Baking 101: Rise to the occasion

In today’s world, no celebration is complete without cake, be it a birthday or a wedding, a date night, or an anniversary. In simple words, the cake has no reason and no season for one to consume, but the history and evolution of cake have a lot to give to the world of bakery and confectionery from its unique art. The mythological and scientific reasons for a cake being baked and consumed are completely mind-blowing. In ancient Greece, it was a tradition to celebrate the birth of their gods and goddesses. And, for the celebration of the birth of Goddess Artemis, people would bake a round cake in her honour to symbolise the moon. The cake was decorated with lit candles so it would glow like the moon. There are five basic methods of making a cake: the creaming method, the whisking method, the rubbing-in method, the melting method, and the all-in-one method. Each method yields a different variety of cakes with different textures.

. Creaming method

. In the creaming method, fat is creamed well, with equipment or manually until it becomes white. Then sugar is gradually added to the fat continuing the creaming process. Sugar is added little by little as it affects the aeration process. Once adequate aeration is reached, the fat and sugar form a homogeneous mixture with tiny air cells. To this mixture, eggs are added gradually in small batches as adding everything at once eventually curdles the mixture separating fat from the mixture. Other liquids such as milk, essence, etc., are added at this stage. This is done to have enough moisture in the mixture to prevent toughening of gluten while flour is mixed.

. Whisking method

. The whisking method is also known as the foaming method. In this method, the cake that is made is exceptionally light and soft. The process is started by aerating egg whites to soft peaks and then sugar is added in small batches to the mixture keeping the aeration process on. The small air cells captured in the mixture helps in giving volume to the cake. If there are any other wet ingredients like milk and oil, they are all mixed together along with some essence. Dry ingredients like flour and the leavening part are sifted and kept aside. First, dry ingredients and liquid are combined, and then the meringue is folded in the mixture. The mixture is handled gently as over mixing would let out the air cells that are trapped. The mixture is poured into a lined tray and baked for some time at low temperatures (generally 160-165C) and then the temperature (180-185C) is increased and baked till the cake is done.

. Rubbing-in method

. The rubbing-in method is the process of rubbing the fat into the flour. Unlike the creaming method, the rubbing-in method coats the flour with a layer of fat. The process is carried out by frictional force by a stand mixer or manually. The layer of fat prevents contact between the water and flour particles and does not support gluten network formation. This results in a tender crumb. The required quantity of flour is taken into a bowl; to this bowl, butter is added and then rubbed with the tip of the fingers until a sand-like texture is formed. Fat is spread out evenly in the flour, covering every flour particle. To this mixture, sugar is added and then the same process is carried out. It is advised to use only the tip of the finger as the palm is warmer and can melt butter. To this mixture, all the wet ingredients like eggs, milk, oil, essence, etc., are added and mixed well. The batter is then poured into a lined tray and then baked at the directed temperature.

. Melting method

. Cakes made using the melting method have mostly rich, heavy, and denser textures. As the name suggests, some of the ingredients are melted and then the cake batter is made. The process starts by melting butter and sugar in a pot at low heat. The melted butter and sugar provide the crumb with richness and softness. Once the butter and sugar reach room temperature, sift the flour along with other heavy and rich ingredients such as nuts, chocolate, etc., are added.

. The mixture is then enriched with eggs and liquids if any. Cakes made with a melting method do not raise as much as other cakes. However, leavening can be achieved by the addition of chemical leaveners. The baking time is comparatively longer than any other method because the batter is extraordinarily rich and dense.

. All-in-one method

. It is the most convenient method of baking a cake, as the name suggests all the ingredients both dry and wet, are mixed at once and then made into a fine batter. The batter is poured over the lined cake tin and baked.

. Balancing cake recipe

. When invert sugar or liquid form of sugar is used for making cake, the moisture content should be kept in mind. Their moisture content should be known before and changes in other ingredients’ proportions should be made. When the quantity of sugar is increased, the number of eggs and fat should also be increased. Sugar is added to tenderise the cake and increase its shelf life, while eggs are added to give volume and structure to the cake; however, the addition of eggs produces dry eating. To avoid this, fat is added to the cake batter. If sugar is used with a low caramelisation point for colour, it is ideal to include some amount of acid salt to prevent the very dark colour of the crust. Egg yolk has truly little moisture within them. If the formula asks for egg yolks, make sure there is added liquid included to combine all ingredients together.

