CAKES, ROLL CAKES

AND PETIT FOURS

 CAKES

 CAKES are bake products usually made from soft dough or

batter. They may or may not be filled or frosted. But an
elegant frosted cake is the pride of any baker.
 Cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour,
some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening
agent, and flavoring. There are literally thousands of cakes
recipes (some are bread-like and some rich and elaborate)
and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a
complicated procedure.
 Baking utensils and directions have been so perfected and
simplified that even the amateur cook may easily become and
expert baker. There are five basic types of cake, depending on
the substance used for leavening.
 The most primitive peoples in the world began making cakes
shortly after they discovered flour. In medieval England, the
cakes that were described in writings were not cakes in the
conventional sense. They were described as flour-based
sweet foods as opposed to the description of breads, which
were just flour-based foods without sweetening.
 DIFFERENT T YPES OF CAKES

 Shortened cakes. These  Un-shortened cakes.

contain shortening
(butter, margarine or oil)
in their batter, Examples
of this type of cake are:
Butter cake, Pound cake,
banana cake.
These do not contain
shortening in their
batter. Included here are
angel food cakes and
sponge-type cakes.
 DIFFERENT T YPES OF CAKES

 Chiffon-type cakes.
These are combination
of shortenend and
unshortened batter. The
shortened poriion
contains the oil, yolks
and to improve their ete
appeal or attractiveness.
 INGREDIENTS USED IN CAKE MAKING:

 FLOUR. Cakes can be made from all purpose flour, but

cake flour makes a lighter cake. Flour makes up the
basic structure of the cake, therefore, if you are using all
purpose flour, do not over beat the batter so that the
gluten will not develop and your cake will not become
tough.
 SUGAR. Refined, brown, or confectioner’s sugar, honey,
molasses, and syrup are used depending in recipe
requirements. Sugar is important because it sweetens
the cake, makes tender, gives a darker color to the cake
crust, and helps retain the moisture in the cake.
 INGREDIENTS USED IN CAKE MAKING:

 SHORTENING. Butter, margarine orr vegetable oil may be

used as shortening. It is important brcause it makes the
cake tender, and helps retain the moisture in the cake.
 EGGS. Fresh eggs give the best result in baking. In cake
making, Fresh egg gives volume to the cake through the
entrapped air during whipping, gives a rich flavor and
color, and make the cake tender.
 LIQUID. This may be water, milk or fruit juice. It serves as
medium for dissolving solid ingredients like sugar and
salt, gives moisture and flavor, develops the protein In
flour, thus helping give structure to the cake.
 INGREDIENTS USED IN CAKE MAKING:

 LEAVENER. This gives the proper volume to the cake.

Most commonly used chemical leavener in cakes are
baking powder and baking soda.
 FLAVOR. This gives you a specific taste to the cake.
 SALT. It brings out the flavor of the other cake
ingredient.
METHODS IN MIXING SHORTENED CAKES:

 CREAMING. Shortening and sugar are creamed

together to certain degree of fluffiness. Eggs are
then gradually added while creaming continuously.
The flour and liquid are added while alternately,
beginning and ending with flour.
 BLENDING. Flour and shortening are placed in the
mixing bowl and blended together until the flour is
coated by the shortening. Dry ingredients and a
portion of the liquid are added and mixed.
 SINGLE STAGE METHOD. All ingredients are placed in
the mixing bowl. Mixing is done until the batter is
well mixed and smooth
 GUIDELINES TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN
MAKING CAKES:

 Before you start mixing cake, pre-heat the oven to

the correct temperature.
 Prepare your pans before you start mixing.
 Have the ingredients at room temperature, unless
otherwise specified.
 When using melted chocolate, be sure to cool it
before adding to the batter as warm chocolate will
start cooking the eggs in the batter.
 In making meringue cake, make sure that not even a
drop of oil gets into the egg whites. Clean the mixing
bowl and beater very well before whipping. Any trace
of oil or egg yolk will prevent the whites from being
whipped successfully.
 GUIDELINES TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN
MAKING CAKES:

 Do not over beat cake batter after the flour has been
added. Too much gluten will develop and toughen the
cake.
 The Freshest eggs give the most volume and this is
especially important for sponge cakes, and angel
food cakes.
 Sifted flour or dry ingredients have more
incorporated air so the resulting cake is lighter.
 In adding the dry ingredients and liquid to the
creamed mixture, be sure to start and end with a dry
ingredients into 4-4 portions.
 GUIDELINES TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN
MAKING CAKES:

Do not open oven door at least 15 mins. after

placing pan in it.
The cake is done or baked if you insert a
tester at the center of the cake and it turns
out clean, or you can press gently with your
forefinger the top of the cake. If the cake
springs back, or no deep impression is left,
the cake is done.
Cakes are usually cooled for 5 to 10 mins. in
the pan before cooling on the rack. But for
some cakes, cooling is done in the pan
 STAGES OF WHIPPED EGG WHITES

 FROTHY. Large uneven-sized air bubbles.

 BEGIN TO HOLD SHAPE. Fine air bubbles develop
close to each other.
 SOFT PEAK. Whites will stand in peaks but will bend
over.
 ALMOST STIFF. Sharply pointed peaks but are still
soft.
 STIFF but not DRY. Stand in stiff sharply, pointed
peaks; uniform white color and shiny.
 STIFF AND DRY. Stand in stiff, sharp peaks and not
shiny speckled with white spots.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL CAKES

-Uniform and symmetrical shape

-Uniform Color;
-Without cracks, sags or indentations;
-Crust is thin and tender;
-Bottom crust is not burned;
-Cake crumb is medium sized with a fine even
grain;
-Moist and smooth but not soggy; and
-Unless the type of cake calls for a dominant
flavor, the flavor should be balance with no
foreign or off flavors.
 ROLL CAKES

 In the Philippines, it is called pianono, and has been

adapted into several variations which use native
flavors, such as ube and macapuno. Pianono has a
different texture usually sold on prolific
neighborhood bakeries as prolific as a Sari-Sari
Store. Due to Western influence, it is called a cake
roll on high-end bakeries and bakeshops. A similar
roll is the Brazo de Mercedes, Spanish for "Mercies´
arm. It however is composed of a soft meringue body
and a custard core.
 PETIT FOURS

 n 18th and 19th century France, gas ovens did not

exist. Huge brick ovens were used, which took a long
time to heat up but also to cool down. Bakers used
the ovens during the cooling process, taking
advantage of their stored heat, for baking pastry.
This was called baking à petit four (literally "at small
oven"), a lower temperature which allowed pastry
baking