Cake Mixing and Decorating
Chapters 16 & 17
3 Main goals of mixing Batters
Mixing
- To combine all ingredients into a smooth, uniform batter.
- To form and incorporate air cells in the batter.
- To develop the proper texture in the finished product.
Combining Ingredients into a Homogeneous Mixture:
- Part of the purpose of mixing is to form an emulsion of the water and fat.
- Proper mixing will create an emulsion of water suspended in fat
- Curdling occurs when the fat can no longer hold the water in emulsion.
Combining Ingredients
Factors that can cause curdling:
- Using the wrong type of fat.
- Having the ingredients too cold. Emulsions are best formed at 70°F
- Mixing the first stage of the procedure too quickly.
- Adding the liquids too quickly.
- Adding too much liquid.
Forming Air Cells
- Air cells in cake batters are important for texture and leavening.
- Correct temperature is necessary for good air cell formation. Cold fat (below 60°F/16°C)is too hard and warm fat (above 75°F/24°C) is too soft.
- Mixing speed should be moderate or medium.
Forming Air Cells
- Granulated sugar is best for creaming-method cakes.
- In egg-foam cakes the egg and sugar mixture should be slightly warm.
- In egg-foam cakes whipping may be done at high speed at first, but final stages of whipping should be at medium speed.
Developing Texture
Developing Texture
- A factor that affects texture is gluten development.
- Very little gluten development is necessary in cakes, so cake flour is used.
- In the creaming, sponge, and angel food methods, the flour is added at or near the end of the mixing process so the gluten is not overdeveloped.
- In the two-stage method, the flour is added in the first step. Since it is mixed with the shortening, the flour is coated with the fat, limiting gluten development.
High Fat Cakes
These are cakes with a high ratio of fat and are generally mixed using either of 3 different methods.
High Fat Cakes
Creaming Method
Creaming Method
- Scale ingredients.
- Place fat in the mixing bowl with a paddle. Beat slowly until smooth and creamy.
- Add the sugar; cream at moderate speed until fluffy.
- Add the eggs a little at a time. Beat until eggs are absorbed before adding more. Scrape as needed.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the liquids, starting with the flour
- The reason for adding dry and liquid alternately is the batter may not absorb all the liquid unless flour is present.
One Stage Method
One Stage Method
- Scale ingredients accurately and bring to room temperature
- Combine all liquid ingredients, including high- ratio liquid shortening.
- Sift the dry ingredients together on top of the liquid ingredients.
- Mix at low speed for 30 seconds.
- Mix at high speed for 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl and beater.
- Mix at medium speed for 3 minutes.
Two Stage Method
Two Stage Method
- Developed for use with high ratio, emulsified shortenings
- Also called the high ratio method
- High ratio cakes contain a large % of sugar, usually more than 100% based on the weight of the sugar
Egg Foam Cakes
Egg Foam Cakes
Most egg foam cakes contain little or no fat and rely on the air trapped in the beaten eggs for leavening.
Sponge Methods
Plain Sponge
- Sponge method cakes are made from an egg foam that contains yolks.
- In its simplest form sponge cakes are made in 2 basic steps
1. eggs and sugar are whipped to a thick foam
2. sifted flour is folded in
Genoise Sponge
- More commonly used in European bakeshops
- Variation of the sponge method
- North American genoise usually always has melted butter folded in but this varies from region to region
Genoise
Separated Egg Sponge
- Another variation of the sponge method
- In this method the egg whites and yolks are both whipped separately with quantities of sugar and then folded with the flour
Separated Egg
Sponge
Angel Food Method
- Angel Food cakes are based on egg white foams and contain no fat
- Egg whites are whipped until they form soft, not stiff, peaks
- Overwhipped whites lose their ability to expand and leaven
Angel Food
Chiffon Method
Chiffon
- Angel food and chiffon cakes are both based on egg white foams but the mixing methods differ
- In the chiffon method, egg whites are folded into a flour batter mixture
- Chiffon cakes also contain baking powder so do not rely solely on the egg whites for leavening
Ingredient Functions
Formula Balance
- For the purpose of balancing cake formulas, ingredients are classified into 4 functions
- Many ingredients fill more than one function
- Cake formulas can be improved or adjusted based on the proportions of these ingredients
Driers
- absorb moisture
- Examples include flours and starches, cocoa powder and milk solids
Tenderizers
- Provide softness or shortening of protein fibers
- Examples include sugars, fats, and chemical leaveners, egg yolks
Moisteners
- Provide moisture or water
- Examples include water, liquid milk, syrups, liquid sugars and eggs
Tougheners
- Provides structure
- Examples include flour and eggs (both whites and yolks)
Baking Procedures
Baking
- Preheat ovens.
