The Big Idea:
Students need to understand the creaming method (conventional method) of making butter cakes (shortened cake) and demonstrate the method by producing a cake that will be iced together.
Objectives:
Demo Notes/Module Questions
Students need to understand the creaming method (conventional method) of making butter cakes (shortened cake) and demonstrate the method by producing a cake that will be iced together.
Objectives:
- To practice accuracy in the measurement of wet and dry ingredients.
- To safely use an electric mixer.
- To practice the creaming method to make a quality butter cake.
The twelve steps in the conventional or creaming method of making a shortened cake:
- Preheat the oven. (350°F) Ask again why this is important (leavening).
- Grease and flour the pans or use parchment paper cut to size. Watch out for waste. Ask why do we prep the pans this way? We will use two 9 inch round pans.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a SEPARATE BOWL (not the mixer bowl) and set aside.
- Cream the fat and sugar – need solid but SOFTENED fat.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Why do we need it to be fluffy? AIR!
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed.
- Add ½ of the wet ingredients.
- Alternate dry and wet until blended. Will end up mixing 1/3 dry, ½ wet, 1/3 dry, ½ wet, and finish with final 1/3 dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into pans. Make sure it is even and about 2/3 full.
- Bake until done. Two round pans = 30-35 minutes and one 9x13 = 45-50 minutes. Why the difference?
- Remove from oven and leave in pan for 10 minutes. Why? To set.
- Remove from pan and cool on racks.
Demo Notes/Module Questions
- One bowl or one stage method = adding all of the ingredients to a bowl and mixing together at one time. Can make scratch cakes that are done in one bowl with cooking oil. Less air is incorporated into the mix.
- Why is a Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines cake mix NOT following the creaming method? (one bowl, liquid fat)
- If possible, use cake and pastry flour since it has less gluten? Why do we want less gluten formed in a cake?
- Why should ingredients be room temperature? Easier to mix batter and easier to incorporate air.
- Why do we alternate dry, wet, dry, wet, dry? Helps to shorten mixing time (less gluten) and prevents mixture from curdling.
- What are effects of over mixing? Ask them to think about muffin qualities (tough/tunnels)
- What leavening agents are at work in a cake?
- Air is incorporated into the cake when the fat is creamed.
- Baking powder produces carbon dioxide
- Liquid produces steam when heated.
- Pan placement – see notes package and have them guess.
- Why should it sit in the pan for 10 minutes? Compare to their cookies that came just out of the oven. The structure needs to set so that it is less likely to break apart.
- When icing two layers together, the bottom layer is upside down so that the two flat bottoms are iced together and you have a round end on top. Diagram.