. Sweet: Multigrain tart with spiced dark chocolate lassi mousse & fresh berries

. Ingredients Multigrain flour & tart

. Whole wheat: 100g Buckwheat: 50g Clarified butter: 100g Sugar: 50g

. Method

. Mix all the ingredients together and make a fine dough. Cling-wrap the dough and place it in a freezer for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough and line the 1/4 inch tart mould, dock the rolled dough and bake it at 160C until done.

. Fresh cream chocolate & cardamom ganache

. Ingredients

. Fresh Cream: 150g Milk Chocolate: 100g Cardamom powder: 5g

. Method

. In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat fresh cream and make sure you continuously keep stirring while heating. Once the cream is warm, add the cardamom powder and let it infuse into the cream. Chop milk chocolate and keep it in a clear bowl, add the warm cardamom-infused cream to the bowl and mix well. Let the ganache rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

. Supreme vegetarian quiche

. Ingredients Short Crust Dough Flour: 200g Water: 70ml Salt: 3g Chilled Butter: 90g Method Mix flour, butter, salt, and water in a stand mixer, and combine all the ingredients together to form a soft and firm dough. Rest the dough in the freezer for 45 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut it in a circular shape, rest the dough at room temperature for 20 minutes. Place the cut dough on a circular quiche mould. Bake it with some beans in a preheated oven at 180C until done.

. Royal Custard Fresh Cream: 18g Milk: 10g Eggs: 12g Flour: 4g Cheese: 10g Nutmeg: 1 pinch Salt & pepper: as per taste

. In a large bowl add milk, eggs, and flour. Combine all these together to form a homogeneous mixture. In the same bowl, add cream, grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Whisk these ingredients together very well and keep them aside.

. Exotic veg filling Bell peppers: 40g Onion: 10g Leeks: 5g Broccoli: 10g Mushroom: 20g Oil: 6g Mixed herbs: 4g Garlic: 4g Cider vinegar: 30ml Salt & pepper

. In a pan heat oil, add onion, garlic, and leeks, and sauté it on a low flame for one minute. Add bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms and cook them well. Add all the seasoning to the mixture and cook for another minute. Once done, add the vinegar and immediately turn off the flame.

. Final process: Add royal custard to the vegetable mixture and pour the mixture on the baked quiche shells. Bake it in a preheated oven at 180C until done.

. Spiced dark chocolate lassi mousse

. Ingredients

. Yoghurt: 100g Milk: 50g Cardamom powder: 2g Star anise powder: 2g Cinnamon powder: 1g Vanilla: 2g Dark chocolate: 50g Gelatine: 6g

. Method

. Mix yoghurt and milk together and churn it until the mixture becomes light and frothy. Strain the mixture and keep it aside. On a double boiler melt the dark chocolate and keep it aside. Add the melted and cooled dark chocolate to the yoghurt mixture along with the spices, vanilla, and bloomed gelatin. Strain the the mixture, pour it into the mould and let it set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

. Final process: Now that we have all the elements of the dessert ready let us start assembling them. Once the tart is cooled down completely, de-mould it carefully and place it over a plate. Fill in the piping bag with the fresh cream chocolate and cardamom ganache and pipe it over the tart. Once the mousse is set completely, de-mould the mousse cautiously and place it on the top of the tart. Garnish the tart with fresh currants, berries, and microgreens. This magnificent preparation, which is as simple as it can be, has a diverse mouth feel of flavours and textures. You can be as creative as you can with the flavours used in the dessert. Infusing a fresh fruit puree or a compote will surely uplift the joy of enjoying this creation.

. (The author is India’s leading pastry chef based in Bengaluru who exudes the vibe of a guru — calm, peaceful and funny. A pandora of knowledge, he is Master Shifu in disguise — a modern teacher who imbibes the art & science of baking. An avid reader and a tabla player who loves to sway to his own tunes!)

Baking 101: Rise to the occasion

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