I recently tried to make the Zebra Stripe cake from Little Cakes and I was having trouble scoring the chocolate into stripes. The stripes were not coming out right and when I would score the chocolate it would break EXTREMELY easily not leaving me with much chocolate to work with. What could I do to make it easier to score and to make the chocolate harder so it would not break into a million pieces?
After you pipe out the zebra stripes to the approximate size you want there are a few of things to consider. First, perhaps the chocolate stripes are too thin. The chocolate should be between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch thick. If it is too thin it will break easily when handled. Second, when you score the chocolate, lightly score with a small serrated paring knife (a steak knife will suffice). Do not cut through the entire piece of chocolate as this will cause it to fracture; instead saw into the chocolate 1/3 of the way through. Then gently lift the stripe off of the parchment/cellophane, and with both hands, hold your fingers on opposite sides of the score line, and break in half. Lastly, if you are still having difficulty, consider cutting the stripes before the chocolate has completely set. In this state, the chocolate is not yet "shiny" and if you push your finger into the top it won't make an imprint but it will feel like it has some give.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
New Whimsical Bakehouse Book
We just finished shooting the photographs for our latest book (number 4 – wow!) and I’m putting the final touches on the manuscript. This time around the Whimsical Bakehouse takes a sugarcoated look at kids’ parties (and kid-at-heart parties). I’ve created new cake and cookie designs, and my mom has added over 40 new recipes from cakes to pies, and candies to cookies. I think it will be one of our most fun creations yet.
The release date isn’t until early 2010, but I hope to give you a sneak peek in a few months…
The release date isn’t until early 2010, but I hope to give you a sneak peek in a few months…
Beth's inspired website
Beth Bennett, a former student of mine, recently launched her own website. I wanted to share it with everyone - www.bebebakes.com – it’s worth a visit! Check out her playful and colorful cakes and see her creative uses of the “chocolate method”.
Lisa's cakes
You can take Lisa's sweetheart idea and create cakes for St. Patrick's Day (outlines of shamrocks with green luster dust) or flowers for spring (outlines of five-petal blossoms brushed with pink luster dust and a golden center).
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Luster Dust
Stephanie asked,"Since I prefer buttercream cakes to fondant covered ones, I have studied your cakes closely and have noticed that that while the buttercream in Summer Daze has a pearl sheen to it, the White on White looks matte. Do you add something to the buttercream for the shine or is it just the photographs?"
To create the sheen on some of the cakes in our first book (like Summer Daze and New York, New York) I used Luster Dust (http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/search.asp?t=ss&ss=luster+dust&sid=GOOGLE&TID=GL00308060008&gclid=CIXk2Pv9wpgCFQEoGgodNU_Z1g&bhcd2=1233754505). This is basically a metallic powder. It comes in a variety of colors and metallics. I used gold and silver on the stars (page 51-55) and pearl on the Summer Daze cake (page 124). Do not mix the dust into the buttercream, instead to achieve the all over glow, load a medium sized paintbrush with dust, place the brush approximately 6-inches from the cake, take a deep breath, and exhale with one short burst of air. Repeat in different spots until the cake is covered. Be forewarned- dust gets everyone so I recommend doing this outside, if possible.
And here is one of Stephanie's creations - A cream cheese fondant hippo.
To create the sheen on some of the cakes in our first book (like Summer Daze and New York, New York) I used Luster Dust (http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/search.asp?t=ss&ss=luster+dust&sid=GOOGLE&TID=GL00308060008&gclid=CIXk2Pv9wpgCFQEoGgodNU_Z1g&bhcd2=1233754505). This is basically a metallic powder. It comes in a variety of colors and metallics. I used gold and silver on the stars (page 51-55) and pearl on the Summer Daze cake (page 124). Do not mix the dust into the buttercream, instead to achieve the all over glow, load a medium sized paintbrush with dust, place the brush approximately 6-inches from the cake, take a deep breath, and exhale with one short burst of air. Repeat in different spots until the cake is covered. Be forewarned- dust gets everyone so I recommend doing this outside, if possible.
And here is one of Stephanie's creations - A cream cheese fondant hippo.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Whipped Cream "Mousse"
It goes against conventional baking standards but the whipped cream we use for our "mousse" is whipped to VERY stiff peaks - don't let the cream turn into butter, but whip until it is no longer smooth, has an air bubbly consistency, and sticks to an inverted spoon or the whip without oozing.
