toni
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Posts posted by toni
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So for quarter cup each of water and sugar I'd use about a scant quarter cup of liqueur give or take--I just taste it to see if I like it. And that's about how much I'd use for one recipe or cake mix.
All of the flavors I listed I think would go good with your cake. Grand Marnier is my default splash--raspberry or cherry flavor brandy or vodka or regular fruit flavor.
It's the tenth picture in this thread. That shows about how much I use and the kind of squirt bottle. I mean some people brush it on.
You wanna be careful to not let your cake get a hot alcohol spot.
Some flavor splash ideas for you.
On another note, K8memphis, I have been looking for a good plastic wrap for keeping cake layers fresh before putting in the frig or freezer. I noticed in your pictorial a box on your counter called Polyvinyl Films, I think. Is that the one you use before setting your naked layers in ziplock type bags? And where do you purchase it? Is it large enough to wrap 9 or 10 inch rounds cake layers? I made a cake this weekend and the wrap did not cover the cake well, but I put it in ziplocks too. I think you once said the plastic wrap should be stretched tight around the cake. The cake was easy to frost after setting in the refrigerator. Do you know how long cake layers can be put this way in the frig. because I don't want them to dry out. Is it best to put them in the freezer if it is longer than one or two days? Thank you for any thoughts on keeping the cake moist and fresh.
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I'd like to add that it all depends on your cake (whether you syrup it or not).
I syrup my genoise and sponge and chiffon cakes, but my chocolate cake I do not. It's already moist and sweet enough as it is. Syrup would be overkill. If your cake is fine on it's own, don't overly sweeten and moisten the layer if it doesn't need it!
Thank you for adding your thoughts. That helps me a lot, and I appreciate it.
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So for quarter cup each of water and sugar I'd use about a scant quarter cup of liqueur give or take--I just taste it to see if I like it. And that's about how much I'd use for one recipe or cake mix.
All of the flavors I listed I think would go good with your cake. Grand Marnier is my default splash--raspberry or cherry flavor brandy or vodka or regular fruit flavor.
It's the tenth picture in this thread. That shows about how much I use and the kind of squirt bottle. I mean some people brush it on.
You wanna be careful to not let your cake get a hot alcohol spot.
Some flavor splash ideas for you.
You are too kind! Thank you for the information, and I absolutely loved the thread you referred me to. I am such a visual learner. Your wedding cake was fantastic and I commend you for your patience and talent. Thank you for sharing such helpful ideas, K8memphis.
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I put it on most all my cakes. I usually apply it when I torte and fill. You can do it basically any time you want for any cake you want.
Did you put any flavor in there? That's another optional option.
Vanilla, rum, GrandMarnier, Kaluha, amaretto or almond extract--the lorann oils etc. etc. or plain is ok too.
Thank you, K8memphis, for the reply. I once made a syrup that was only 1/2 sugar, 1/2 water. I'm interested in your idea, too, of adding a flavor. My frosting and filling will be a chocolate/choc. malt with cream cheese and whipping cream. What would you suggest as a flavor component to the syrup and if you would, tell me how you make your syrup and how much flavor you'd add. Thank you so much, again. Just how much syrup do you put on a cake layer and do you baste it on?
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Hi, I'm not sure about when to use a simple syrup to make the cake moist before frosting. I made a chocolate cake and put the layers in zip lock bags 2 nights ago and put them in the refrigerator until I could frost today. My questions are: Is it okay to put baked cake layers into the refrig? I had read different ideas and could not remember much. Hopefully it will not pull moisture out of the cake. My idea was to have the cake cold when I frosted. Once, I used a simple syrup on a chiffon cake but do not know when it is appropriate or not. Do you baste a syrup of 1/2 sugar and 1/2 water on regular cake made of flour, buttermilk, butter and eggs? In this case, there was also chocolate. Will that help it be moist ? How long do you wait to frost after putting on a syrup if using a syrup is appropriate? I looked in some cookbooks and did not get any help on these matters and I so appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
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Do you use wax paper or parchment on the bottoms before turning over? I am wondering if regular seran-type plastic wrap might stick to the baked cake especially if the cake sets on the plastic for a while. Thank you again.
