling pans.
•
Check for doneness at the beginning of the time range given.
•
Cool cakes in pans for about 5 minutes then loosen and transfer to wire rack for cooling
completely.
•
An offset spatula will make spreading icing easier than a knife or regular spatula.
EGG WHITES
•
Egg whites at room temperature are best for whipping. Bring to room temperature safely
by placing uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
•
Add a small amount of acid, such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar, when
whipping egg whites to stabilize them and allow them to reach their optimum volume
and stiffness. Use
1
¼
8
teaspoon cream of tartar per large egg white – or 1 teaspoon cream
of tartar per cup of egg whites (8 to 10 large).
•
The time required to whip egg whites will vary with the temperature of the egg whites,
age of egg whites, and temperature/humidity of the kitchen. Keep a close watch while
whipping egg whites.
•
In humid or damp weather, you may not get the volume of whipped egg whites that you
do in drier, warmer weather.
•
Place room temperature egg whites in clean, dry mixing bowl. Attach clean, dry chef’s
whisk. Start whipping egg whites on Speed 1 and gradually increase to Speed 6 until
foamy, then gradually increase to Speed 12. If egg whites are beaten too rapidly in
the beginning, their structure will not be as stable and strong, and they will not reach
the volume that they should when completely beaten. Overbeaten egg whites will also
separate or deflate in a meringue topping.
•
Timing is important when adding sugar to egg whites. Add sugar slowly and gradually
to the whipped egg whites once they start to foam. Always add sugar in a slow, steady
stream along side of bowl while egg whites are being whipped – do not add sugar
directly to the center of the bowl on top of beaten egg whites; doing this may cause
them to deflate.
•
When whipping egg whites, they will at first appear foamy or frothy. Then they will
become stiffer and start to hold their shape. Next, soft peaks will form – at this point,
the tips of the peaks fall when the whisk is lifted up. Soft peaks are often required for
mousses or soufflés. The next stage is medium to stiff peaks – the whites will appear
dry, the peaks will hold their shape and the whites will be shiny. This is used for recipes
such as meringues. The final stage is stiff and dry. The whites will not be uniformly white,
but will appear speckled, and they will no longer be shiny in appearance.
•
Beaten egg whites should be used immediately after beating them. If they wait for
longer than 5 minutes, they will begin to deflate and lose volume and structure. Egg
whites beaten with sugar or cream of tartar are more stable and will last a little longer.
