Make! Bake! Cake!
IT’S CAKE TIME!
Days are temperate. Nights are cool. The oven will not bother anyone, least of all you.
It’s time to gather recipes for cakes to be baked throughout the holidays. Start making samples now.
ADVICE QUADRUPLED
# 1 Grease thoroughly. Spray or grease pan or try cake release. There are many choices. Pound cake pans must be well coated or your beautiful, delicious cake will come out in chunks.
# 2 Measure carefully. Sifting is a sure way to achieve success. But you can just measure your flour into a separate bowl before adding it to recipe. I shake my flour between 2 cups of the size that recipe calls for.
# 3 Don’t overmix. Overmixing leads to a heavy or rubbery cake.
# 4 Keep it moist is the Golden Rule. An unwelcomed, dry cake is more often caused by over baking. The cake will keep baking until it is no longer piping hot. Bake only until cake springs back when patted lightly and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. I bought a pack of 3 metal testers lately. A tester is a perfect tool for its job and a good addition to your baking supplies.
TWO STEP POUND CAKE
A perfectly baked cake is heavenly.
And it can be so easily done.
Step # 1 Gather ingredients and mix.
Step # 2 Pour into pan and bake.
INGREDIENTS
-4 cups flour
-3 cups sugar
-2 cups unsalted butter, softened
-3/4 cup milk
-6 large eggs
-2 tsp almond flavoring or 2 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp of each
MISE EN PLACE
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
-Spray pan well with regular cooking spray and flour or cake releaser.*
-Layer ingredients in this order: flour, then sugar, butter, milk, eggs,and flavoring (in that order) into a large bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer.
-Beat at low speed for 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides.
-Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
-Pour into greased pan and smooth the top.
-Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
-Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
-Remove cake from pan onto the wire rack.
-Let cool for about 1 hour.
*The name brand Cake Release almost guarantees you a winner especially when dealing with pound cake in the tube pan. With just almond flavoring, this cake is perfection, one of my favorites.
EASY CAJUN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
Pecans make anything good.
Cajun dishes are usually good also.
INGREDIENTS
-1 cup sugar
-1/2 cup flour
-1/2 cup unsalted butter*
-1 cup pecans
-1 cup chocolate chips
-2 eggs, lightly beaten
-1 unbaked deep-dish pie crust
MISE EN PLACE
-Place raw pie crust into 9” pie pan.
-Mix ingredients well in a large bowl.
-Pour into unbaked pie crust
-Bake for 50 minutes.
*I always bake with whatever butter is in the fridge. There’s not enough butter in the amount asked for in the recipe to affect the results.
ALMOST CAJUN CHOCO/PECAN PIE
Very close to previous recipe
Corn syrup provides distinctive flavor
Has pecans so is good
INGREDIENTS
-2 (1/2 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate (baker’s chocolate 100% cacao*)
-2 tbsp butter
-3 large eggs
-1/2 cup sugar
-3/4 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup pecan halves
-1 (9 inch) uncooked pie crust
MISE EN PLACE
-Place raw pie crust in 9” pie pan.
-Melt chocolate and butter together in saucepan over low heat.
-Stir until smooth.
-Beat together eggs, sugar, chocolate mixture, and corn syrup.
-Add pecan halves.
-Mix until all ingredients blended.
-Pour into pie crust.
-Bake until just set, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Cacao is the unprocessed version of the cocoa bean. Cocoa is pressed at high temperatures, which reduces nutrient content but creates a milder, sweeter taste than cacao.
ON BEING CAJUN
Being Cajun had been on my mind the last few weeks, and I have a story that never leaves my mind.
Several years ago, at Boo’s Nichols’ Agri-Business gathering, I was introduced by a fellow classmate of his (from Raceland) as “Boo’s wife. She has the worst Cajun accent in the world.” Worst! I was mortified! I consider my Cajun accent “pronounced,” and I would have walked away without a second thought without “worst” as the adjective. For a brief amount of time I allowed this one word to identify myself. I was considering a career change and thought that elocution classes would polish my “accent” before starting again in the job market. When I shared this with my dear friend, Beth Hebert, she told me in her calm and caring voice that it would be a huge mistake. She suggested that if I really wanted a change I should consider the Louisiana tourist industry, where my accent would be a plus. I finally realized that a prominent Cajun accent can be an asset. In this column, my accent is nonexistent, as only my Cajun colloquialisms give me away.
Jusqu’a la semaine prochaine!