The plastic wrap generally does not stick. There might be a tad of the top stuck but I am fixing to cut that off anyhow.
Just to be clear:
I use parchment in the pan to bake in.
I sometimes use waxed paper in the pan to bake in but not on brownies--only cake.
I use plastic wrap to flip the cooked cakes on-- doesn't stick.
Very clear, and thanks, again.
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Yes, I let the last cake set on the counter for about 2 hours before turning out, and I ran a knife around the outside edges. Thanks for responding.
I'm thinking cooling for 2 hours causes the crisco to set up and adhere to the pan. I usually let cakes cool for just 10-15 minutes. Then I'll shake the pan from side to side until I feel the cake loosen and will turn it out.
That may be a solution. Thank you, emmalish!
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I bake alot of cakes. I love cakes. More than pie.
I am a giant proponent of parchment usage. With the cake linked to above, I actually put butter on the UPSIDE of the parchment. It browns a bit, but always gives me a smooth takeaway. Additionally, I regularly butter the sides of the pan (9 inch rounds, in this case) and never have any issues with sticking.
Thank you, Mayhaw Man. No dusting with flour, huh?
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The bottoms stuck with the parchment? ouch
Well I always hold my cake pan at an angle so gravity will assist me and I bump the pan a nice jolt to loosen the baked cake so it slides that little quarter inch in each direction so I know it's loose. However that's the last thing I do before de-panning.
If I use anything it's a combinatiopn of equal parts of shortening, oil and flour brushed on the pan but not under parchment. Pan goop is what some people call it, works great. I just keep it in my frige. Could be kept at room temp if it's used often.
I just cut a parchment to fit my pan. If it's a real big pan I piece it together with a generous overlap. Generally I do not do anything else so the cake climbs nicely up the sides.
After it's baked, I run a knife around the edges to loosen. Then I bang the pan on the edge of my hand looking for it to slide.
If the pan is cold and it does not slide that silly little millimeter, I run the entire base of the pan over a flame or hot eye for a few seconds to loosen any grease that might be holding baby to tight. Make it slide in the pan each direction, put plastic wrap over top, put cardboard circle on top of that, flip it, put more plastic wrap place rack on top, flip that. Viola.
I leave the parchment or plastic wrap on there for security--it makes it hold/handle better to torte and flip.
Tmi~~ but cold cake handles better for torting and flipping. However it is my understanding that butter cakes do not loosen up enough after coming back to room temp--hence the omnipresent comment that the cake is 'dry'. It's not really dry it's just heavy down the back of the throat from the cold butter--so be careful. If you can microzap your butter cake before assembling all the better.
Those are some really fine points and could be considered too much information but does classify under the 'any advise' request.
That's how I do it.
I will read your reply very carefully tonight and I appreciate all details, so I thank you so much. I always make things more complicated in my mind, so any extra explanations really do help me.
Do you use wax paper or parchment on the bottoms before turning over? I am wondering if regular seran-type plastic wrap might stick to the baked cake especially if the cake sets on the plastic for a while. Thank you again.
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If it's just a flat round cake pan I only ever line the bottom with parchment. No butter, no flour. If it's a bit stuck on the sides I use a knife to loosen. I've never had anything stick this way. I can't figure out why there are directions out there to grease the pan and then line it with parchment. Is there sticky parchment out there? It boggles my mind.
Next time I will definitely not grease under the parchment. I'd be nervous not to use any form of greasing, but maybe I should try that. Thank you.
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Wow, it sounds to me like you're doing all the right things, and yet your cakes still stick? Do you let them rest and cool for a bit before turning them out? I find that if I try to turn them out of the pan too quickly they're more likely to stick.
I use crisco and a dusting of flour. I've read here on the boards that the spray with the flour included is awesome, but I've never seen it in the stores so I haven't had a chance to try it. And I've also read here that butter isn't a good choice because its higher water content can cause things to stick.
I'm interested to hear what the professionals have to say.
Yes, I let the last cake set on the counter for about 2 hours before turning out, and I ran a knife around the outside edges. Thanks for responding.
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Wow, it sounds to me like you're doing all the right things, and yet your cakes still stick? Do you let them rest and cool for a bit before turning them out? I find that if I try to turn them out of the pan too quickly they're more likely to stick.