- Make sure ovens and shelves are level.
- Do not let pans touch each other.
- Bake at correct temperature.
- Too hot oven causes a humped center and dark crust.
- Too low oven causes poor volume and texture.
- Do not open the oven until cakes have finished rising and are partially browned.
- Cool layer and sheet cakes 15 minutes in pans and turn out while slightly warm.
- Turn out layer cakes onto racks to finish cooling.
- Cool angel food cakes and chiffon cakes upside down in pans so they do not fall back into the pans and lose volume.
Testing for Doneness
Testing for doneness
- Shortened cakes shrink away slightly from sides of pan.
- Cake is springy. The center of the top of the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
- A cake tester or wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Pan Preparation
Panning
- For high fat cakes, cake layer pans and sheet pans should be greased and and lined with parchment paper
- Pans should be completely flat and free of dents
- For angel food and chiffon cakes, pans should remain ungreased so that the batter can cling to the sides and rise.
Scaling Cake batters
Scaling
- For the best consistency, batters should be scaled into prepared pans by weight
- Alternate methods may be used but may not be as accurate
- Foam batters should be handled as little as possible and baked immediately to avoid deflation.
At high altitudes, atmospheric pressure is much lower than at sea level. This factor must be considered in cake baking. General adjustments are:
Altitude Adjustment
- Leavening: baking powder and baking soda must be decreased. Creaming and foaming reduced.
- Tougheners: flour and eggs must be increased.
- Tenderizers: shortening and sugar must be decreased.
- Liquids: liquids must be increased.
- Baking temperatures: must be increased by about 25⁰F above 3500 feet.
- Pan greasing: grease pans more heavily.
- Storing: wrap or ice cakes as soon as they are cool.
Icings or frostings are sweet coatings for cakes and other baked goods.
- There are 3 main functions of icings or frostings:
1. Contribute flavor and richness.
2. Improve appearance.
3. Improve keeping qualities by forming protective coatings.
- There are 8 basic types of icings and coatings.
Frostings
Rolled Icings
Rolled Coatings
- Rolled coatings include fondant, marzipan, and modeling chocolate.
- Marzipan is a paste made of ground almonds and sugar.
- Rolled fondant is a dough-like product, consisting primarily of confectioners’ sugar, that is firm and stiff enough to be kneaded.
- Modeling chocolate is a stiff paste made of melted chocolate and corn syrup.
Glazes
- Glazes are thin, glossy, transparent coatings that give a shine to baked products and help prevent drying.
- The simplest glaze is a sugar syrup or diluted corn syrup brushed onto baked product white it is hot.
- Fruit glazes may be make by melting apricot or other preserves that have been strained.
Glazes
- Mirror glazes are a combination of chocolate, sugar and gelatin and are a popular covering for modern cakes
- A masking coat should always be applied before glazing
- Glaze should be used at 80 degrees
- Air bubbles can be eliminated with a blowtorch
- A glazing rack is usually used to elevate the cake
Buttercream Frostings
Buttercream
- Buttercream icings are light, smooth mixtures of fat and sugar.
- Easily flavored and colored for many purposes.
- Butter is the preferred fat for buttercream.
- Butter adds flavor and melt-in-the-mouth quality.
- Shortening congeals and coats the inside of the mouth.
- Temperature and location should be considered when using buttercreams
- a small quantity of emulsifier shortening can be blended with the butter to stabilize it.
- Buttercreams may be stored in the cooler for several days.
- Always return to room temperature before using.
Simple Buttercream
Simple Buttercream
- Fat and confectioners sugar to the desired lightness and consistency.
- Decorator’s buttercream (rose paste) is a variation of the simple buttercream but is creamed less to keep it from having too much air and uses shortening
Meringue Type Buttercream
Meringue Type
- A mixture of meringue and butter
- 2 basic types
- Swiss Meringue
- Italian Meringue
French Buttercream
French
- Made by beating a boiling syrup into beaten egg yolks and whipping to a light foam. Soft butter is then whipped in.
