RodneyCk

Interesting, thanks. I have never heard of green bean flour. I will look into this.

I am going over cream filling recipes and all the variations. Basically, I guess, they are homemade puddings, but differ in a few ways in their thickening agents. Some use flour. The Bavarian CF uses gelatin and cornstarch, usually, and some use just cornstarch. I am sure there are more ways. My question is which ones work and/or taste the best? I have made the cornstarch variety a number of times, but have always noticed that it produces a gelatinous consistency one gets with cornstarch, sometimes good, sometimes not. Any thoughts? Also, if you would like to share a favorite recipe, that would be much appreciated. I have a few, but do not know if they are the best of the bunch.

I agree. Using some shortening (especially the hi-ratio shortening) in pie crusts makes them so flakey. If you want a pristine white cake, use shortening. There is a place for it at times.

I have been experimenting a lot with butter, shortening and different oils in my cake recipes. It all depends on the type of cake, but sometimes one is better than the others. I like to use oils, such as canola or nut oils, in nut cakes (almond cake for example) or cakes that have to be refrigerated due to the fillings and icings. Oil does not harden up like butter and shortening when cold and so your cake is edible straight from the fridge. Oil also seems to make a cake more moist and for longer. It also keeps permeating the nuts or grains (cornmeal), making the cakes better the next day, and thereafter. Alton Brown did an episode on yellow buttercakes and used shortening in his recipe. He says that with either butter flavoring added or butter flavored shortening, you can actually get more of a butter taste than actual butter in a cake recipe. Shortening is 100% fat, butter is 80% fat, leaving the other 20% to liquids and other solids, but mostly water. So I guess you could say that with shortening, you are getting about 20% more fat in the recipe, which is always a good thing, except for your waist. I use butter for most of my recipes, just because I have a love relationship with it, but even in my meringue frostings, I am beginning to add a bit of shortening for not only stability, but also for mellowing out the pure butter taste a bit.

I was going through cake recipes in the BBC cookbook, "101 Cakes & Cookies", which is a wonderful cookbook filled with pictures and recipes of beautiful baked goods. I came upon a Devonshire Honey Cake which caught my eye, looked so good and moist. I then remembered this thread. Here is the recipe if anyone wants it... http://desarapen.blogspot.com/2005/07/shf-10-honey-cake.html

Firstly, there are no dumb questions, especially in baking. Here are my thoughts, and let me say that this is a new frosting for me as well. I have not had time to perfect and fiddle with it properly as I am working on several cake recipes at the moment. What I would do is not mix the ganache in the food processor. I think that function is to emulsify the butter and cream together in this particular recipe, and the ganache might prevent this. There are versions of making ganache using a food processor, but for this recipe, I think it wise not to try it. I would instead make the ganache, then make this frosting, and then add the ganache in 1 cup at a time; beating with each addition. It should be a lovely alternative, plus you may be able to elevate the chocolate amount this way, and that is a good thing in my book, lol

You can probably add anywhere from 4 to 6oz of bittersweet, semisweet or milk chocolate (not unsweetened) melted and cooled to room temp. Add at the end with some vanilla, and or espresso (cooled), and re-whip. If it breaks, then just add more powdered sugar; say a 1/2 to 1 cup until it comes back together. I don't think you will have a problem though.

No problem, here you go Dailey. It is at the bottom of this page... http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/recipes/velvetunderground.html

I did indeed and I believe I should have beaten it another 5 to 10 minutes because it was a little weepy still, at least to my eye. So, this could account for it not becoming super stiff in the fridge. The more I think about it, the more I believe the food processor is key, emulsifying the ingredients together like a good salad dressing.

Oh my... ...that sounds delicious.

THAT is the kind of answer I was looking for and it supports Patrick's post. Luckily, as I remarked previously, this is probably one of the best icings to use that needs refrigeration. Its low butter ratio does not turn the buttercream into a brick. I really need to get one of those food biologists. Do they come in pocket size? “Sugarella was right! Cool for her.” K8, actually she was half correct. As the recipe is written it needs refrigeration, but with slightly more sugar, as Sarah pointed out, despite the fact it uses heavy whipping cream, it can be safely edible at room temperature.

This was the question I had as well. The food processor also might help the slightly gritty texture from the powdered sugar which I experienced by incorporating it, although I admit I had to add a little more than the recipe called for to make mine work, so this might be my own error.

I put mine in the refrigerator mostly to see how firm it got. It was not all that stiff, firm though, just right actually, so in my opinion, it could be eaten right from the fridge. It is a wonderful recipe, and yes, not overly sweet which is why I am drawn to it, and one I hope to perfect soon, lol.

I just wanted to pop in and say thanks to Patrick and the others that have posted here regarding my question about confections, a wealth of information. Also, thank you Sarah for weighing in, it is always interesting to see how authors respond, especially to this topic. There are so many conflicting statements out there.

Thanks Dailey. I will weigh the sugar next time (I was rushing it) and try the food processor, out of curiosity. I like the frosting too and I think the problem was I did not beat it long enough after if did finally come together. I used vanilla and a bit of rum extract in mine, yum. I usually make IMB or French (actually James McNair's version) MB, but I recently tried a cupcake and the frosting was SO good. I knew right away it was a whipped cream frosting of some sort, maybe even stabilized, but very, very similar to this recipe. I am eager to make it correctly to compare properly.