I use crisco and a dusting of flour. I've read here on the boards that the spray with the flour included is awesome, but I've never seen it in the stores so I haven't had a chance to try it. And I've also read here that butter isn't a good choice because its higher water content can cause things to stick.
I'm interested to hear what the professionals have to say.
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I would appreciate any advice about preparing cake pans before baking. I tried searching for information about what to put on the pans but nothing came up, so I apologize if this is a topic covered in the past.
The last 2 cakes I made had the bottoms of the cake and the sides sticking to the pans and then those parts of the cake fell apart. One cake was a chocolate one and the other was a yellow one. In the past, I don't remember if I used butter, crisco, or an aersol spray to prepare the pans. I know they even have a no-stick spray with flour in it but I have never used that. For the last 2 cakes I wiped crisco (solid) on the pans before dusting with flour. I also used parchment in the bottom of the pans and wiped the parchment with the crisco before dusting with flour.
I would love to hear what is the best preparation and what you use. Thank you so much in advance.
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Here's the recipe I ended up making for Chufi's latest eG Foodblog:
couple notes: ordinarily this would be cooked on a grill, ideally over some pimiento branches for smoking, but since we cooked inside here's the oven recipe. Also, this amount of pork would normally require 6 to 9 habaneros (some recipes called for 12!)...I only used 3 just to make sure that everyone could eat it (and enjoy it).
jerk-marinated pork shoulder
marinade:
3kg boneless pork shoulder, in one piece
6 big scallions, chopped
1 large sweet onion, peeled
1 head of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/4 cup (60ml) allspice berries, ground
2 tbsp freshly-ground black pepper
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled
3 habanero, madame jeanet, or scotch bonnet chiles, fire-roasted, seeds removed
1 cup fresh-squeezed OJ
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
sauce:
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons brown sugar or more
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or more
Blend all marinade ingredients to a paste in a food processor or blender. With a sharp knife, score the thick fat on the pork shoulder in a diamond pattern. You might want to use gloves for this: pour 2/3 of the marinade over the pork and massage a thick coating of the marinade into the pork. Place in a roasting pan and cover with a lid or foil. Refrigerate to marinate at least 24 hours or up to two days.
Place the remaining 1/3 of the marinade in a saucepan and add water, sugar, and vinegar. I boiled this down for about 20 minutes until the raw ingredients weren't raw and the flavor was nice and round. This sauce goes over the pieces of pork when you serve it.
When ready to cook, let pork sit at room temperature at least one hour, then preheat oven to 450F/Gas 8. Roast for 30 minutes at this high heat, then lower temperature to 300F/Gas 2. Bake an additional 2.5 hours. I then uncovered it and blasted it at 450F again to try and crisp up the crust. Take pork out and let rest at least 30 minutes before dismantling. Cut into caveman/cavewoman hunks and slather with reheated jerk sauce. Serves 6-8. I wasn't hungry until lunchtime today.
ETA: We used this article for tips on what wines to serve with jerk, and it was spot on: a 2005 Alsatian Gewurztraminer from Antoine Heinrich, and a 2005 Riesling from Rudolf Müller...both were very nice.
Your recipe looks really interesting and good. I missed any comment about how it tasted to you.
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I thank you for your input.
As always,
Toni
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Thank you, DerekW. After your response, before putting the flank steak in the oven, I shook off the marinade it was in, layered the pieces on the racks and then added a few shakes of hot sauce ( I had Franks Red Hot) to the left over marinade (there was only about a cup after marinating for 22 hours) and then brushed it on the pieces of meat and put into the oven.
You mentioned just shaking off the marinade. I made beef jerky many years ago and that was the method I used. Then I started pressing the marinated slices between paper towels to take off the extra marinade. I don't know why I did that other than I keep reading and there are different ways people do it. So, in the hopes that more flavor is transferred to the meat, I simply shook off the marinade this time as you said. I really appreciate your input.
I decided to use the Pure convection mode of my oven. I set it at the lowest 135 degrees which means its about 155 for a regular oven.
It is now 12 hours and I will wipe some beads of moisture off the meat and probably let it set about 8 hours in the oven with the oven off. I would love to hear what temp. you use and how long you cook and simply let the jerky set out. Thank you, again.
