| |
| |
|
Cooking Tips Information |
|
|
|
Cake Baking Tip Guide
Successful cake decorating is all about preparation. Baking and preparing your cake for decorating is a critical part of the total process. In this article, I'll share some expert tips for basic cake preparation to get your cake creation off to a fabulous start! These easy tips will ensure your cake decorating success. Preparing a Cake Board - Many specially themed cakes are too large to fit on a plate, so a cake board may be used. Cut a piece of stiff cardboard to the desired size. Cover with foil, or heavy coated wrapping paper. I often use colored tissue paper, covered with colored cellophane of the type used to wrap gift baskets. This gives the desired background color, with a surface which is easy to wipe clean. It also makes a great background to enhance the presentation and photographing of your final cake masterpiece. Preparing Cake Pans - Use metal pans with a nonstick finish. Grease and flour pans before adding cake batter. Spread a thin layer of vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides of the pan. This works better than butter or margarine as the cake releases more easily from the pan. Sprinkle a little flour in each pan, and tilt to coat evenly. Shake out excess. Testing for Doneness - Follow baking instructions for time and temperature specified in the recipe. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake should have pulled away from the sides of the pan and the top will spring back when touched lightly in the center. Removing Cake from Pan - Let cake cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Invert wire cooling rack over cake and flip over. Shake gently until cake releases from pan. Place a second wire rack over the bottom of the cake and flip over again so cake can cool right side up. Preparing Cake for Frosting - Slip each cake layer into a gallon-size freezer bag and place in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. An even easier method is to place each layer on its own plate and cover with plastic wrap before freezing. I poke a toothpick or two into the top of each layer to keep the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake's surface. Light freezing firms up the cake just right and allows you to easily brush any crumbs from the surface prior to frosting. Best Base Frosting Recipe - The thin texture of the base frosting allows easier coverage without pulling bits of cake and crumbs away from the cake. This is essential particularly if you are frosting white over chocolate cake. When base coat is done, frost over with your desired finish frosting. 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/4 cup milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla Combine powdered sugar, butter, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Add milk 1 tsp. at a time to desired consistency. Frosting should be fairly thin. This is a great base frosting. Use if as a first coating layer to seal in any crumbs and give a nice smooth surface to the cake. Cutting and Trimming - You can create many different cake designs by cutting your cake layers into various shapes. Measure and mark your cutting line with toothpicks or wooden or metal skewers. Use a sharp knife and brush cake lightly with a soft pastry brush to remove crumbs prior to frosting. Trim the rounded tops off cake layers to form a flat surface. Use a long serrated knife to trim with a gentle sawing motion. You may also wish to trim the edges of rectangular cakes to give a more professional look. Frosting Tools - Use various sizes of flexible metal spatulas for frosting. Large ones are used to smooth wide flat areas while a narrow tipped spatula is great for getting into small areas. Toothpicks or wooden or metal skewers can be used to mark cutting lines on your cake. A pastry bag with several tips is necessary to pipe on decorations. I have a reusable pastry bag that is easy to rinse clean. In a pinch, you can even use a plastic sandwich bag with a tiny hole snipped from one corner. Now that you have all these important basics in place, you and your cake are primed and ready for frosting Next step: Check out our Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear! Copyright 2005 Kids Party Paradise All Rights Reserved Patricia B. Jensen is a mother of three and kids party enthusiast. She is the webmaster and owner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com - a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food. For all the latest party news, read her Kids Party Blog.
MORE RESOURCES:
Cooking-Tips - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apricots When buying apricots, always look for those that are firm, plump orange fruit that gives slightly when you press with your thumb. Bruised apricots should be avoided. Kitchenaid Stand Mixers - A Kitchen Work Horse Kitchenaid stand mixers are very popular in today's kitchens and it is easy to see why. These stand mixers have stood the test of time and have shown themselves to be kitchen work horses. What is Gluten and Why does it Matter? Gluten is a substance made up of the proteins found in wheat flour that gives bread its structure, strength, and texture. Without these marvelous little proteins, bread would not be bread. 50% Less Cooking 50% Less Cookingwithout hitting the fast food button! Don't you just cringe when some clever kitchen type tells you what you could be doing with the leftovers in the fridge, when it's plainly obvious the leftovers will stay there until they walk out by themselves!More often than not, saving money with leftovers, although a great idea, takes a lot of time in preparation and relies on many other ingredients being available. So. Cooking -- What You Need To Know From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories. Troubleshooting Machine Bread Bread machines-wonderful inventions that they are-don't think very well. You and I, when we have a loaf of bread percolating on the counter, can look and say, "My bread is rising a little slowly today. Old-Fashioned Taffy Pull Party--How to Host Your Own Want a unique party idea for your child's birthday-or even her next weekend sleepover with friends? Try hosting your own taffy pull. It can get pretty messy, but kids absolutely love it. 10 Dishes Every New Bride or Groom Must Know How to Make! Okay, you've either gotten married or are planning to pretty soon. Congratulations! I'm sure you're aware that this means you will be responsible for at least half the meals you and your loved one will eat from here on out! Not to mention future children, your visiting family members and - of course - inlaws. How to Care for Your Cast Iron Skillet (includes recipes) Some of the best meals I've ever eaten were made by my grandmothers in their cast iron skillets. Tender, flaky catfish; finger-lickin' chicken; and mouth watering cornbread were the traditional scrumptious fare. Whats a Pan Dowdy? Cobblers and dowdies, crisps and crumbles, buckles and betties-what are all these desserts?With a little help from American Desserts by Wayne Brachman, we thought we would give you the answers-since you're just dying to know.Cobblers: Cobblers are desserts with a syrupy fruit filling topped with biscuits or cake. Fine Tuning Bread Machine Mixes Sometimes bread machines can be tricky. We were trying to help a customer whose bread did not rise enough. Cake Pans Cake pans?.the secret behind every successful cake. 10 Simple Kitchen Organizing Tips A lot of the times we mean to get in there and finally organize the kitchen, but once things get out of control the job can seem so daunting and you just don't know where to start. These top 10 kitchen organizing tips will help make your kitchen pleasant and welcoming. 10 Deadly Bacteria That Can Get In Your Food (And How To Stop Them From Getting There) Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. Not all bacteria cause disease in humans (for example, some bacteria are used beneficially in making cheese and yogurt). Season Your Pans for Non Stick Cooking Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook a delicious meal and having it stick to the bottom of the pan. A well season or cured pan will make cooking more fun, easier to clean and create better tasting food. Dutch Oven Cooking Basics Pioneer CookingWhen you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well. Cookware - Whats In It? Have you ever wanted to buy new cookware but didn't know what kind to buy? There are many types of cookware from which to choose. The following is a summary of the different materials that are used in cookware. Chinese Cooking Technique: Deep Fry There are usually 2 ways of deep frying in Chinese cooking:Deep frying the ingredients directly Deep frying the ingredients with batterThe latter is the most commonly used method. Here are some pointer in how to deep fry Chinese food most effectively. Wok this Way! (Part 2 of 5) Selecting a Wok As mentioned in Part 1 of the series, woks come in different sizes ranging from 10 to 32 inches in diameter, but a wok that's 11 to 14 inches in diameter should suffice for use in a household kitchen.Woks come in 2 different bottoms, the traditional round-bottomed woks, and the "westernized" flat-bottomed woks. Making Homemade Pasta for Dinner Tonight Homemade pasta cooked al dente (to the teeth), is a chewy and light treat. Here are the simple steps to making fresh pasta for dinner tonight.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