Ok, I made this buttercream tonight and I followed your suggestion of not using the food processor. I just whipped it for 5 minutes with the wire whisk attachment. It separated. I figured that maybe like a meringue buttercream, it would come together during the beating phase, so I switched to the paddle attachment and beat. It says 15 to 20 minutes of beating. 15 minutes into beating it still was not coming together, so I added a bit more powdered sugar, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, to see if I could salvage it. It came together. I beat it another 10 minutes (my KA got a workout) and it looked ok. It tasted good, but was not all that smooth, a bit grainy and still looked a tiny bit wet, like it could have been beat more. What did your's look like appearance and texture-wise Dailey? In the end, I kept thinking that maybe I should have pulled out the food processor.

I would not substitute more than 50% of the flour for bran because adding bran makes a recipe denser and a little drier in my opinion. What I do when a recipe calls for say 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour is substitute 1/2 cup all-purpose (I use 1/2 cup + 1 tablesoon cake flour) + 1/2 cup wheat flour. I think this would work for you muffin as well. So, say the muffin recipe calls for 2 cups all-purpose. I would substitute 1 cup by using 1/2 cup all-purpose (I would still use 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cake flour), 1/2 cup bran, or in other words, swap out a 1/4 of the flour portion.

It has been quite awhile since I have been through all this thread, and it is one of my favorites to read, so many good results, tips and photos to illustrate the journey, if you want to call it that. What I can not remember and could be very crucial to this thread was if there were any guidelines ever drawn for the "Best Chocolate Cake?" There are many different variations and from what I can tell, the ones being tested in this thread fall mostly into the Devil's Food variety. I have developed, so far, three of my own chocolate cake recipes which include variations for even more possibilities. They are; 1. Fudge-like chocolate cake, probably closest to the Devil's Food variety -which by decreasing the flour can turn into a flourless-like chocolate cake 2. Cake-like (or German Chocolate Cake but intensified with lots of chocolate, where most German Chocolate cakes fail) -which by adjusting the leavening can be turned into a Browny-like chocolate cake. 3. Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake which is denser, usually baked in a square/rectangular pan. Butter is the key in this type of cake, increased to provide for the moisture. - no variation here yet. 4. (working on this one next) Chocolate Sponge cake - dark, moist with more eggs added to give it a slightly more spongy texture. Trying to find the "one", if that is even possible, might cause less hair pulling frustration if the type of cake sought after was defined, especially when it comes to chocolate cakes. Looking back at page 1, I do not think it ever was, other than "the best chocolate cake."

You are correct JeanneCake, thanks for making that distinction. Here is something I found for us cake makers regarding Italian Meringue Buttercreams. I always assumed that the boiled sugar involved was hot enough to pasteurize the egg whites, but according to Harold McGee in his book, On Food And Cooking, the bowl temp only reaches 130 to 135 degrees F, not enough. He recommends, for those concerned or as JeanneCake pointed out, for those selling commercially; to use either pasteurized eggs or a different alternative is the Swiss Meringue Buttercream method. By this method alone, you make sure the temp is brought up to the required 140 degrees to pasteurization. Very interesting... Here is also another question. Why is it confections make with centers of cream and sugar are allowed to be stored at room temperature, shipped across the country in all manner of weather, and still remain food safe? I need to see if McGee says anything about sugar as natural preservative.

I would assume the sugar would make it safe for a day or so, acting as a preservative. Many other frostings and buttercreams, like the decorator's buttercream recipes (usually) have milk or cream added, which is the same thing.

Muffins are a tricky lot. A true muffin, and yes, there are few guidelines that define them, such as only using 1 egg, etc., yield more of a bread-like texture, sort of dry. Many of them fall into what I describe as the healthy/breakfast bunch, wheat germ this, rolled-oats that...not to terribly exciting. There are a few good exceptions; most make up of fruit for me, blueberry, apple, etc. The moisture from the fresh takes the edge off the hardiness, I guess. The ones you speak of are hybrids, crossing the line into a cupcake and more times than not do contain more than one egg and more sugar attributing to a more tender crumb and crust. You can view my Extremely Orange, Orange muffin opus and try the end result, located near the end or in the recipe section here on egullet if you like. A true hybrid and if you like the flavor of orange, then I think you will like the muffin. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89702

I see this version listed online, using a mocha mixture, yum, but same recipe. My question is why start the whipping process in a food processor and and then transfer to a mixer to finish? Interesting.

Atomic leavening party... How does one dress for such an event? chefpeon said, "When alcohol is substituted for water in a mix..." I was actually referring to a scratch cake or did you mean mix, as in the mix of a recipe? Anyway, I agree, a little experimentation is in order.

No, I substitute brown sugar for white all the time, 1 for 1, no structural changes.

What about changing the granulated sugar in the cake recipe to firmly packed dark brown sugar? You would end up with a light butterscotch cake and butterscotch and caramel are in the same family range (butterscotch, yum). Or would that just send of over the caramel edge?