It smells great!
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Thanks so much! By the way, anything special you do to make it a little hot (spicy)?
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I just put in Whittington's jerky in Johnson City, TX on google and I got the phone number. The lady answering the phone was so nice and she said the jerky could stay in the paper bag for days. Thank you again.
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I just returned from Texas with some wonderful beef and pork jerkey from Whitington's in Johnson City, TX. They recommend storing it in a paper bag or freezing it in a freezer bag, but never refrigerating it. There might be more information at their web site www.whitingtonsjerky.com.
Thank you so much, slo_ted for replying. I have not been able to locate the website using the spelling above or a couple variations. Could you please check the spelling for me? I have used with apostrophe and without, one "t" and 2 "t's".
In case I can't get the website, was anything said about how long you could keep the jerky in a paper bag? Are all the pieces thrown into the bag together and touching one another? I was wondering if I should put paper towels around individual pieces. Thanks again!
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I'm hoping someone can help me with storing the beef and turkey jerky I have just made. Should it be kept in the refrigerator? Do you keep it wrapped in paper towels in a zip lock bag and keep it at room temp. or what? I want to do it right as I have invested a lot of preparation and cooking time. Thank you in advance.
Oh, has anyone made it on the hot side? I'm not sure what I should add to the soy sauce and the other regular spices to make it hotter.
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On cake slices for an engagment party I used transfer sheets with a thin layer of chocolate and then broke up the pieces. You could also make more deliberate shapes.
(I'm a newbie poster and it took me an hour to figure how to post this picture)
That is the most amazing dessert! I would love to know what the layers are. Nice job!!!
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I thank you, Markk for your suggestion. I even thought about inserting the probe into the oven receptacle first but was scared of that. I will try it now after your comments.
Dave, I have a question. It sounds like you are not searing the roast as you simply say to place in a pan. When you say that the temperature probe goes in through the side, I think of the part that has a tougher skin on it. I put the probe on what I think is the end part that is pure meat. (cut part) Is that where it should go? I like your idea of the wine.
Marlene, today at Wm. Sonoma I found the remote thermometer you spoke of. It was half off, so it is worth trying. I had a different one from a cooking supply store for a few years and was always paranoid and anxious when it didn't seem to register correctly. But I decided to give this one a try after you mentioned it. I like recommendations and thank you very much.
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I froze my 3 bone 7 lb. prime rib and then put it in the refrig. on Thurs. for Mon.'s Christmas cooking. It was great. Enjoy it. After our dinner, my husband proclaimed with a huge smile on his face that he would like prime rib 4 times a year!
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Need say no more. That is a beautiful prime rib, Marlene! I cooked my prime rib on Christmas and it turned out great. I followed Marlene's and HKDave's advice as I ran into a problem with my temperature probe. I have a Dacor oven and had never used the temp. probe before. Oops! (one should not wait to try something for the first time on a big day.) The probe plugged into the outlet in the oven just fine. Then I pushed the "Probe" button on the outside of the oven and the display flashed "PRB" which meant the probe was not inserted properly. Time was of the essence and I could not play around anymore than the 10 mins. I already wasted, so I abandoned the probe and heated the oven to 450 degrees convection and then put the meat into the oven and cooked it for 10 mins. and then turned the oven to convection 300 degrees. It took about 2 1/2 hours for the 7 lb. prime rib to be medium rare and it was absolutely fabulous. Thank you for everyone's ideas and opinions. It really helped. Anyone else have problems with a temp. probe. I have no idea what could have been wrong. The probe was in the center of the meat and the plug at the other end of the probe was inserted into the outlet on the side of the oven. It is very hot (duh!) and it was hard to raise the lid of the outlet and continue trying to insert the plug, but it did seem to click as it pressed in all the way.
simple syrup and moist cake
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
That is so helpful. I think I am dense: I'm not sure what this sentence means: "So the cakes I freeze...have to be made with those multi-million dollar ingredients that can create such a stir on foodie boards." If you have time, I'd love to know if you mean something like shortening and you were being funny about multi-million dollar and the foodie boards. Sorry. Thank you again for all the help.