To maintain the stiff peaks, fold in the added flavor (Bailey's Irish Cream, Raspberry Puree, Espresso, Oreo's, Nutella, etc.) gently - do not over mix as this may deflate the mousse. Fill the cake right away - do not let the mousse sit for long or it may collapse or further aerate (then when you spread it with a spatula, it reverts to a near liquid state).
If you "ring" the cake with buttercream, even if the mousse is slightly soft (but not at all runny ), it will hold it in place. Just handle the cake with care and do not jostle it unnecessarily.
Any cake sealed with buttercream, and filled with one of our mousses or custards, will last for at least one week (refrigerated)- with the exception of fresh fruit fillings which will stay fresh for one or two days. If you use a jarred raspberry puree, it will last at least a week but if you use a fresh raspberry puree, test before serving (in all likely hood it will still be fine after a couple of days but to be on the safe side...). Also note: my mom, Kaye, will eat a cake that is 2 weeks old and claims it is still good.
We recommend refrigerating our cakes if they are not being served the same day. For fullest flavor we also recommend serving our cakes at room temperature, so remove the cakes from refrigeration a few hours before serving. As for the chocolate decorations, ideally you don't want them chilled because they may sweat when brought to room temperature again- but at the bakery it is unavoidable. To counteract the sweat you can wrap the cake in a box and the box in plastic wrap - let the cake come to room temperature in the box.
To maintain the stiff peaks, fold in the added flavor (Bailey's Irish Cream, Raspberry Puree, Espresso, Oreo's, Nutella, etc.) gently - do not over mix as this may deflate the mousse. Fill the cake right away - do not let the mousse sit for long or it may collapse or further aerate (then when you spread it with a spatula, it reverts to a near liquid state).
If you "ring" the cake with buttercream, even if the mousse is slightly soft (but not at all runny ), it will hold it in place. Just handle the cake with care and do not jostle it unnecessarily.
Any cake sealed with buttercream, and filled with one of our mousses or custards, will last for at least one week (refrigerated)- with the exception of fresh fruit fillings which will stay fresh for one or two days. If you use a jarred raspberry puree, it will last at least a week but if you use a fresh raspberry puree, test before serving (in all likely hood it will still be fine after a couple of days but to be on the safe side...). Also note: my mom, Kaye, will eat a cake that is 2 weeks old and claims it is still good.
We recommend refrigerating our cakes if they are not being served the same day. For fullest flavor we also recommend serving our cakes at room temperature, so remove the cakes from refrigeration a few hours before serving. As for the chocolate decorations, ideally you don't want them chilled because they may sweat when brought to room temperature again- but at the bakery it is unavoidable. To counteract the sweat you can wrap the cake in a box and the box in plastic wrap - let the cake come to room temperature in the box.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Measurement Conversions
At the bakery we weigh out all of our ingredients, but we broke down all of our recipes into cups for the book and the home cook. For those of you that like to weigh your ingredients, here are some basic conversions from cups to ounces (sorry - not in grams).
All-purpose Flour: 5 ounces = 1 cup
Cake Flour: 3.5 ounces = 1 cup
Granulated Sugar: 7 ounces = 1 cup
Brown Sugar: 8 ounces = 1 cup
Confectioner's sugar: 4 ounces = 1 cup
more to follow...
All-purpose Flour: 5 ounces = 1 cup
Cake Flour: 3.5 ounces = 1 cup
Granulated Sugar: 7 ounces = 1 cup
Brown Sugar: 8 ounces = 1 cup
Confectioner's sugar: 4 ounces = 1 cup
more to follow...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Muffin Scoop
In Little Cakes you recommended using a cupcake/muffin scoop to fill cupcake liners. I've been searching on the Internet and have not found any websites that sell them. Do you know where I could find one?
The scoop you mentioned has a few names - a trigger ice cream scoop, a cookie dough scoop...but apparently no one on the web (could it just be our bakery?) calls it a muffin scoop. This item can be found at most baking supply stores or on the web. See the Amazon link, below.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=muffin+scoop&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=2387804981&ref=pd_sl_1ar60ugdu4_b
The scoop you mentioned has a few names - a trigger ice cream scoop, a cookie dough scoop...but apparently no one on the web (could it just be our bakery?) calls it a muffin scoop. This item can be found at most baking supply stores or on the web. See the Amazon link, below.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=muffin+scoop&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=2387804981&ref=pd_sl_1ar60ugdu4_b
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