jimtrue.com : school : CUL249 : Week 5 - Cakes & Icings

Posted by Jim True on March 24, 2010 4:24 PM. Last Updated March 24, 2010 4:24 PM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

Week 5 - Cakes & Icings

Meringues

• Common
• Hard
• Soft
• Stabilizer: Cream of tartar or dried egg whites
• Swiss
• Warm sugar and whites to 100ºF
• Italian (aka - boiled icing)
• Hot sugar syrup (240ºF) poured into whipped egg whites - most stable

Mixing Methods

1. High Fat (Creamed Fat) - American
• Includes pound cakes; layer cakes; coffee cakes; brownies and sacher
• Use of chemical leaveners
• Fine grain, cells of uniform size and moist crumb
• Crust is thin and tender
• Greased and papered/coated with flour (choc, nuts, raisins, fruit)
1. Butter Cakes (creaming method)
2. High-Ratio (Two Stage)
• Contains a high ratio of sugar and liquid to flour
• Require special emulsified shortening to help give the cake its structure
• Liquids added in two stages
• Cannot substitute emulsified shortening for regular shortening
2. Egg foam (Whipped Eggs) - European
• Leavener - air whipped into the eggs (moisture in the eggs develops the protein in the flour, making these cakes springy and elastic)
• Sometimes chemical leaveners are used
1. Genoise
• Whole eggs (warmed) whipped with sugar until light and tripped in volume; no chemical leaveners
• For flavor and moisture, add oil and butter at the end (more tender)
• Use simple syrup; cake will be dry & spongy
• Ungreased sides, paper on bottom
2. Spongecake
• Separated eggs; yolks are mixed with other ingredients, whip whites with some sugar, fold in
• Leavened with air (baking powder may be used)
• Flavor and moisture, add oil or butter at the end (more tender)
• Use simple syrup/liqueur
• Greased sides, paper on bottom
3. Angel Food Cake
4. Chiffon Cake

Emulsified Shortening

• AKA: High Ratio Shortening, Sweetex
• Used in the production of commercial cakes or frostings, where the formula contains a large amount of sugar
• Cannot be interchanged with regular shortening or butter

Ribbon Stage

• Whip the yolks with some of the sugar to the ribbon stage (triple its volume), that is, until they fall from the beater in thick ribbons that slowly disappear into the surface

Sugar

• Gives color, moisture and flavor to many baked goods

Sugar Syrups

• Simple/stock or dessert = moisten cakes, sauces, sorbets and beverages
• Cooked syrups = melted sugar cooked until it reaches a specific temperature
• Cold water will dissolve up to double its weight in sugar
• Once the solution boils, do not stir it or it may cause recrystallization or lumping
1. Light Syrup
2. Medium Syrup
3. Heavy Syrup
• Boil equal parts water and sugar to 220ºF; all purpose use

Stages of Cooked Sugar

• Thread: 236ºF, spins a 2" thread when dropped
• Soft Ball: 240ºF, forms a soft ball
• Firm Ball: 246ºF, forms a firm ball
• Hard Ball: 260ºF, forms a hard, compact ball
• Soft Crack: 270ºF, hard but not brittle, thread
• Hard Crack: 300ºF, hard, brittle sheet
• Caramel: 338ºF, liquid turns brown

Storing Cakes & Tortes

• An unfrosted cake, well wrapped, frozen (high fat - 6 months; Foam - 2 -3 months)
• Icings and Fillings do not freeze well
• Buttercreams made with egg whites and sugar syrups develop crystals and graininess
• Foam icings weep, expelling beads of sugar and become sticky
• Thaw in refrigerator, unwrapped

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.