- A very rich but light icing
Pastry Cream Type Buttercream
Pastry Cream Type
- Made by mixing equal parts pastry cream and softened butter and whipping til light
- Gelatin can be used for stabilization
- More commonly used as a cake filling
Fondant Type Buttercream
Fondant Type
- Made simply by creaming together equal parts of poured fondant and softened butter
Poured Fondant
Poured Fondant
- Poured fondant is a sugar syrup that is crystallized to a smooth, creamy white mass.
- Commonly used for napoleons, éclairs, petit fours.
- It is often purchased already prepared for bakeshops.
- Heat the fondant over a warm water bath to thin it and make it pourable. Do not heat it over 100°F or it will lose its shine.
- If it is still too thick, thin it with simple syrup or water.
- Flavorings and/or colorings may be added as desired.
- To make chocolate fondant, stir melted bitter chocolate into the warm fondant until the desired color and flavor are reached.
Foam Type Icings
Foam Type
- Foam-type icings, sometimes called boiled icings, are meringues made with a boiling syrup. Can be stabilized with gelatin
- These icings should be applies thickly to cakes in peaks and swirls
- Can be very unstable and should be used as soon as their made
- Marshmallow icing should be applied while still warm
- Variations include:
- Plain Boiled Icing
- Marshmallow Icing
- Chocolate Foam Icing and Filling
Fudge Type Icings
Fudge Type
- Rich and heavy
- Made somewhat like a candy
- Stable and hold up well on cakes in storage
Flat Icings
Flat Type
- Also called water icings.
- Mixture of confectioners’ sugar and water.
- Warmed to 100°F for application.
- Used commonly for coffee cakes, danish, sweet rolls
Royal Icing
Royal
- Also call decorating or decorator’s icing.
- Made with egg whites and confectioners’ sugar.
- Hard and brittle when dry.
- Must be protected from drying when in use.
- May be piped into designs on parchment and then dried and saved for later use.
- May be used for string work and for flooding outlined areas of a design with colored icing.
Cake Assembly
- Most cakes have up to four components
- Cake, icing, filling and decor
- When planning a cake, one should consider the flavor, texture, color and shape
Cake Assembling
Frosting Selection
- Flavor, texture and color of the icing must be compatible with the cake
- Use heavy frostings with heavy cakes and light frostings with light cakes.
- Use the best quality flavorings but use them sparingly.
Selecting the Frosting
- Use color carefully. Pastel shades are more traditional and often considered more appetizing, but strong colors are often popular on modern cakes.
- Use paste or liquid colors.Mix a little color with a small portion of the icing, then use this icing to color the rest.
Type of Cakes
Type of Cake
Different decorating and assembly techniques are used depending on the type and shape of cake.
Sheet Cakes
- Ideal for volume servie
- Require little labor to bake, ice and decorate
- Keep well as long as they remain uncut.
Sheet Cakes
Cupcakes
Cupcakes
- Before icing, cupcakes may be injected with fillings or creams
- There are 3 main methods for icing cupcakes
- Dipping the tops of the cupcakes in the icing.
- Spreading the icing with a spatula.
- Applying a swirl of icing to each cake with a pastry bag fitted with a star or plain tube.
Procedure for assembling simple layer cakes
Simple Layer Cakes
- Cool cake layers completely
- Trim if needed
- cut into the desired amount of layers
- Brush all crumbs from cake
- Place bottom layer upside down on cake board of the same size
- Spread filling and top with the next layer
- Ice the Cake
Icing the Cake
Icing the Cake
- As an alternative to applying the finish directly to the cake a intermediate, masking step can be added. This is called masking or crumb coating.
- This step has 3 advantages
1. Locks in crumbs
2. Protection from drying if longer storage is needed before finishing
3. This layer can even out irregularities in the cake
Tools needed for assembly and decorating
Decorating Tools
- Palette knife or steel spatula
- Offset palette knife
- Serrated knife
- Icing screens or grates
- Turntable
- Icing comb
- Plastic or steel scraper
- Brushes
- Cake rings
- Cake cards and doilies
- Parchment paper
- Pastry bag and tips
Decorating Tips
Tips
- Round tip- writing, lines, beads, dots, and stringwork.
- Star tips-rosettes, shells, stars, borders, drop flowers.
- Ribbon or basket weave tips-smooth or ridged stripes or ribbons